Blissful Beatific Bir

Aradhika Sharma

Nestled in the Kangra valley is the still unspoilt area of Bir- Billing. Famously known as the “Paragliding capital of the world”, most people come exclusively to experience the adventure sport. In this, they are doing themselves and the breathtakingly beautiful area an injustice. Indeed, Bir, Chowgan and Billing have several delights to offer.

The Dhauladhars — the snow-capped custodians of Himachal Pradesh — rise mystically before you while in their laps nestle rolling meadows and farms, ripe with wheat and fruit trees. Tea gardens spread out for acres with smiling Himachali women filling their baskets with ‘two leaves and a bud’. Flowers, the colours of which are almost too bright to behold, grow with wild and cheery abandon. 

Apart from the adrenaline activities, there are many delights that the charming area offers:  ecotourism, food, spiritual courses, meditation, treks and, of course, adventure. 

Glide your way 

The best paragliding experience is between the months of March-May and October-November. In October, the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Himachal Pradesh, organises the Paragliding Pre-World Cup at Bir-Billing.

The paraglider in quest of ‘epic adventure’  takes off from Billing, 18 km north of Bir, and glides down  to the landing site at Bir for 20 minutes of pure thrill. The fainthearted can spend time at the landing site and take photographs and simply soak in the lovely environs here. The sunset at Bir is spectacular with several paragliders timing their landing at that moment. 

There are certified paragliding schools that offer training programmes. The tandem joyrides are helmed by trained ‘pilots’. “You can figure out a trained pilot by the way he lands,” says a local resident with a grin. “The competent pilot will land softly on his feet while the newbie will drag the passenger’s butt for a short distance on landing!”

Unfortunately, the road winding up to the steep climb to Billing is not well maintained and needs repair!

Hikes, bikes and treks

You can rent a cycle (available at a shop near the landing site) to zip up and down the mountains. The views are perfect if the weather is good and you’re in a happy place!

If you opt for a hike, the Tatta Pani or the Tattani trek is a one-day adventure that is routed through the Bir-Bari-Brahan-Tattani-Kanarthu route and ends at Bir. Tattani is a natural hot water sulphur spring flowing at a temperature of 65º C.

Another great hiking route is the Hanumangarh trek extending over two days. It is routed through Bir-Bari-Billing-Hanumangarh-Chenha Pass-Billing and ends at Bir. The tour operators will organise the logistics for you at a price.

You could opt for a leisurely stroll through the Chowgan tea gardens, spread out over acres or follow the Bir river upstream through the forest to the river pools and waterfalls above Upper Bir for a steeper walk. 

For those who just want to soak in the beauty of the place, a good option is to amble around the villages, talking to the  locals and — if you’re not intimidated by their sheer size — petting the local friendly gaddi dogs. You can hear the birds singing in symphony — a sound undiluted by the horns of traffic — and even see mongoose courting each other. 

The Tibetan touch

The Bir-Chowgan area has a large presence of Tibetans. The Chowgan Tibetan Refugee Colony (‘Colony’ in local parlance) was established in the early 1960s by Chokling Rinpoche following the exile of the Dalai Lama from Tibet and houses several monasteries, meditation institutes, handicrafts, Tibetan herbal clinic, a Tibetan children’s village school and the Nalanda-style Deer Park Institute. Established by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in 2006 under patronage of the Dalai Lama, the deer park is a centre for the study of classical Indian wisdom traditions. It offers workshops and courses in various disciplines — regular yoga and Tai Chi courses, ayurveda, Chinese medicine and Tibetan medicine and art.

The Tibetan area has several beautiful monasteries, temples and a large stupa. The inevitable prayer flags, fluttering in the mountain breeze, herald the monasteries as you approach them. You can spend a day travelling the monastery route and visit the Chokling Gompa, the Dharmalaya Institute, the landmark, Sherab Ling Monastery (which houses a huge Golden Buddha), Nyingma Monastery and the Sakya Dirru Monastery. The awe-inspiring Zabsang Choekhorling Monastery in Chauntra is fast emerging as a global centre of Tibetan arts and sciences.

The Tibetan area has several guest houses, cafes and hole-in-the-wall eating places. You can sup on noodles, dumplings, momos and butter tea at the Tibetan cafes. Enjoy cakes and coffee at Janhavi’s, pumpkin soup and hummus and sandwiches at Bhumi, Pizza at Gliders Pizzeria and a vegan meal and French press coffee at Brian’s and Asian and Tibetan food at Norgay Kitchen.

There isn’t much to shop but you could find some nice ‘branded’ clothes in the Chowgan bazaar and shop for beautiful Tibetan carpets. 

Art class

Housed at a restaurant in the lovely little village of Gunehar, the 4tables art project is the brainchild of Frank Schlichtmann. The project seeks to bring artists of the country together for two initiatives conducted under their aegis: In The Woods and Shop Art Art Shop.

The attempt is to coax (or challenge) artists to explore their creativity by getting them out of the confines of their regular milieus of studios and cities and ‘into the open’. The massive paddy fields, unspoilt woods, a small village peopled with cherubic children and frisky livestock form the setting of the artworks. The aim is to experiment with alternative and meaningful models of contemporary living.

In The Woods transforms a forest into a free-for-all open-air art gallery, open to shepherds, tourists and art aficionados. As a result of the Shop Art Art Shop, the little rural marketplace of Gunehar village has been transformed into a living art gallery. The walls of the buildings have been used as canvases by the artists, who visit during the workshops. 

Nearby is a gallery of quirky arts, a fusion restaurant where you can eat gourmet meals sourced from local ingredients, a small boutique hotel, and, of course, art events and residencies. Need any more reasons to plan  a visit to Bir?