Harsil... Beauty Untouched

Day 2 – Uttarkashi-Gangnani-Gangotri-Bhaironghati-HARSIL-Bhatwari-Uttarkashi

Part IV (Harsil)

Tucked away in the Garhwal Himalayas, at 2620 meters into the sky thats approximately 7000 ft above sea level, enroute to Gangotri comes a quaint little village – Harsil.

Himalyan splendour from the Sukhi top while approaching Harsil

Set amidst pine trees and apple orchards, the town is famous for more things than one. It’s a trekker’s paradise, known to offer spectacular views of the Himalayan mountain peaks. It is well known for its local apple produce and is also famed for making an appearance in the superhit bollywood movie by director Raj Kapoor – ‘Ram teri Ganga Maili’.

The town was still in its pristine condition – uncluttered, neat and serene… just as I had left it years back on my previous visit here - waiting to share its own tale! I tried to picture something of it, by setting out to explore the place.

I started off with a visit to the local and the ancient Kalp Kedareshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The Kalp Kedareshwar Temple

Lord Shiva with the gorgeous peaks in the background

From here, I could see the stream of turquoise blue Ganges water and though I had met mother Ganga only a few hours earlier in Gangotri, still could not resist climbing down towards the banks to catch Her glimpse.

The stream of turquoise blue Ganges water

Down at the banks, there was no one except a village woman drinking the holy waters from the cusp of her hand. On seeing me, she smiled and offered a few drops to me as well! Chilly winds were making me skittish but the warmth of her smile comforted me.

Do you know how the place gets its name? She asked in her broken Hindi. Even before I could give out my reply, she started her narration...

Once, Rivers Bhagirathi and Jalandhari had an argument about which was more significant. Lord Vishnu aka Hari intervened by taking the form of a stone or shila (Hari-shila or Harsil), and absorbed their anger. Even today, the waters of the two rivers become a little less turbulent from here onwards.

The village woman

Before ending the story and immersing herself in her prayers, she however added one last thing -

So these stones that you see in the river… These are not ordinary stones, Beti! They are Lord Vishnu. Pray to them with a sincere heart… They will make all your wishes come true!

She stood there... praying, I stood there… silent – watching the impeccable views the little town had to offer!

The snow capped mountain peaks looked closer than ever and the thick blanket of deodhar trees rose upwards towards the freshly scrubbed skies.

The river was flowing graciously, looking bubbly and beautiful in all its charms… and in between lay piles of stones – relentless like faith, stoic like hope – sitting still in the waters… I closed my eyes...

These are not ordinary stones… they make wishes come true…

At Harsil, I was tempted to believe!

Before we left the place, Vishwanath (our driver) made sure we bought for ourselves the very famous Apples of Harsil. A Britisher, Fredrick E Wilson had planted the first apple tree here in the 19th century. His cottage, it is said was a major attraction in the area until it got destroyed by a major fire recently, ending an important chapter of history. They are available in the town aplenty but we took them from the outskirts on the highway.

We spotted these big bags full of apples on the Harsil - Gangotri Highway

Apple orchards of Harsil

Can you see some apples fallen down on the ground there?

Fresh from the orchards, the apples were the juiciest, smallest, and the crispiest we had eaten in our entire lives.

The Big Box of 90 kgs!

We were so impressed; we bought for ourselves an entire bag costing just Rs. 400 for 90 kgs! which were more than enough for the entire journey, definitely!

Harsil is also known for Rajma though we didn’t see any.

Related Information

1. Harsil is just about 28 km before Gangotri, 15 km from Bhaironghati, 30 km from Gangnani and 73 km from Uttarkashi.

2. Harsil is a cantonment area, perhaps because of its proximity to the Chinese border and the army is very cautious to whom it opens its doors to. Entry is denied to foreign nationals.

3. There are numerous trekking routes in and around Harsil like Brahmi Tal, Nachiketa Tal, Kush Kalyan, etc. This and the fact that the town itself is quite scenic makes it an excellent choice for stay and accomodation too.

To view the travel route map of Day 2 of our Char Dham Yatra - CLICK HERE

Previous posts from this trip -

1. Char Dham Yatra

2. Planning the Char Dham Trip
3. Introduction to Uttarakhand and Char Dhams

4. ISKCON Temple, Delhi

5. The journey finally begins... Haridwar to Uttarkashi

6. Enroute to Gangotri Gangnani

7. Enchanting Mother Ganga... Our First Dham - Gangotri

8. Places to visit in and around Gangotri
9. Bhaironghati - Bhairon Devta Temple and Asia's Highest Bridge