There is no dearth of people in the world who worship Shiva. In India as well as abroad, millions of devotees follow him. The Shiva temples are generally in such places where an ordinary man cannot reach it easily and one of these inaccessible places is Kinnar Kailash in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh in India. To reach the top of Kinnar Kailash, one has to trek around 20 miles, while the route goes through very inaccessible terrains.
Kinnar means half eunuch and half god. Kinnar Kailash is considered the second Kailash after the Kailash of Mansarovar. It is also known as Kailash of Kinnaur, which sits at an altitude of 24,000 feet above sea level. It is considered the second most difficult climb after the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
The Himalayan mountains, apart from being religiously significant, is also a suitable place for many sports and tourism activities. It is also an ideal destination for those who love trekking in the Himalayas. Every year thousands of tourists come to the Himalayas for different activities and get pleasure.
Kinnar Kailash is situated on this Himalayan mountain. At this place there is a stone rock which is about 79 feet high in the form of a Shivalinga. A large number of Hindus and Buddhists, come here to see the Shivling in the form of this stone rock. Hindus, consider this place as a Dev Sthal. People circle around this Shivling as they believe Shiva came here on a winter stay and stayed here for many years and did penance.
According to belief, earlier this place was known as Indrakil Parvat. It was at this place that a fierce battle took place between Shiva and Arjuna, and Arjuna also received the Pashtapa Astra from Shiva at this place. It was here that Pandavas had spent the last time of their life, and Krishna's grandson Anirudh was also married to Usha here.
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What to Pack for Kinner Kailash Trek
While going to the Kinnar Kailash trek, you need to be careful and take along with you the things you need for daily use. Along with this, you should also take first aid things and medicines for the treatment of headache, and other minor physical problems so that they can be used at the time of need.
The weather here varies from hour to hour, due to which the cold is also more here. For this reason, you need raincoats, full sleeves, thin jackets, monkey caps, trekking shoes, warm socks, mufflers, towels, good quality sunglasses, cold cream, lip balm, sunscreen lotion, LED flashlight, to protect you from cold and rain.
Hot water bottles, trekking poles, headache medicines such as Crocin, Disprin, Cotton, Band-Aid, Move Spray, Gauze, Crepe Bandage, etc. are things that you should keep with you on the trek. You may need them anytime on your way to the trek.
Kinner Kailash Trek Itinerary
Day 1: Thangi to Lamber (9,678 feet, 10 km)
Day 2: Lambar to Charang (11319 feet)
Day 3: Charang to Lalanti (14108 feet, 8 km)
Day 4: Lalanti to Chitkul
Day 5: Chitkul to Rakcham
Day 6: Rakcham to Shimla
Kinner Kailash Trek Route
1. Powari to Gufa: Your first day's journey starts from Powari to Tingling. Powari is situated on the banks of the Sutlej River. This is where the steep ascent of the jungle starts along the river. Here you get the best type of apples in India. The total distance of Kinnar Kailash from here is around 16 km. But this 16 km route goes through very inaccessible places, in which two huge passes and big boulders and bridges above the rivers have to be crossed.
On the way you can also stay at the forest department guest house, otherwise you can also stay at a place called Gufa, 2 km from here. The Gufa is a place where a cave is there. The cave is quite large, and if you have a sleeping bag, you can easily spend the night in this Gufa. Cold is also very high at this place and at night time the temperature also goes below zero, so you should keep warm clothes together.
2. Gufa to Gaurikund: The distance from the Gufa to Gaurikund falls is around 4 km, which takes 5 to 6 hours to go. The availability of water on this route is very less. On the whole route, you will be able to get water facility only in 2 or 3 places. Therefore, you are advised not to carry too much baggage with you, and carry a bottle of water and packets of biscuits and snacks to eat. They also help you to walk on the way and also provide you energy from time to time.
The path to some distance from the cave is good, but after that slowly you'll start finding fallen trees and woods and you have to go through big boulders. After passing these, you can reach Gaurikund. Here you can take a bath and rest for a while.
3. Gaurikund to Kinnar Kailash: From here you have to climb hard and cross the huge boulders. This is also the most difficult point of this entire route. In this entire path, you have to go through stone boulders, on which there is a risk of slipping.
Trekkers should chalk out the path beforehand, otherwise there is a danger of getting lost here. After reaching Kinnar Kailash, you can forget all the fatigue on the way. The beautiful views seen from here will remain imprinted in the heart forever. The cold winds here can trouble the travelers. Here you can get immersed in devotion after seeing the Shiva lingam. After spending some time here, you can start the return journey.
When to go for Kinner Kailash Trek
The best time to visit the Kinnar Kailash trek is from March to June and from September to November. The tracks are slippery during the monsoon season, due to which the trekkers are at risk of slipping. From December to Farbury, due to the snowfall here, it becomes difficult for the trekkers to come here. You can enjoy nature here by coming here at the right season.
How to reach for the Kinner Kailash Trek
By Air: The nearest airport to go on the Kinnar Kailash trek is at Shimla. Flight facility to Shimla from New Delhi, Chandigarh and other places will be easily available to you. From here you can easily reach Thangi by booking a taxi from where you can start the trek for Kinnar Kailash.
By Road: The nearest bus station is Shimla to go on the Kinnar Kailash trek. A direct bus is also available to Chail village. If you do not get a bus to Chail, you can easily reach Shimla to Thangi by a private vehicle or cab from where you can start the trek for Kinnar Kailash.
Article contributed by: worldtravelfeed