Patnitop : Land of Serenity

(Army Camp)

A couple of days before our journey started, I asked my friend Mousim who is in Indian Army and recently posted in Patnitop, “What’s about the place ?” He smiled, “Can’t explain brother. Just go and feel!”

A few days after, when stepped in there, I lost every explanation. I was muted by its divine silence.

Situated on a picturesque plateau of the great Shivalik Himalaya Range, Patnitop is like one Indian saint engrossed in deep meditation amongst the curves of mountain and lush green forest. So beautiful all around. The pines are standing sky-high. The birds are twittering hither and thither. The brightened clouds are hovering overhead. And the beautiful river Chenab is flowing nearby. So charming. And so quiet. Even one can feel the sound of falling leaves. I can bet anyone who comes here, is guaranteed to fall in love.

General Information 

• Origin of Name : The word ‘Patnitop’ is derived from the phrase  ‘Patan Da Talab’ which means ‘Pond of the Princess’. In past, there was a pond in Patnitop where a certain princess used to bathe. A portion of the pond still exists near the local youth hostel. This ‘Patan Da Talab’ has been distorted in course of time and transformed into today’s ‘Patnitop’.
• Geographic Position : Located on Jammu-Srinagar Highway (National Highway No. 1A) in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is actually between Udhampur and Srinagar. Distance from Jammu is 112 Km and from Udhampur is only 47 Km.
• Altitude : 2024 m.
• Pin Code : 182142
• STD Code : 0191
• Language used : Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri
• Weather :
•           Summer (March to June) : Temperatur fluctuates from 8^o C to                 20^o C. It is the best time to visit and also Ideal for trekking.
•           Monsoon (July to September) : Quite moderate. But chances of             landslides are there. So better to avoid this season.
•           Winter (November to February) : Temperature remains between             (-)10^o C and 10^o C. The months experience moderate to heavy               snowfall. Best time for skiing and other snow games.
• Best time to visit : April to June

Tourist Attractions 

Patnitop offers beautiful picnic spots, breathtaking views of Himalayan landscape and peaceful walks through nature. For adventure lovers it offers skiing, trekking, camping and aero sports like paragliding, parasailing and hot-air ballooning. Skiing courses are conducted in January and February. For trekking details one can contact local JKTDC office. There are also some renowned tourist spots in and around Patnitop which can be visited hiring a cab.

Snow At Natha Top

• The Naag Temple : Located on a hill top in Mantalai at Krimchi and believed to be one of the oldest temple in Patnitop. Every year during Naag Panchami Festival thousands of pilgrims gather here to celebrate and offer their prayers.
• Kud : Situated at just around 5 km west of Patnitop and is a beautiful small town. The average altitude is around 1855 m. Kud is famous for its traditional sweet patisa (also known as Sohan or Soan Papdi).

Kud

• Madhatop : Situated at about 5 km trekking distance from Patnitop. Altitude is 2024 m. Famous for trekking and skiing. Three fresh water springs with medicinal properties are also located here.
• Natha Top : Natha Top, located at a height of 2758 m and at a distance of 13.8 km west of Patnitop, is a popular tourist spot. It offers grand view of surrounding snow-covered peaks. It is also famous for skiing and paragliding.

Natha Top

• Sanasar : Situated at an height of 2050 m above sea level, Sanasar is comprised of two small villages Sana and Sar and located just 17 km west of Patnitop in Udhampur district on national highway no. 1A. Sanasar is the paradise of sports-adventurists. Paragliding, parasailing, hot-air ballooning, abseiling and rock climbing are conducted here. For golf-lovers a golf course is also there in Sanasar.

Paragliding At Sanasar

• Sudh Mahadev Temple : Believed to be 2800 years old, Sudh Mahadev Temple houses a natural black marble Lingam, the Trishul (Trident) of Lord Shiva and a mace of legendary Pandava Bheema. The temple is 39 km south of Patnitop and is situated at an altitude of 1225 m. Every year at the full moon night of ‘Sawan’ (June – July) a three day festival is held. During the festival, people come in thousands to visit the shrine and worship the Trident and the Mace.
• Shiva Garh : At an altitude of about 3500 m, it is a beautiful tourist destination and located at around 11 km trekking distance from Patnitop.

Apart from Naag Panchami Festival, another festival, called Lohri is also famous here. It is held during Makar Sankranti (January). Lohri is a festival of joy and happiness. Young boys visit the elders and move around the town in colourful sequence and perform the Chhajja dance. One must be lucky to be a part of this festival.

Food  

Apart from the conventional dishes, such as North And South Indian, veg and non-veg, Chinese and continental, one can savour the traditional dishes like patisa of Kud, rajma of Batote and of course Kashmiri Polao, Wazwan, Rogan and Josh.

Shopping 

Shopping list should include Pashmina shawls, Dogra jewellery, Kashmiri handicrafts, wool and silk hand-knotted carpets and dry fruits.

How To Reach 

• By Air : The nearest airport is Jammu airport. From there a taxi will take 3 to 3¹/2 hours and a bus will take around 5 hours to reach Patnitop.
• By Railway : Udhampur is the nearest railway station. Jammu is also the other railway station located near Patnitop. Numbers of buses and taxis available outside the stations to reach the town.
• By Road : Patnitop is well connected with major cities like Jammu (112 km), Udhampur (47 km), Srinagar (184 km), Pathankot (176 km), Katra (80.9 km) and Pahalgam (173 km). Plenty of buses and hired taxis are coming frequently from these places.

Where To Stay 

There is no dearth of accommodation in Patnitop. Numbers of budget and luxurious hotels, resorts, huts and bunglows,  run by government and non-government organisations are available here. Some of them are –

• Hotel Patnitop : NH – 1A, Main Crossing, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 09419181590
• Hotel Patnitop Heights : Padora Enclave, near Naag Temple, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 01992-287548,
• Vardhan Resorts : Padora Enclave, near Naag Temple, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 01992-287525, 287526, 09018194040
• Hotel Greentop : Padora Enclave, near Naag Temple, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 01992-287519, 287581
• Hotel Forest View : National Highway, Near Naag Temple, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 01992-287567, 9419163002
• Shiva International Cottage : Padora Enclave, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 01992-287523, 09419185731
• Hotel Subash Palace : National Highway, near taxi stand, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 01992-287516, 287555, 287600, 09419133630
• Hotel Dogra Residency : Kasal Morh, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 01992-287575
• Hotel Mount Shivalik : National Highway 1A, Patnitop, J & K, Ph. : 01992-287563
• Shankar Hotel : Main Bazaar, Kud, J & K, Ph. : 01992-288128

For further enquiry in any regard, one may contact :

Tourist Reception Centre

Head Office, Srinagar

Ph. : 0194-2457927, 2457930

Tourist Reception Centre

Vir Marg, Jammu Tawi

Ph. : 0191-2579554

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Chilika Lake : God's Own Creation

(Sea Mouth)

This was our fourth time in Puri, but very first time that we were heading towards Chilika. 

As our car was running through the morning dew, the open wide sky, the vast span of side-by swamp and the birds flying over whom we had hardly seen before and the only sound of their chirping ………. all were beckoning me to an old saying  ‘ morning shows the day’.

Our day was delighted. We could not understand how the hours passed away as we completely lost our very own existence amidst the expanse of God’s own creation!

Chilika is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia and second largest in the world. The river Daya has created this lagoon before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Thirty four other rivers like Bhargavi, Nuna, Makra and Malaguni also have joined Daya in Chilika. The lagoon spreads over three districts of Odisha(formerly Orissa) – Puri, Khurda and Ganjam covering a total area of over 1100 square km.

Chilika

This huge lagoon is one of the greatest examples of biodiversity. It is the home of 225 species of fishes, thirty seven species of amphibians and reptiles, fourteen types of raptors, endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, a variety of aquatic plants, algae and phytoplankton and 350 species of non-aquatic plants. And of course, it is the largest winter resort on the Indian sub-continent for indigenous and migratory birds from Siberia, Mongolia, Southeast and Central Asia and the Himalayas. Over 160 species of birds can be seen in the peak season.

Flock Of Birds

Chilika is also a tourist’s delight. The expanse of blue water, side-by evergreen range of hills, beautiful islands, birds, playful dolphins and beckoning of the Bay of Bengal have made Chilika the Queen of natural beauty.

General Information 

• Geographic position : Situated on the east coast of India in Odisha at the mouth of the Daya river and spreads over three districts – Puri, Ganjam and Khurda.
• Area : Over 1100 sq. km.
• Water depth : waist deep to max. 4.2m
• Temperature :
• Summer (March to June) : 19⁰ C to 45⁰ C
• Winter (November to February) : 4⁰ C to 22⁰ C
• The best time to visit : October to June

Places To Visit 

Chilika is famous for boating, bird watching and fishing. In new Chilika, near Satpada, one can enjoy the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins and occasionally bottle-nosed dolphins jumping in the water, and also can relish the scenic beauty of the sea-mouth where Chilika meets the Bay of Bengal. On the lonely beach there, strolling in the shallow water and gentle waves can bring a celestial ecstasy that can never be faded away from mind.

Irrawaddy Dolphin

Birds can be better viewed in old Chilika. If nothing makes satisfied, one can simply enjoy splashing around in the blue water, feel the vastness and watch the sunset at the western horizon.  Everything is guaranteed to be unique and inexpressible.

Sun-set at Chilika Lagoon

In Chilika there are also some beautiful islands –

• Kalijai Hill – Abode of Goddess Kalijai. Every year in January during Makar Sankranti a big fair is held.
• Nalabana – Situated in the centre of the lagoon is a bird sanctuary and bird-watchers’ delight.
• Birds Island – Natural habitat for birds and a tourist spot.
• Tampara – Pedal boating is available here.

Kalijai Temple

Rajhans Island, Somolo Island, Beacon Island, Breakfast Island, Honeymoon Island and Parikud Island are also well-known tourist spots.

There are also some nearby interesting spots, such as Nirmaljhara (11 km – an ideal picnic and pilgrimage spot), Narayani (22 km – abode of Goddess Narayani), Banpur (42 km – a historical place and famous for Bhagabati temple) and Rusikulya Beach (nesting ground of Olive Ridley Turtles).

Food 

On the roadside there are some good restaurants which offer delicious typical foods along with some special dishes of fresh fishes, prawns and crabs found in Chilika.

How To Reach

• By air : The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar which is about 120 km away from where one can avail taxi, bus or train to reach Chilika.
• By train : The nearest rail station is Balugaon on Chennai-Howrah track. From Balugaon station taxi or bus can be availed to reach the lake.
• By road : Chilika is well connected with cities like Bhubaneswar (61.8 km), Cuttack (80.5 km) and Puri (37 km). Both public and private buses are frequently coming  from these cities. Taxis also can be hired to reach here.

Sea Mouth

Where To Stay 

There are many hotels, bunglows, huts and lodges in and around Chilika.  For government guest houses in Rambha, Barkul and Satpada one can contact to :

The Divisional Manager,

OTDC (Head Office)

Pathaniwas Old Block, Lewis Road,

Bhubaneswar – 751014

Ph. – 0674-432699

Tent accommodation is also available at Saga Eco Camp.  However, people who come directly from Puri, need not to stay here as the tour can be completed well before dusk.

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Solang Valley : Unforgettable

(Solang Valley)

“Not looking good sir!” Vicky, our hotel boy, a local lad of hardly nineteen pointed at the sky.

It was almost 8.30 a.m. by my watch, and yes it was still so dark all around. And a chilling breeze was blowing through constantly.

We were just going to enter into our car to set out for the Rohtang Pass, but stopped at his word.

“Yes he is right,” Arjunji, our driver commented. “It will be risky. Let’s go to Solang instead. It will be far nearer and safer.”

We heard of Solang. It is always better to go somewhere than nowhere. So we started, though our hearts were still saddened.

But soon our despair disappeared. Solang was so beautiful! We were stunned. A lush green valley with snow-capped mountains in the backdrop. It was simply marvellous. We felt thankful to Vicky and Arjunji.

On The Way To Solang

Kothi

At a height of 8400 feet Solang is a picturesque side valley on the top of Kullu valley with a background of snow-capped mountains and just about 14 km north-west of Manali. One can take a hired cab from Manali and go along the National Highway no. 21, reach Kothi and therefrom take a left turn to reach Solang. However, cars are not allowed to go to the actual spot. One has to leave the car at a certain distance and then can hire a single or double seated Quad/ATV waiting there or can opt for simple walk to reach the spot.

Quad / ATV

The speciality of this valley is its superb gentle slope which is ideal for skiing. Hence, in winter the ski sport is arranged here with great enthusiasm. For this purpose in Solang there are a few ski agencies which offer courses and equipment. A rope-way is also there to help to reach to the top of the slope. During the summer when snow melts away, other kinds of sports like paragliding, parachuting, horse riding and a very special sport zorbing (rolling down the hill in a giant ball) are arranged. And for those people who cannot go adventurous, simple watching and enjoying the beauty of the surroundings are enough to justify their purpose to come here.

Paragliding

Rope-way Point

Rope-way

The Para Gliders

Where To Stay

Since Manali is just 14 km away, so people normally stay in Manali and come Solang as a same day return tour. However, those who love adventure can stay here in tents.

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