The scenic Sutlej valley
Getaway
By Baljit Singh

THE Beas valley has been on the tourist map since the early seventies, when it formed part of the four K’s (Kathmandu, Kulu, Kashmir, Kabul) of the marijuana-powered hippie culture, whereas Sutlej valley has remained largely untouched even by the recent tourist boom. This was partly so because the upper part of the valley which runs close to the Chinese frontier remained closed to outsiders until 1989, deterring both would-be travellers and investments in infrastructure. And when the restriction was eased, the Supreme Court clamped down restriction on new constructions along the river.

Despite these disadvantages, the long and deep valley of the region’s most powerful river is gradually emerging on the tour map and, given the value of hindsight, avoiding many of the pitfalls of the now saturated Beas valley. And the engine for its growth has been the series of dams along the river, running all the way from below Rampur up to Karcham and into the Baspa valley almost 100 km upstream.

Rampur Bushehar, the gateway to this region, is 125 km beyond Shimla. Although Rampur has a good infrastructure, strictly speaking it is not a tourist town. For set in narrow and rocky gorges at an elevation of just over 900 metres, Rampur is hot and windy in summer and chilly in winter. But its location and emergence as the hub of a series of new highways interlinking the Beas basin to the Yamuna (Tons and Pabbar rivers) means more and more travellers will be using Rampur as a transit point.

Astride a gorge and set against the backdrop of rice and almond fields and now heavy machinery, the capital of the former princely state of Bushehar is an old town steeped in history with interesting havelis, temples and palaces, including the magnificent Padam Palace, dotting the town and the hills around it.

The town, which was a centre of trade with Tibet before the occupation of that country in 1959, still retains its importance as a trading and manufacturing town. Each November, in the state-promoted Lavi fair the best of the year’s produce in wool, timber and metal is displayed. For the rest of the year too, Rampur with its quaint and colourful bazars is the best point for buying local and Kinnauri handicrafts.

Of its temples, those dedicated to Bhimkali the region’s presiding deity — are the most colourful. The best known of these is not in Rampur but at Sarahan, the former kingdom’s summer capital 42 km away. Blood sacrifices are performed there to this day.

Its famed Bhimkali temple apart, alpine Sarahan, at a height of 2165 metres and overlooking the snow-capped Srikhandh Mahadev peak (5227 metres) is a fledgeling resort town, with trekking trails over to Taklesh, Chirgaon and Rupin pass.

Temples to Parshuram and an ancient sun temple lie along the Sutlej bed at Nirmund and at Nirath, 14 and 13 km from Rampur, respectively. Dowdy Rampur also sits at the base of a developing alpine tourism zone, with hotels at Sarahan already functional and resorts at Sungri and Khadrala under construction. For the moment, Sungri (2600 m), 60 km away on the road to Rohru, and Khadrala (2800m) 15 km further on, can be taken in as day destinations.

Other places of interest are Bashleo pass (3277 m) some 40 km away and Jalori pass (3223 m) and Serolsar lake 76 km away on the route to Manali via Shoja (2683m). The lake is still 12 km further.

Rampur is also an important transit point for travellers to the picturesque Kinnaur valley some 60 km further upstream and as a gateway to the Sutlej dams zone. Beyond Rampur, all the little towns along the river are inextricably linked with hydro-electricity. Jhakri, 11 km away, is the most important of these. The HPSEB’s regional headquarters, it is a bustling residential town. Its tier upon tier of modern housing structures rise up the sheer left flank of a desolate gorge river like the set of some bizarre toy city in a Mad-Max adventure.

Jeori, 12 km further upstream, is an important refuelling station and a bazaar town for the thousands of construction workers employed in the Nathpa-Jhakri projects. Both Sholding and Bhabha Nagar, 20 km further upstream, are also dam towns. Nathpa and Sanjay Vidyut Nagar, the site for the over-60-metre-high crest wall of the project and its underground power house, are a few kilometres from Bhabha Nagar. Here, in a marvel of modern engineering, a section of the river has been channelled into the enclosing cliff to facilitate work.

Wangtu, a little further on, housed a police check post a few dhabas along the bridge until July 1987, when a freak cloudburst brought debris crashing down into the Sutlej and stopped the roaring waters dead in their tracks. The resulting lake swallowed up the bridge the road and Wangtu. Although the river has since eaten away the barrier, the village never revived and the remains of Wangtu are still visible in the water.

Beyond the bridge lies the Kinnaur region Tapri, a construction and road-station town 10 km from Wangtu, is the first town in this stretch of the valley. Beyond it, along the river’s edge, is the cantonment town of Karcham stretching langurously up to another bridge across the Sutlej. The open-air sulphur baths a hundred metres short of the bridge, are a welcome treat in the wind-blown and usually frigid valley.

Across Karcham bridge the road forks. One segment rises along the blue-green waters of the Baspa and the other follows the Sutlej to Powari, a leafy cantonment town and refuelling point, 11 km away. Beyond Powari, while the national highway continues on to Kaurik and Spiti, a secondary road doubles back to criss-cross up the mountain to Kinnaur’s districts headquarters Rekons Peo (2270 m). From Peo, it is 12 km further up the mountain to picturesque Kalpa, (2960).

For all its hype, as a new HP tourism resort’ Kalpa is an untrammelled little village set amidst fields and orchards (apple, almonds, walnut, chilgoza pines). Stilled by the impassive Kinner-Kailash massif across the valley,Kalpa’s few visitors are swallowed up without a blip, a treat for the travellers escaping the hot plains and noisy tourist resorts. Those disoriented by the change can visit Peo’s strikingly modern bazaar 12 km below.

Ribba, home of the region’s famed grape brandy and a wicked local brew, Ghanti, is 23 km from Rekong Peo on the road to Kaza.

Information

Getting there: Rampur is 125 km from Shimla via Narkanda. Kalpa is around 110 km from Rampur (around 345 km from Chandigarh). The road between Rampur and Wangtu is often damaged, specially after the first monsoon rains when debris from the past season’s construction washes on to them. There are night bus services. From Chandigarh and Delhi to Rampur, Sarahan and Rekong Peo/Kalpa and a deluxe bus service from Delhi to Jhakri.

Accommodation:

Rampur: HP Tourism’s Bushehar Regency — 19 rooms from Rs 600 for regular to Rs 800-1000 for deluxe AC. Several budget hotels along the road and in town — Rs 100 to Rs 400. Another budget option is Nogli, 7 km before Rampur, with two airy guest houses located in open fields Rs 150-Rs 300.

Sarahan: Hotel Shrikhand & Srikhand Cottage — Rs 300-Rs 1000. The Bhimkali temple also lets out rooms. Enquire locally for guest houses, sometime unregistered.

Kalpa: The recently renovated Hotel Kinner Kailash Rs 700-1100. Auctong Guest House — Rs 150 - Rs 250, Shivling Guest House (near Buddhist gompa) — Rs 150-250. Rekong Peo: Kailash-view Guest House in front of the PWD Rest house — Rs 150 - Rs 250.

PWD rest houses let out rooms for a modest fee (around Rs 100) at Rampur, Jeori, Sarahan, Karcham, Rekong Peo, Sungri, Khadrala, Shoja. For reservation details enquire the Assistant Engineer, PWD, at Rampur, Karcham (for the Sangla valley) and Rekong Peo.