If you are a lethargic trekker like me, the world does not end for you. Well, there are a range of trekking options in mid and higher hills of Himachal Pradesh. Of these, one is the popular Bijli Mahadev trek which provides you an awesome view of the Kullu valley beneath.
The Bijli Mahadev trekseems to begin on a dusty path which can easily be mistaken for road to nowhere. A jeepable road goes till Chansari but some adventurous bus drivers take a small private bus till this spot. The road is so narrow at points that leave alone the Bijli Mahadev trek, you will have an urge to end the trip there and then.
However, being a Himachali it would have been a pity for me in case I decided to abort the trek for the reason that I was feeling scared. As the saying goes “ Daar ke agae jeet hai” I decided to embark on the trek.
End of the Road
As the car waded through twists and turns, we were getting closer to the destination, and I was wondering if at all I had come to Bijli Mahadev Trek. I got my answers soon as the driver announced that we had reached the deboarding point at Chansari.
Trek from Chansari
Bijli Mahadev trek begins truly from Chansari and is a 40-minute hike in case you are physically fit. A paved and mostly unpaved trail takes you to Bijli Mahadev temple. Vast expanse of green meadows seems to take away all the tiredness that you might have at this point.
You will also meet some fellow travellers who are retuning back from the visit. When asked how much time it would take further for this Bijli Mahadev trek, different responses from different people came. While some pointed it was only 20-25 minutes, others advised to go slow as it would take an hour.
It soon dwelled on me that the distance varied for everyone and while locals could do it in half an hour, it would require dedicated effort of one to one and half hour for someone from plains of India. I was caught in the middle as being from Mid Himalayan region, I was neither a trekker nor from down South.
The Pit Stopover
Before I thought I was going to drop dead due to empty stomach, I saw a makeshift dhaba and I decided to rush within to let go of my exertion on this Bijli Mahadev trek. A bowl of Maggi and I was soon back on the track with some vigour.
Soon a meadow came along, and I decided to take a break. Lying down on the green grass on a sunny September day seemed to be the best thing to do. We were at a quite high point as peaks on the opposite range seemed to be eyeball distance away only.
I made the last-ditch effort and decided to stop only when I was at the culminating point of Bijli Mahadev Trek.
Bijli Mahadev temple
I still remember the quaint smile on my face, the moment I saw the first glimpse of Mahadev. The place is called as Bijli Mahadev as it is said that lightning falls every 12 years on the shiv linga in the temple. For this occasion, the linga is simmered with butter. It is also said that when this lightning falls at some other place or hillock, bad times would certainly come for people of region. Such is the affinity for God that people here are so true to their words.
It is for such divinity and faith that Kullu is also known as “Land of Gods”. The temple itself is made of wooden structure on a raised platform, and you will have a glimpse of hills of Kullu, Lahaul and Mandi from this place.
The story of Bijli Mahadev and the legend behind it is reserved for some other day and I will definitely come up with that too.
This was just a travelogue on the experience I had on my Bijli Mahadev trek. After resting a while, it was time for us to head back to Kullu and the trek downhill was fairly easy. Interestingly, when people going up asked me “how far” my answer was 20-25 minutes. Well, you will also answer the same!
Pack your bags and plan a trip to Kullu and do not forget to undertake this “Bijli Mahadev trek”.
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