We had gone up to Yamnotri as part of the Great Himalayan Bird Count in November 2009. The route was - briefly - Dehra Dun to Mussoorie to Barkot to Hanuman Chatti to Yamnotri. The route from Dehra Dun to Mussoorie to Barkot took us a day, and the next day's drive brought us to Yamnotri by late noon. I took the help of the local forest staff to hire a mule and rode up to the Yamnotri temple on the same post-noon daylight that was left. After a quick darshan, since the temple had been shut for the winter, we returned barely before darkness engulfed the path and made it dangerous.
Next day, we walked across the just born Yamuna river, by an age-old suspension bridge, and went up to Kharsali Village. Some sages at the Yamnotri temple and the forest guards had told us that the Goddess was kept in safe keeping for the winter at the Kharsali Village. The head priest of the temple up at Yamnotri, stayed at Kharsali, and was conducting daily prayers. So we walked up a mud embankment and went to meet the priest.
The Kharsali village looked like one had stepped back in time. The architecture, materials, wood, design, and the methods adopted for snowproofing their houses, and protecting against heavy rainfall was quite unique. Possibly most of the upper Himalaya areas were similar but I had not seen such house design before. Some houses were multi-storyed, some at least five storeys tall, with the bottom two for domestic livestock and storage space for hay and firewood.
This one particular house was impressive. It was in a courtyard of at least 3-4 houses, each one quite different from each other, and possibly built at different times. But, all houses seemed to be very ancient. I hope this village does not get to become modern very soon and one is able to return and visit the place with more time at hand.
Next day, we walked across the just born Yamuna river, by an age-old suspension bridge, and went up to Kharsali Village. Some sages at the Yamnotri temple and the forest guards had told us that the Goddess was kept in safe keeping for the winter at the Kharsali Village. The head priest of the temple up at Yamnotri, stayed at Kharsali, and was conducting daily prayers. So we walked up a mud embankment and went to meet the priest.
The Kharsali village looked like one had stepped back in time. The architecture, materials, wood, design, and the methods adopted for snowproofing their houses, and protecting against heavy rainfall was quite unique. Possibly most of the upper Himalaya areas were similar but I had not seen such house design before. Some houses were multi-storyed, some at least five storeys tall, with the bottom two for domestic livestock and storage space for hay and firewood.
This one particular house was impressive. It was in a courtyard of at least 3-4 houses, each one quite different from each other, and possibly built at different times. But, all houses seemed to be very ancient. I hope this village does not get to become modern very soon and one is able to return and visit the place with more time at hand.
