Destination-Jalori Pass

It was around Holi last year when I thought of going to Kullu through Rampur. The weather was cloudy around 7:00 in the morning, as we (me and my friend) set on this remarkable journey. Reached Narkanda (Shimla-Narkanda- 60 KM) passing through kufri, Theog, Matiana and Shillaru around 10:30 AM. Devouring our breakfast at Crossroad Resort, Matiana, we were little sleepy when we reached Narkanda( 2708 metres). Took a nature's break, gathered some munching snacks and set sail towards Rampur.

 The journey from Narkanda is a gradual downward slope and as we get near to Rampur (1350meters)  the weather starts heating up. Just short of Rampur we reach along the bank of river Satluj ( Narkanda-Luhri-28 Km). There is a bridge crossing over River Satluj at Luhri, where the road divides on the other side of the river towards Tattapani in Shimla District and Banjar in Kullu District. We took a right towards Kullu and again started climbing the hill and reached a small town called Ani. This was the only place with a large population on the entire             Luhri                                      Banjar Road.

At Ani, we met an old college friend who was an appointed doctor in a small dispensary and then we started our journey towards Banjar. The route from Ani was a steep uphill road which led to a small place called Jalori Jot (3223 meters)  at the top of the Mountain. This Place is the highest point joining two valleys, hence aptly called Jalori Pass. This place had a very small population with only two or three shops. We reached Jalori ( Luhri-Jalori-50 Kms) around 3:30 PM. 

The Trek from Jalori Jot to Lake Serolsar is a 5 Km Trek one way. The trek starts on a level hill for some distance and then it slopes up and down the hill numerous times amidst  beautiful landscapes, barren lands and thick forests. The trek is very lonely, though we were lucky to see three to four people en route. The entire trek is a treat to the eyes as one gasps through each turn along the route.

At the end of the trek comes the most beautiful part- The Serolsar Lake.

The perimeter of this natural Lake has a narrow walking path covered by perimeter fence on the Lake side and thick tall trees on the outer side. On one side of the Lake is a small local Deity Temple of Nagini Mata. The Devotees worship and offer Desi ghee to the Deity. There is a myth that even if a small leaf falls into the Lake the birds around take them out of the lake and keep the water crystal clear. I can vouch for it and believed it the moment I saw the Lake. There is a small tea stall just before you reach the Lake. This tea stall treats travelers with tea, coffee, some snacks like Maggi, biscuits and pakoras. We were real tired when we reached here and on our way out we ate maggi and had tea.

We reached back at Jalori to our vehicle at around 6:00PM. We immediately started our journey towards Banjar. The slope from Jalori is quite steep and one has to carefully drive on the first gear. After driving for 11 Kms we Reached Jhibi, a small Village. 7 Kms further down we Reached Banjar. Banjar is a small beautiful town along side the tributary of river Tirthan. This small town has a burgeoning population of residing foreigners. The town is very calm and quite and is lush green with surrounding trees and forest.

From Banjar we started our journey towards Kullu. The Banjar road joins the Chandigarh- Manali Road at Aut ( Banjar-Aut-24 Kms). Aut is famous for Larji Hydro electric project and this road enters the 2.5 Km Long two way tunnel on the NH 21. The road after the tunnel is a straight road which led us to kullu(Aut-Kullu-28Kms). This road is along the Banks of river Beas all the way up-till Kullu.