BHARAT DARSHAN: EXPLORING THE UNEXPLORED: HIMALAYAS: THE UNTOUCHED PARADISE-Reckong Peo, Nako (Episode-13)

In this show of our documentary travelogue on Steemit, "Bharat Darshan: exploring the unexplored", Sukhnidhey Films (www.sukhnidhey.com), takes you to the highest mountains in the world, the Himalayas.

Continuing our journey from Kalpa in the previous episode, we head to Reckong Peo, the capital of the Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh, situated at a height of 7,513 feet above the sea level. Reckong Peo is very famous for its "Tibetan Market", which is the perfect place to go shopping for Kinnauri handicrafts, and above all, the traditional shawls for which Kinnaur is most famous.

We head to the Government Emporium in the market, shopping for "Pattus", or the traditional warm shawls, as they are locally called. Basically, Pattus are the ancestors of the present day shawls worn all over the world. Pattu is much larger than the modern day shawl, and also much heavier. We find in the emporium numerous types of Pattus, designed for different occasions, such as the beautiful Bridal Pattus. Not to say- the Bridal Pattus are extremely heavy!

The handwork on the Pattus is extremely beautiful. There's a lot of intricate handwork involved, which makes the design of such a beautiful piece of Himalayan art a true masterpiece. We also spot the Kinnauri caps, which are worn by Kinnaur's men and women alike.

Carrying our journey further to the untouched heights of the Himalayas, we head to Nako, a very ancient village located at a whooping height of 11, 810 feet amongst the snow covered peaks. The drive to Nako is, as expected of such high altitudes, extremely beautiful, yet extremely dangerous, for the roads are very narrow, slippery due to waters flowing down from mountain streams, and add to the fact that this part of the world is very landslide prone owing to the presence of barren mountain slopes alongside the road we drive on.

We cross the Kasang bridge, with the waters of a gushing mountain stream furiously flowing beneath as, swallowing within it the noise of the engine. We cross Spello, another small village with sharp stone studded roads which frequently puncture the tyres.

Alongside the roads on the mountain slopes are small shrubs, which are medicinal plants of immense value in traditional medicinal practices, such as the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda. These herbs grow frequently at high altitudes, but due to the lack of sufficient preservation and conservations in modern times, they are slowly getting onto the verge of their very extinction. These medicinal herbs have been supporting local communities in these inhospitable terrains, forming a part of their very lifelines since ancient times. And modern research has firmly established the medicinal qualities of these priceless herbs.

We cross the "Sarvada Shaktishali", a battalion of the Indian Army, the Grenadiers battalion, known for undertaking the most dangerous of the military operations in the interest of national security and defense. The roads have become narrower, with mountain slopes extending above the road, forming roofs below which we pass as we drive towards Nako. We finally reach Nako late in the evening after the long drive from Reckong Peo; in Nako, we stay in our tents.

Our tent offers spectacular views of some of the highest peaks of the Himalayas- of the Shipki La for instance, at 21,674 feet! The divine views soon engulf themselves, as does the Nako village, into the falling darkness. We head out to have our specially cooked, delicious, Pahari dinner.

Next morning, we set out to explore the clear waters of the Nako Lake, a high altitude lake situated at a height of 12,014 feet above msl. The best time to explore this lake is in the morning when the lake forms a beautiful mirror reflecting the snow clad peaks of the mighty Himalayas. We explore the myths and legends surrounding the lake. It is said, for instance, that the lake id unfathomable. The lake completely freezes during the winters! Nako lake truly is, an explorer's delight.

So, hold your breath, tighten your seat belts and come along with us as we take you to this divine place, gather and document historical evidences on this enchanting journey, studying the architectural features and critically examining the events as described in the ancient Indian texts, and as we see them first hand. "BHARAT DARSHAN: exploring the unexplored", every Thursday at 12 pm EST onSteemit webseries.