Trek to Har-ki-Doon by Indrajit Bandyopadhyay

Photo Essay
Trek to Har-ki-Doon

Image (c) Indrajit Bandyopadhyay

In the October of 2006, during the Puja vacation, my younger brother Ujjal, my colleague Kamal and I went to Har - Ki - Doon trek. The region interests me very much, because I read that it is one of the few places in India where Duryodhana and Karna are worshipped as God. Har-Ki-Doon falls within the Govind Pashu vihar sanctuary. Haridwar to Sankri (6500 ft) is 240 KM. Our trek starts from Sankri. We spend the night at the bungalow of Garhwal Mandal Vikash Nigam. We hire a guide-cum-porter. He is Vikram, a nice looking lad of nineteen. He reads in college and does this job part-time. The present rate of a guide is Rs. 250 per day. Sankri to Taluka is 12 Km Trek. As we near Taluka, these children greet us with ‘namaste’ and ask ‘meethai.’ We oblige them with sweets, and they oblige us with sweet smiles!

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