Half way to heaven

The small Himalayan town of Askot in Pithoragarh is situated amidst huge
forest tracts and a breathtaking valley. This tiny town also lies on famous
the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage route, writes Tanushree Podder


A view of Askot village

A steady drizzle turned the dry mountain rivulets into gurgling streams as our car negotiated the steep bends on the mountain road. Clouds played hide and seek above our head, throwing interesting patterns on the road. The deep gorge, with its thick vegetation, threw shadows on our path, revving up our mood, as the vehicle surged up, groaning under the burden of its boisterous passengers. We were on our way to Askot, in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, a tiny town with several possibilities that can be explored in a few hours.

The very name, Askot, is said to be a corruption of ‘Assi Kot’ meaning 80 forts. Sited amidst huge forest tracts and a breathtaking valley, Askot was once the seat of the Rajwars. The ruling family was once a branch of the old royal house of Katyur, which later broke up. One branch of the family, led by Abhai Pal, settled in Askot at about 1,273 AD. He established a small principality that remained under his successors almost till about the beginning of the present century.

It was a quirk of history that brought this beautiful region back into the Indian fold. Sometime in the 18th century the area was ruled by the Gorkhas, who were pushed back into Nepal by the British in 1815.

This area, with its difficult hills and unpredictable terrain, forms the starting point for the all-important Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage.

The tiny town of Askot sits astride a ridge that skirts deep and dense forest where leopards linger during the day, emerging at night to hunt. This is the region that has seen many man-eaters lift children and women from the little village that lies on the hill, just under the forest, next to the mountain rivulet.

Down below the valley, the undulating white of Gori Ganga flows enticingly amidst the unending stretches of pine, shisham, oak and sal trees. Gori Ganga and the Kali Ganga are identifiable by the colour of their water. While the Gori Ganga has frothy white water, the Kali Ganga water is a muddy one.

Recently promoted as Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary by the state government, the area is supposed to be a haven for wildlife, birds and butterflies. Jungle cat, snow leopard, serow, barking deer, civet cat, musk deer, ghoral, Himalayan black bear and brown bear once resided in these dense jungle with the Himalayan birds lodged in the foliage. Whether they still roam the forests is anybody’s guess but cheer pheasant`A0(Catreus wallichi) and the white-throated tit (Aegithalos niveogularis) are a few of the interesting bird species seen in the area.

The Gori Ganga valley captures the entire gradient of Himalayan habitats, ranging from subtropical sal to Alpine meadows within a distance of about a 100 km of the river from its confluence to source. The Gori Ganga river, which originates at the Milam Glacier, meets the Kali Ganga at Jauljibi. The Gori Ganga valley, within which lies the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, has been identified as an area of high agro-biodiversity. Perched on the ridge of Kumaon Himalayas, at an elevation of 5,412 feet makes Askot a stunningly beautiful location. Its unique bio-system contributes to the mystique in a large way.

The nearby Narayan Swami Ashram, sited at the top of a hill, at Narayan Nagar is a branch of the original ashram set up by the swamy in 1936 to help the pilgrims on their arduous trek to Kailash Mansarovar. It was at his ashram that they rested, were fed and given a blanket, a kilogram of gur and some sattu before they resumed the journey through the hostile terrain.

Just under the hill lie large tracts of forests that go all the way up to Askot town. With Jauljibi, the place where the Gori and the Kali Ganga meet, located just 15 km away, the choice was clear. This was a place that couldn’t be missed.

Each year during the month of November, this place sees the confluence of three different cultures — the Shauka, the Nepali and the Kumaoni — when the annual fair is held. Once upon a time, an important trade route, Jauljibi was the gateway to places like Johar, Darma, Chaudans and Byans connecting Tibet with the Terai regions.

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