Hatu Devi Temple and Tanijubad Lake Expedition

(4th Jan 2024) I understood how amazing traveling is in 2007 when I went to the Himalayas for the first time. The one who got me addicted to mountains was my office friend who took me to Badrinath temple for the first time. The altitude there is a little less than 4000 meters. After going to Badrinath, I understood that now I have to roam in the mountains and give as much time as possible to the Himalayas.

Taking this campaign forward, we decided that we will go to Narkanda to visit the local goddess 'Hatu' and from there we will go to see an artificial lake named 'Tanijubd'. Since this place is quite far from the highway, we had booked a taxi yesterday evening itself which came to pick us up at 10 am today. In the morning we all took bath and got ready.

At 10 o'clock, 5 of us boarded a small car and left towards our destination which is 16 km from here. The link road which started from Firnu village had covered 6 kms by the time we reached the highway…after another 3 kms we reach Narkanda market from where Hatu Debi temple is only 7 kms away. I don't remember the year but once I came for a winter trek with @naveen.jogta. At that time also we were waiting for snow and even after so many years we are waiting for snow to fall.

After about 40 minutes the taxi drops us at Hatu Devi temple. We remove our shoes before entering the temple premises. As per the customs of Hindus, we cannot take shoes and leather to the temple. The temple is situated at an altitude of 3400 meters. The temple of Hatu Devi is situated amidst deodar and pine forests. Made of wood and stone, the courtyard of this temple provides a clear view of Dhauladhar, Pir Panjal, Great Himalayan National Park, Kinnaur Range and Saraswati Mountain Range. Because it had not snowed yet and the weather was quite hazy, we could not recognize all the pics.

The idol installed inside the temple is said to be the form of Kali Devi and Ravana's wife Mandodari. There are many wooden idols in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the main ones being Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Parashuram, Brahma, Shiva, Ganesh, Krishna and Durga. After receiving the prasad from the temple, we wander around and look at the snow covered mountains visible in the distance. After spending about two hours here we come back in the taxi, now we are coming down again and after 7 km we stop at a dhaba where we have chai paratha and monos and move towards our next destination.

We can reach Tanijubad Lake, located 9 km away, in 50 minutes. Tanijubed Lake is situated at an altitude of 2350 meters above sea level. This is an artificial lake which humans have no idea when it was created. This lake is about 3 to 4 feet deep and there is algae on its bottom. There are apple orchards and cedar trees around here. The main attraction here is the Nag Temple situated on the banks of the lake where the locals come to worship every day.

We spend about one and a half to two hours here, clicking a lot of photos. They talk a lot and laugh a lot. From here we again board our taxi and come back to Narkanda market. Today our friends want to eat mutton, so we buy one and a half kilos from the market and go straight to Chheran village. After coming back we change and end the day by drinking tea with the setting evening.

Do tell me how you liked the rest of the photos and if you find something amazing then you can tell me by commenting. Let's meet friends in the next post where I will again bring to you information and photos of some other place in the Himalayas. This post is originally written in Hindi and translated into English with the help of Google Translator.