Bathing tubs of Tattapani

I was born at Sunni, which at that time was in Mahasu district, and now comes under Shimla district. I was two years old when my father was transferred from Sunni to Jubbal in the mid-1960s. During winter vacation, we spent time at our native place, situated on the banks of the Sutlej. Tattapani is 5 km from Sunni and falls in Mandi district. Tattapani was famous for hot water springs on the riverbank, where small ponds called dhambolas were dug. The source of hot water was underground. People used to take a bath by sitting in the ponds and mixing the cold water of the Sutlej with the extremely hot water of the dhambolas. A temporary purdah wall was raised to separate the dhambolas for women. Tattapani has historic significance and is considered to be a place of pilgrimage. It is said Rishi Jamdagini squeezed his towel (parna) here after coming from Manikaran through an underground route.

This water had properties to cure skin diseases. On every Makar Sankranti, a mela used to be organised and thousands of pilgrims would partake of langar hosted by a big businessman of Shimla. This place was also famous for performing ‘Shani Daan’ to get rid of the ‘Shani Mahadasha’, and on Makar Sakranti, special tents were pitched for performing ‘Tula Daan’ on the riverbank.

We often visited Tattapani to bathe in these dhambolas. We travelled on foot, or in a bus sometimes, as transport facilities were sparsely available at that time. You could not sit for too long in these natural bathing tubs once you had put water on your head, because you could feel giddy and also hungry!

As we grew, this activity became a routine for us. While sitting in dhambolas, we used to collect beautiful stones. I still have one or two of those displayed in my drawing room. In the evening hours, we used to take a stroll on the banks of the river; the sound of water was like music, soothing to the ears, and the mind.

But now, the charm of old Tattapani has gone because of the submergence of the area due to the construction of the 800-MW Kol Dam hydroelectric project. The affected families were provided land at Sunni for rehabilitation, and now only the upper Tattapani exists. The charm of hot water springs and the pleasant sound have gone.

Though the government has made provision for a bath at Tattapani village by using a borewell technique, the intensity of the water’s heat and the pleasure of sitting on the riverbank are the stuff of memories now.