Travel Diary Stop 1 : Lohaghat – a place like Heaven.

What a busy day!

I am always pretty excited to meet new people, learn their culture and see places around me. Thankfully, my better half is also into photographing people, places and possibilities. I’d like to pen down some kind of memoir reading which I can go back to time! I thought of penning down the places I had been to, the experience I had and the things I learned. Of course, starting from my own country, INDIA.

I think the experience to witness new things around me excites me the most.

Let me tell you a travel story. I had never been to a village. Yes, that’s true. My better half is from a beautiful village in Uttarakhand India known as Lohaghat, blessed with natural beauty in abundance. Trust me, if you want to escape from the hustle-bustle of the city, this is the place to be. Someone has rightly said, “Why go to Kashmir, if there is heaven in the world, so its in Lohaghat.” I always had a crude picture of a village in my mind, but when I witnessed it for the first time I was spellbound. It was far beyond my imagination, pure and peaceful. It has beautiful temples and fascinating locales nearby.

Climate – The climate is pleasant. In summers, the temperature rises maximum to 20°C and in winters, drops till 5-6°C with light snowfall.

People – The people of Lohaghat are very simple and honest. The lifestyle is uncomplicated. They are very humble and unpretentious. Far away from greed, avarice and materialism. They are pious and believe in God.

Enroute: The road which I took was from New Delhi to Rudrapur -> Khatima -> Tanakpur -> Lohaghat.

The view after Rudrapur to our destination was picturesque. Do not forget to stop at Nanakmatta – the Sikh pilgrimage site, constructed over Nanak Sagar Dam on river Saryu. It is believed that Guru Nanak visited this place to meditate. The next stop after that which I took was Chalthi – stop there few minutes just to taste the roadside dhaba’s famous combination of raita and kaale chane (condiment made with yogurt and black peas saute with tomatoes and indian spices).

After Chalthi, I was just 30mins away from my destination. The beautiful views on the way amazed me.

After reaching Lohaghat, I was welcomed with so much love and affection by his family. I stayed in a wooden house painted blue built in 1943, and relaxed. Next day, the places we went were Banasur fort, Mayawati Ashram and Devidhura temple. The fort was the capital of demon Banasur. He was defeated by Lord Krishna in a face to face battle. Mayawati Ashram – The ashram attracts spiritualists from India and abroad. Swami Vivekanand stayed and shifted his publication office of ‘Prabuddh Bharat’. Devidhura temple – famous for its Barahi Temple where the traditional Bagwal (fair) is held once every year on the festival of Raksha Bandhan.

If you don’t want to miss the Himalayan range view in morning, go to bed early!

This was a trip of a lifetime. I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent in nature, away from the city. If you need any information or have any questions, you can post your questions in the comments section. I hope you like my post and let me know if you want me to write anything very specific, I will take care of that next time.

Links:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohaghat, https://www.facebook.com/loveulohaghat.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine