Chamba: Most Memorable Trip Ever
Introduction
Chamba’s natural beauty is equally awe-inspiring. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, lush valleys, and sparkling rivers, the town offers a serene escape for nature lovers. The Chamera Lake, the Khajjiar meadows, and the Bhuri Singh Museum are some of the popular tourist attractions that draw visitors from far and wide. The town’s tranquil atmosphere and picturesque landscapes make it an ideal destination for those seeking peace and rejuvenation.
Day 0
It’s the day before the journey and we had decided to start our journey at 6 am sharp but later it turned out we left Mandi at almost 10 am. Because we were thinking that we can reach Chamba by afternoon but it turned out that it’s a 12hour drive so we decided to start our journey at a relaxed time. Basically, the objective of this trip is to explore Chamba and get some good shots for or upcoming song. (Stay Tuned for That) We have planned our entire trip carefully taking care of everything, but in the end the destiny has planned something else for us.
Day 1 (Friday)
It’s day 1, I left my house at 9 am and met with my first companion at the car. We carefully packed all the luggage and musical instruments in the car and went to pick up the other two companions of the journey. We waited for them as they were a bit late due to forgetfulness of one of them. They left the Bluetooth speaker in the office so they took some time fetching that after all the shenanigans we finally started our journey. We took a short break at padhar at a small shop for soda and washed our car a bit.
After that our journey went smoothly and we made a stop for a lunch at Matour Chowk. We ate some naan and enjoyed our lunch. Then we left for our next destination Chamba. We stopped for coffee at a place called Nani Khad and something unexpected happened with our car. The road to Chamba is bad and curvy and our car started having problem in the steering.
So basically what happening was that our car’s steering was getting disconnected when ever we were on a curve on bad road. So this happened continuously till we reached Chamba. we tried to find the nearby workshop for Kia but alas the nearest workshop is in Kangra which is almost 150kms away from chamba.
We were so tired of such a hectic trip and when we reached chamba we found out that one of our two booked room was taken and we were all thinking like what is this day. Then we some how managed to squeeze in one room and arranged a towing service for our car. Then we all went to eat dinner and it was already 10pm. The towing service reached at our destination at almost 10.30 we had parked our car besides the road in chamba and after loading the car in towing truck it was almost 11pm and we said our good byes to our ride.
That’s how our first day ended Good Night Everyone.
Day 2 (Saturday)
It’s a new day with new challenges. We woke up almost at 8am. After getting ready our plan was take shots in the temple called Sui Mata Temple, Chamba. We ate our breakfast in the trek to sui mata temple because we didn’t have car so we decided to go for a trek i mean what option do we have. The thing is none of us had seen the temple and the temple we had in mind which we saw in photos was not sui mata temple and we realized that really late.
So it’s almost 11am and we had reached the Sui Mata temple but it was really small and we didn’t realized that it is the temple. So we kept trekking up to the main temple (Mool Sthan) of Sui Mata and it was scene to be behold. The trek was almost 10km one side and two of us had wore local folk dress it really was a task to complete that trek in that dress. That’s not it tho we had so much equipment with us 2 guitars, flute, camera, gimble, drone, props, audio equipment basically we were loaded and did that trek with all the equipment.
We took some great shots there rested a bit. We met an elderly lady there she told us about the folklore of the temple as well as history of temple. If I had to describe the area there is a large stone grave there of the Queen Sui which later became sui mata and some written manuscripts as well as the large statue of sui mata.
We left the place and came down to chamba and in between we also visited the famous Radha Krishna temple of chamba and took some shots there too. After that it’s almost lunch time and we went to nearby dhaba for lunch and realised that our gimble was missing. So the two of us went back to Radha Krishna temple to find the gimble gladly we found it. It was like mini heart attack. Then there is sports meet going on the famous ground (Chaugan) of chamba where we were supposed to take some shots but some how we managed to take a few shots.
Its almost evening and we packed our bags and left for Khajjiar in a taxi. After like hour or so of travelling we reached Khajjiar almost at 6pm. We reached there really late so couldn’t take any shots and we were exhausted from trek also. Gladly there were no issues in the room in Khajjiar and before dinner we made some adjustments in audio and reviewed the shots we took today. We had dinner at 9pm and after that we went to bed around 10.30 pm.
We had a big day around tomorrow because it was sunday and our plan to return from Chamba on that day but we didn’t let the bad thoughts take over and we slept.
Day 3 (Sunday)
We woke up at early in the morning around 6am to take some good shots of Khajjiar when there is no one around. Then we had our breakfast around 9am and we started our shooting from the PWD rest house where we stayed. The rest house had very aesthetic look which kinda matched our theme of song. After that we went to main ground took variety of shots with horses and other stuff too.
So our car supposed to arrive in Khajjiar around 3 pm but alas the car arrived almost around 7pm and we were totally exhausted by then. Our booking for rest house was for 1 day and we decided to stay in Khajjiar because its very late but then another problem was waiting around the corner.
There were no rooms available in the Khajjiar and we were getting really worried with like so many equipment and luggage. After some time we managed to pull some strings and got rooms in forest rest house in Khajjiar. The stay in forest rest was really pleasant too just like PWD rest house. We did our shooting till evening and reviewed some things at the end of the day.
We met some really interesting people while shooting like a local street performer from chamba. He plays and sings in the Khajjiar grounds on daily basis entertaining tourists from various places. Some more people who liked music and stuff it was really interesting experience. It’s the end of the day and we went to bed around 11pm. Tomorrow is the day we were supposed to leave for out home town but it took an unexpected turn again.
Day 4 (Monday)
Finally it’s the last day of our trip. We woke up early in the morning like 7am and it’s like a breeze in the Khajjiar. We again took some drone shots there when no one is around. After packing up our luggage and gear we did breakfast at the nearby dhaba and checked out from forest rest and left for Mandi. Just a few kilometers from Khajjiar there a huge statue of lord Shiva and we went there to take some photographs and drone stots.
After that we left from there to Dhalousie. It was very scenic route curved roads, forest cover, rising sun and no network it’s like a paradise for people like me. After reaching Dhalousie we continued forward but our stated to behave like earlier. We were getting so skeptical about the car but besides the thoughts we continued forward and reached Nurpur almost at 3pm.
We ate lunch there and left nurpur towards Mandi. After like few kilometers our car steering got stuck and in the middle of nowhere we were done Its 4pm and we totally lost hope.
We contacted the RSA service of KIA and waited for like 3 hrs. After so much waiting they sent a taxi with a cng and we had so much equipment. They promised us taxi as same size of our car but it is what it is. We refused to sit in that taxi and re-contacted KIA for new taxi. After so much struggling they sent a taxi for us at 11P.M at night. We finally left for mandi and reached Mandi almost at 2 AM.
At last i just have to say that it was one hell of a trip for all of us and we cannot forget every moment of that trip. Stay safe everyone and plan your trips carefully.
Why is Chamba famous?
Chamba is famous for its rich cultural heritage, particularly its ancient temples, scenic landscapes, and traditional arts and crafts. It’s also known for its vibrant festivals and picturesque hill station location.
Is Chamba a hill station?
Yes, Chamba is a hill station, and there are two places with that name. Chamba is a well-known hill station in Himachal Pradesh, India, known for its stunning landscapes and cultural heritage.
What is the old name of Chamba Himachal Pradesh?
According to tradition, the ancient name of Chamba was Champa, and its predecessor state was known as Brahmpur. This site later became Bharmour around 550 AD when Raja Maru Verman came from Kalpagram to the Chamba Hills. Around 920 CE, the capital was shifted from Bharmour to present day Chamba Town.
What language is spoken in Chamba?
After Chamba merged with the Indian union in 1947, the town now is a district headquarter. Languages Spoken: English and Hindi are spoken by people engaged in tourism and professional trades. The locals mainly use Chambyali, a dialect.
What is the famous food of Chamba?
Also called as Chamba ka rajma, madra is one of the most special dishes from Chamba that is popular across the country. A curd and legume based curry, the dish generally features chickpeas (kabuli chana), kidney beans (rajma), and black eyed beans (lobia, rongi).
