CHAKRATA – Veritable Treasure Trove of Dreamy Holiday Destinations

Serene and spectacular mountain retreat

Uttarakhand has a veritable treasure trove of dreamy holiday destinations, exploited for their summertime charms.  Now many of them have quietly transformed into all-year-round vacation hubs.

That said, there are those amongst us who are ever ready to go hunting in the state for its lesser-known gems for experiences that are distinct to them. This makes the little hill town of Chakrata in the Jaunsar – Bawar region of Dehradun district, perfect for such adventures. Easily accessible from Dehra Dun (88km), which offers both rail and air links, Chakrata is worthy of your attention. So be there with friends and family to enjoy its scenic beauty and cultural offerings.

Let’s roll back a bit to its essentials before delving deeper into its local allurements. Located at a height of 7,000m, it is surrounded by lush verdure, broken up by swathes of buransh or rhododendrons and venerable oak forests. The snow views of the Himalayas are spectacular, especially in the clear winter days.

Chakrata Cantonment Days

The officers of the Raj loved it, as it gave them the much-needed respite from the punishing summers of Delhi, Meerut, Ambala, Kanpur, Lucknow, and other cities that served as military bases. Dehra Dun itself is an important military base with a sizeable Indian Army presence.

Back in 1866 the British Indian Army set up Chakrata as a military base and named it after a local tribe. It played a pivotal role in its military operations in the region. Post-Independence it was taken over by the Indian Army. It was only opened up for Indian civilians in the 1990s.

One will recall that the military presence of British India was a critical factor in the operations of its government machinery. For the uninitiated, Delhi’s role as a regional security provider was highly important as the tentacles of the Raj left their mark from Aden to Malacca and Southern Africa to the South China Sea, to ensure this regional stability. Thus, taking care of their officers and their health so they would work efficiently within this greater framework was a growing imperative for the higher ups.

Chakarata’s importance as a high-risk security base still holds. Today, keeping in view its high-security location, only Indian nationals are allowed to visit the small hill town which still serves as a military base. Foreigners can only travel up to Kalsi, the pretty township nestling by the sacred waters of the Yamuna River when it first emerges from the mountains to enter the Doon Valley. By the way, the views of the Yamuna and the valley are superb from any vantage point in Chakrata.

The monsoons can be a bit of a spoil sport but the weather gods are extremely kind between April and June, and again from September to November.  Winter days can be cold

Places to Check Out

Lakhamandal Temple

A short drive out of Chakrata brings you to this shrine, which is very popular with the local community. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it features a lingam created out of graphite, which begins to shine like a mirror when it is bathed with water, the ritual of jalabhishek. The shrine that you see today features the Nagara-style Hindu religious architecture that was built in the 12th – 13th century CE. The temple also is marked for its idols of Goddess Parvati, Lord Kartikeya, Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Bajrangbali which were recovered from the surrounds of the site. Two dwarpalas (sentinels), Dev and Danav, which over time have gone by different names, guard the entrance.

A legend, culled from the many episodes recorded in the great Hindu epic the Mahabharata, reveals that the Kauravas, headed by Duryodhana, built the Lakshgriha (house of shellac) for their cousins the five Pandavas, who were also their arch rivals; but what they intended was to trap the Pandavas and burn down the palace along with their cousins. The Pandavas, along with their mother Kunti had been invited for festivities at the palace by Duryodhana.

Vidhura, the grand uncle of the Pandavas, had warned Yudhishthira about the conspiracy. But Yudhishthira could not get out of the promise to Dhritarashtra that they would attend, and thus they got trapped in the palace and could not get away. Vidhura then employed a miner to secretly dig a tunnel near the palace. It took six months to complete.  It was in the nick of time that Pandavas, along with their mother Kunti, escaped their fate by squirreling their way out of the palace through an underground tunnel. When the palace burned to the ground by Yudhishthira’s orders as they escaped, the Kauravas rejoiced thinking they had got rid of the Pandavas. This became even more believable as they found the burnt remains of a woman and five men, who had attended the festivities, thinking they were those of Kunti and the five Pandavas.

Miracles are said to have taken place at the shrine. Local lore has it that if a dead person from the nearby villages, was placed in front of the Shivalinga, installed here by Yudhishthira, it would come back to life when the priest sprinkled water from the holy waters of the nearby Yamuna River.

A cave, located a short distance from the shrine, is believed to have been the exit point of the said tunnel, and where the Pandavas hid for a while. The palace may have burned down, but the shrine keeps alive that terrible event in the conflict between the warring cousins. The area is still known for its subterranean deposits of lac, as revealed by a local priest. It was after this murderous event that Duryodhana was groomed as the new heir to the throne.  This eventually led to the preparations for the Mahabharata War between the Kauravas and Pandavas at Kurukshetra.

The ASI has unearthed several other Shiva linga and idols of other deities from an area of about 100m around the temple site.

Tiger Falls

A lovely trekking trail leads you to the very popular Tiger Falls, 5km from town, which witnesses a lot of footfalls in the summer months. Dropping from a height of 312 ft, the falls are a pretty sight. Pack a picnic basket and spend leisurely hours soaking in the tranquillity of these verdant surrounds of towering deodars.

Chilmiri Neck

Head for this excellent viewpoint in the cantonment area for those superb views of Rohini Peak, Swarga Peak, and the Bandarpunch Massif.

Ramtal Horticulture Garden

You can spend endless moments of sheer delight in the pleasant environs of this beautiful garden located just 12km away from town. For birders, it’s an idyll spot for some richly rewarding avifaunal experiences of the hill birds found in plenty in the serene retreat. It’s also a popular picnic spot, dotted with benches and lookout points, with the added attraction of a placid pond and apple orchard. Sunrises offer spectacular vignettes of these verdant surrounds.

Deoban

This trekking paradise, with its rolling grasslands and stands of deodar, offers excellent experiences of camping in the great outdoors of Uttarakhand’s mesmerizing natural environs with views of Trishul, Nanda Devi, Dunagiri, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Srikantha, Bandarpoonch, and Swargarohini.  The base village for the trek is Lokhandi. The trail, lined with the magnificent Deodars, is a joy to follow. At the summit point, Vyas Shikhar, witness the jaw-dropping splendour of over 50 snow-capped mountains including the Nanda Devi and its attendant peaks. It makes for a lovely weekend trek.

ACCOMMODATION

Several homestay options are available in town.

ACCESS

Air:  The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun (about 117 km away). The onward journey is by taxi.

Rail: The nearest railhead is Dehradun, which is connected with several major cities across the country.  Better to hire a cab, than take the bus up to Chakrata.

Road: Dehra Dun and Chakrata are connected by an excellent all-weather ord. Keep in mind that in the upper areas, landslides can occur during the torrential rains.