Hi,
Visiting Dev Pashakot was a fueling experience. Then I came to know that there is a road that diverges from Jhatingri and connects it with the Diana Park and further with Katindhi and Kamand(IIT Mandi.) This was a wonderful bike ride. Please read on for full story.
Jhatingri is just about 4-6 kilometers from Tikken. There was no initial planning of going to Bajaura via this route connecting Diana Park, Katindhi and Kamand to Jhatingri. I used to watch this mountain ridge visible from my home village, but wouldn't know that a road exists on it.
What I could see from home was a mountain running parallel with the mightier Dhauladhar peaks at its back, and the small town of Padhar and its valley that lies in visible(from home) base of the mountain slope. Most of the mountain slope are without trees in this visible part of the mountain. Today, I would see it all from a very very close distance.
From home, I would be looking in a northeast direction, but today I would try to locate my home by looking in the south west direction from the ridge itself.
I inquired about the route from the policemen I met at Jhatingri. All I needed to know was that the road was metaled, because a motor-cycle doesn't really need a double lane road. Jhatingri is a kind of small mountain village with few shops and surrounded by mountainous pine trees forest.
Take few eatables and water if you are on a cycle, because for next 20 to 30 kilometers shops are very much scanty, and also no natural water is available. Reason is that road is almost on the ridge, so you will meet almost zero number of springs or water streams.
Buy some trekking Gears:
Reaching Diana Park
It was a very beautiful bike ride, the road is single laned, but thankfully there are almost no vehicles running on this route, so you will enjoy the solitude on wheels.
At start the road, surrounded with the oaks and pines, runs below the ridge mostly on the southern slope of mountain. But then After about 3-5 kilometers, the forest gets thinned out and you get the view of the two valleys on the two sides of the mountain ridge.
Road elevates to mountain ridge itself and you experience a totally new kind of scenery.
Until you reach Diana park, at places you witness few clusters of houses surrounded by fields with the potato plants or other vegetables such as cauliflowers etc. Barot valley is famous for its potatoes and apples also. Please have a glance of the mountain ranges and the valleys in the following video.
One road connects with Jhatingri, other to Padhar or Drang, and third one connects with Katindhi and to Balh, latter via a left diversion from a half kilometer distance along the road to Katindhi/Kamand. You can eat snacks and have drinks at the slate roofed local dhaba located adjacent the junction.
After Diana Park, the road is similar until it starts to descend at its last stages near to Katindhi.
I realized this at Kamand, because while you are running on bike, you get these cool gust of winds, and you don't feel the burning.
It was near to 3:00 PM and sun was still high, but I moved on and climbed the mountain on two wheels to reach the top place called Kandhi.
In between I crossed few places such as the Tihri, and shayari, which I and Tarun Goel have visited for the famous temples - The Adi Brahma of Tihri and Kundakari narayan of Shayari villages.
Kandhi is having few homes and one or two tea stalls. Surrounded by Pine trees, it provides the pass from one side of the mountain to the other. In less than 30 minutes, you can descend the road to Bajaura. Tonight I would visit my two friends from college, Ankush and Akhil.
We celebrated our meeting at Akhil's place in Sainj by singing songs till 12:00 PM.
Have a look at some inspiring travel books:
thanks for the kind visit!
Visiting Dev Pashakot was a fueling experience. Then I came to know that there is a road that diverges from Jhatingri and connects it with the Diana Park and further with Katindhi and Kamand(IIT Mandi.) This was a wonderful bike ride. Please read on for full story.
 |
| Potato farm and Dhauladhars further back, On the way to Diana Park, Mandi, HP, 2017. |
Planning at Jhatingri
 |
| Jhatingri, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, June 2017 |
Jhatingri is just about 4-6 kilometers from Tikken. There was no initial planning of going to Bajaura via this route connecting Diana Park, Katindhi and Kamand to Jhatingri. I used to watch this mountain ridge visible from my home village, but wouldn't know that a road exists on it.
What I could see from home was a mountain running parallel with the mightier Dhauladhar peaks at its back, and the small town of Padhar and its valley that lies in visible(from home) base of the mountain slope. Most of the mountain slope are without trees in this visible part of the mountain. Today, I would see it all from a very very close distance.
From home, I would be looking in a northeast direction, but today I would try to locate my home by looking in the south west direction from the ridge itself.
 |
| A sight towards south-west, where my home lies in one of those mountains. I would have spotted it, if a telescope was with me. Clicked from the road to Diana Park. |
I inquired about the route from the policemen I met at Jhatingri. All I needed to know was that the road was metaled, because a motor-cycle doesn't really need a double lane road. Jhatingri is a kind of small mountain village with few shops and surrounded by mountainous pine trees forest.
Take few eatables and water if you are on a cycle, because for next 20 to 30 kilometers shops are very much scanty, and also no natural water is available. Reason is that road is almost on the ridge, so you will meet almost zero number of springs or water streams.
Buy some trekking Gears:
Reaching Diana Park
It was a very beautiful bike ride, the road is single laned, but thankfully there are almost no vehicles running on this route, so you will enjoy the solitude on wheels.
At start the road, surrounded with the oaks and pines, runs below the ridge mostly on the southern slope of mountain. But then After about 3-5 kilometers, the forest gets thinned out and you get the view of the two valleys on the two sides of the mountain ridge.
 |
| Don't remember the name of this beautiful village, on the way to Diana park from Jhatingri, mandi (H.P.), 2017 |
Road elevates to mountain ridge itself and you experience a totally new kind of scenery.
Until you reach Diana park, at places you witness few clusters of houses surrounded by fields with the potato plants or other vegetables such as cauliflowers etc. Barot valley is famous for its potatoes and apples also. Please have a glance of the mountain ranges and the valleys in the following video.
Jhatingri to Diana Park, view of Dhauladhars and Padhar valley.
Diana Park
Diana Park's name is attached with some legend that tells that a war between the Devtas and Demons(Dayan-> diana) happen at this place, so from Dayan it became Diana. Also a conjunction point of the three roads, one have many options for further destination.One road connects with Jhatingri, other to Padhar or Drang, and third one connects with Katindhi and to Balh, latter via a left diversion from a half kilometer distance along the road to Katindhi/Kamand. You can eat snacks and have drinks at the slate roofed local dhaba located adjacent the junction.
 |
| junction at Diana Park, Padhar, mandi, HP, India, 2017 |
After Diana Park, the road is similar until it starts to descend at its last stages near to Katindhi.
Kamand
Soon I was at Kamand, where I rested a while for taking lunch at the local dhaba. Remember to wear the full sleeves because the sun-rays can burn your skin, as they did to my arms' skin.I realized this at Kamand, because while you are running on bike, you get these cool gust of winds, and you don't feel the burning.
It was near to 3:00 PM and sun was still high, but I moved on and climbed the mountain on two wheels to reach the top place called Kandhi.
Kandhi
In between I crossed few places such as the Tihri, and shayari, which I and Tarun Goel have visited for the famous temples - The Adi Brahma of Tihri and Kundakari narayan of Shayari villages.  |
| Stopped for tea at Kandhi, near to Bajaura, Himachal, 2017 |
Kandhi is having few homes and one or two tea stalls. Surrounded by Pine trees, it provides the pass from one side of the mountain to the other. In less than 30 minutes, you can descend the road to Bajaura. Tonight I would visit my two friends from college, Ankush and Akhil.
We celebrated our meeting at Akhil's place in Sainj by singing songs till 12:00 PM.
Have a look at some inspiring travel books:
thanks for the kind visit!
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