Travel Guide to Churdhar Sanctuary
Adventure means forgetting the things of your daily life routine, forgetting your daily life routine for the peace of soul within you.Adventure helps a lot for the satisfaction of your soul, you just have to forget everything and just feel that I am a part of it.Money only makes a person's heart happy, but adventure makes a person's soul happy. If the soul of a person is happy, then life will go on like water is flowing in a river.
I just have to keep walking for the peace of my soul
Churdhar Sanctuary is located in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh.If we talk about the entire area of the sanctuary, then it is about 56.16 square kilometres and is 11,965 feet high. Churdhar Trek of 18 kilometres which is easily done in one to two days, If you have good experience of walking on the mountain then you can cover the entire track in 10 to 12 hours easily.
If you want to spend more quality time in nature then you have to do camping and bonfire.People know Churdhar by many names like Chur-Chandni,Chur -Shikhar, Chur-Choti.Churdhar Sanctuary attracts all kinds of tourists, if you like trekking then you can enjoy trekking,If you are more attracted to nature and wildlife then this is the right place because at this place you can easily find all these animals and birds like Monal, Mushk, Deer, Barking Deer, Himalayan Black Bear, Leopards and Langur.In this sanctuary, you will find a large number of oak and dodder trees, and there will also be some plants that are used to make herbal medicines such as Wild Himalayan Cherry, Aloe Vera, etc.
ABOUT TREK
The level of Churdhar trek goes from easy to difficult.The fun of trekking gets more and more exciting as you go uphill.
If you are going on trekking then the most important thing to know is that which is the best time to go on trekking?
The time to go on the Churdhar trek is May to November, but if we talk about the best and perfect time, then April to June, October to November is the right time.In the months of October and November, you get snow in the last 5-8 kilometres of the Churdhar trek, which will make your trekking full of adventure.While doing the Churdhar trek, the thing that you have to remember is that you have to avoid trekking during the night as this trek involves very dense forest which has a lot of animals and it is also less visible in the forest at night, from which you can lose your way as well.So please don't risk you life .
Churdhar Trek can be completed in three halts.
After completing the first halt you will get Two shops where you will get food items of basic needs Like Dal-Rice Maggi, Chips, Chocolates, Biscuit, Cold Drinks. You will also get a place to stay in both the shops but the accommodation is limited and they are quite simple.This place is safe and perfect for camping as there is a lot of open space and perfect surface for camping setup. Many tourists do camping and bonfire at this place and because of this the sight of the place is very beautiful and full of adventure.
After completing the first halt you will get one shops where you will get food items of basic needs Like Dal-Rice Maggi, Chips, Chocolates, Biscuit, Cold Drinks but the price of these things is more than their real price. Many tourists do camping and bonfire at this place.
After second halt, the trek is covered into two ways, first is going straight to the Shri Shirgul Maharaj temple.The other way leads right to the top of the peak where there is an idol of Lord Shiva . There is also a Dharamshala in the temple for Devotees, who is absolutely free.
HISTORY OF CHURDHAR
Churdhar is a very religious place for all the peoples of Sirmaur and Chopal region.The special thing about Shri Shirgul Maharaj Temple is that the temple here is very old, which shows you the culture and history of the old time here.As you all know, there are many Holi Pilgrimages in Himachal Pradesh which are dedicated to Lord Shiva.And every Holi Pilgrimages has a story or myth, similarly Churdhar also has a story.
There are 2 stories behind Shri Shirgul Maharaj Temple, which tells the importance of the history of this place.
First story:-It is said that at the time when the Mahabharata battle was going on,'Barbareek'who was the grand son of Bhima, was going to Kurukshetra for the battle . Then Barbareek came in front of Shri Krishna, then Shri Krishna asked where are you going, then Barbarika said that I am going to battle.But Shri Krishna knew that Barbareek would fight on the side of Kaurava because Barbareek would always take the side of the one who is getting lost.Shri Krishna had promised Kunti that I would not let your five sons die, but Barbareek was very powerful and he would have killed all five Pandavas very easily.Shri Krishna started thinking that he would kill the five Pandavas, so Shri Krishna showed his huge form, so that Barbareek came to know that he is God.When Barbareek asked for blessings from Shri Krishna, Shri Krishna said, first give me a promise and Barbareek agreed.Shri Krishna gave him his blessings and asked him to give his head but Barbareek said but I want to see the war of Mahabharata battle ,then Shri Krishn said that you will see Mahabharata from your severed head and Barbareek cut his head.Shri Krishna placed the severed head of Barbareek on the peak of Churdhar and Barbareek saw the entire Mahabharata battle from Churdhar Peak.When Mahabharata was over, Shri Krishna said to the Pandavas that come with me, I have placed a severed head on a mountain and it will tell you what was done in Mahabharata.When Shri Krishna and the Pandavas reached the severed head of Barbareek,.Barbarik told that in the whole battle, he only showed Sudarshan Chakra and Khali Khapar, hearing all this the Pandavas were shocked.After that Shri Krishna had given a boon to Barbareek that you will be your incarnation in Kaliyug Lok and you will become Shri Shirgul.When Shri Shirgul Maharaj went to Churdhar there was a demon named Churdia,Then there was a fierce battle between the two and the demon ran away in fear.After that the Shiva Linga of Shri Shirgul Maharaj became at that place.
Shri Shirgul Maharaj Temple
SECOND STORY:-
The priest of the temple told that it was a long time ago when once Churu and his son were going to the temple for darshan.Then suddenly a ghostly big snake comes in front of him.Seeing the snake, both were very scared, the snake saw them and rushed towards them to bite them.Seeing the snake coming towards them, both of them started praying to Shirgul Maharaj, they prayed to Lord Shiva with a sincere heart to escape from this trouble.Within a few seconds, Lord Shiva heard the prayers of both of them and then a ghostly stone fell on the snake, due to which the snake died and both of them were saved.After this incident, the faith of the people for this place became stronger.
Blue colour Mahadev Sculpture
किस्मत लिखने वाले को भगवान कहते हैं
और जो किस्मत बदलदे उन्हे भोलेनाथ कहते हैं
Trek Type:-Good for beginners,Nature lover, lovers of wildlife.
Difficulty:-Moderate
Duration:- 1 to 2 Days
Base:- Nohradhar
Best time to Visit:- April to June, October to November
Entry: Free entry
Things to Carry:-
1.Backpack to hold all the essentials that you’re carrying
2.Identity Card
3.Trekking Shoes
4.First Aid Kit
5.Water Bottle
6.Flashlight
7.Plastic bags in case your cloths get wet due to snow and rain
8.Rain coat and Umbrella.
Where to stay-
1.Hotels - Hotels are available only in Nohradhar.
2.Homestays-Source of income for locals with local touch of place.
3.Dharamshala/ Inn
How to reach ?
By Air-
The nearest airports are Shimla which is 123 KM away and Chandigarh airport 148 Km away from Nohradhar.
By Train-
If you want to come from Delhi then you have to come to Chandigarh first and from Chandigarh to Kalka by rail.Delhi to Chandigarh (232km),Chandigarh to Kalak(25km).From Kalka you will get bus or taxi to come to Solan
By Road-
To come from Chandigarh, you will get a bus or taxi to come to Solan (H.P).From Solan you can get bus to Nohradhar. Chandigarh to Solan(66km),Solan to Nohradhar(66 km).