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anilbisht · 6 years

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Chakrata – So Charming and Charismatic!

As always, the lure of a three-day break eternally starts to stir the soul within for a quick getaway to mother nature’s lap: mountains, meadows, falls, streams, rivers and the forests alike. Month of October 2017 had such a three-day rejuvenating holiday break, ideal time to run away from the usual city-centric mundane life. So, this time I decided to explore a mystic destination – Chakrata - a quaint hill station; with forested terrain, a gigantic water fall, a hidden monastery atop an elevated plateau and an elaborate and impeccable army cantonment area, albeit with restricted access to civilians.

Chakrata, a popular hill station in Uttarakhand, is perched at an elevation of 7500 ft. It is at about 80-90 kms distance from Dehradun, overall some 335 kms from Delhi. Going by road, the route to follow is Delhi to Dehradun to Vikas Nagar to Kalsi to Chakrata. Alternatively, one can also take the route via Yamuna Nagar and Paonta Sahib. Both the routes are almost equidistant.

So, for us to be there early, we left Delhi in the wee hours at 4.30am, which enabled us to reach the verdant and a mystical destination at 1.30pm. During the road-course, we savoured breakfast at Dehradun, at a local bakery shop. Leaving early served its advantage as we didn’t face much traffic and just kept cruising comfortably all through, non-stop except for self-induced sight-seeing-and-stretching breaks in between.

As we entered Chakrata - after duly paying the cantonment toll at the entry barrier - the bounty of fresh air and unspoiled terrain warmly welcomed us into its fold at our beautifully located Forest Rest House (FRH); a colonial era rest house nestled inside the forest, facing the guarded cantonment entry gate.

The rest house is so fantastic and well located that I will recommend everyone to book it much in advance and appreciate - the natural settings, quietness and the forested enclosure, a rarity to experience otherwise. The Rest House also has on its backyard a big bowl-shaped-pine-surrounded meadow where one can always have fun and enjoy football and other sporting activities all through the day.

The meals are available at the Rest House but only on prior order; customizable as per your preference and palate. Otherwise, you will have to either walk down to the small market where toll was paid or the nearest point at a walking distance known as Aloo Mandi market; where two small eateries are available. The eatery run by Mama-Bhanja combine serves the best food in the area, especially paranthas, kadhi-dal-chanwal, momos, maggi, pakodas and hot-n-sour soup. Here, I must acknowledge that the best soup I ever had in my life was at this very small place - not in any of the star properties but right here in Chakrata, and nowhere else - and I mean it! All the meals at this tiny eatery are light on pocket and delightfully heavy on taste and quality!

On the day of our arrival, we had sumptuous lunch at this very eatery, and then we returned back to the Rest House to settle down. Took some rest and later roamed around the cantonment admiring the plush natural settings of the abode, and the scenic mountains and luxurious green sights and the deep blue skies.

Next day, after the breakfast, we decided to visit the much acclaimed and famous Tiger Fall, which is about 15-20 kms hill-drive from Chakrata, lying exactly on the opposite hill-side of the place we were staying in. When we stopped by on the road side to have a look-back at our rest house, we could not sight the site as it went hidden under the dense forest cover. Even there was no trace of the Cantonment, no trace of Aloo Mandi; such was the density of the green forest around it!

So, after the downhill drive, and alight from the nearest parking point, Tiger Fall was a 3-4 km comfortable trek down to the valley. The entire path is well laid out with a meter-wide concrete surface running down up to the Fall. While trekking down, you pass through local villages and their beautifully cultivated terraced farms. The surroundings are serene and tranquil. The base point a very of the Tiger Fall has couple of eateries too, which offers light snacks and basic lunch. The Fall is hidden behind nature’s curtain until you reach right at the Fall’s deck. The Fall is about 100-meter-high and a ferocious one. Such is the intensity of the fall that you cannot dare to go under it and withstand the water pressure for even a second. But, yes you can always enjoy the sound of it and surround yourself with water fumes formed with the high fall by just lying around the deck, into the shallow waters. You will also spot the colourful rainbow which forms due to the prism effect, as the light pass through the multiple layers of falling water. The water is extremely cold and you start shivering at once while getting soaked in the Fall. Best is to enjoy the comforting bright sunlight after the Fall shower, and sipping the hot cup of tea on the banks of flowing water. Indeed, a memorable experience to be at the Tiger Fall - a tidy place with purity of nature and fauna in abundance - truly a hidden gem of Chakrata. After spending an hour or so, we trekked up to the parking point and returned back to our Rest House. It was such a wonderful and adventure soaked day where not only we could trek but also enjoy a cool spell of falling waters.

And, to save on time, we had already ordered lunch while returning from the Fall. After the lunch at Mama-Bhanja, we took some rest, and in the evening ventured out to the cantonment to visit and pay obeisance at the Monastery.

It was beyond our imagination that the Monastery turned out to be a proper one and quite a large-one perched right at the hill top; a large table-top like setting with cool breeze flanked by army cantonment offices and officer’s residences. The 360-degree view from this spot is simply stunning. The towering snow-capped mountains can be seen all around it. The sacred Kedarnath peak is also clearly visible from the Monastery’s view point. So, after offering our prayers, we took a customary circular round of the Monastery, running the prayer-wheels along the way. There is also a souvenir shop housed inside the monastery, on the rear. The large hall-type-shop is well organised and stuffed with handmade articles like paintings, rugs, show-pieces, handicrafts, decorative items etc. We also bought a few items to deck up our home with such colourful and handcrafted articles. As dark began to fall, we retreated back to our rest house. A wonderful day had passed, etching the captivating moments into our heart, forever.

Well, no doubt, the best time of the day in Chakrata is the dark hours of the evening when we sit back at the patio and relax and converse over wine and dine. Since we were in the forest area, it added to the adventure as well as the eerie side of the dark environs. Locals cautioned us to not walk through the forest or venture out on the roads - unless inside the car - as there are leopards, tigers and other wild animals on the prowl. So, it was best to sit and relax in the patio of our Rest House, and enjoy the drinks and the food in the cold and wilderness of the dark. The constant buzz of the insects and crickets’ merges into the silence of the woods. Twinkling of stars in the sky and the flickering lights of the villages on the far hills in the dark is a sight to gaze and behold for long.

Next morning, it was time to pack-up and return back home. But before that, we woke up early to witness an alluring sunrise, right from the front lawn of our rest house. The sky gradually transitioned itself from darkness to grey skies soon turning into an amber orange hue - a truly wonderful sight it was! As we embarked to return, we had our last meal of paranthas at the Mama-Bhanja, bidding our goodbye to the ever charming and ever charismatic Chakrata. On our way back at Sahiya, we bought locally grown Walnuts, Ginger, Limbas (large lemons) and Gaith (lentil). A delightful journey came to an illustrious end as we reached back home by the evening.

It was truly a memorable stay at Chakrata with the icing of a roaring Tiger Fall!

I will come back again for sure to this majestic place - so alluring Chakrata is, and also the Forest Rest House.