Places of Interest in Chamoli

Auli
In the summer, Auli bugyal is inviting but in the winter it is irresistible with its hoary snow slopes and skiing facilities. Auli can be reached by road or ropeway from Joshimath .It provides an excellent panoramic view of the giant mountain peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dunagiri. From January to March, the Auli slopes are usually covered with a thick carpet of snow, about 3 mts deep. The stretch of 3 Kms. with a drop in elevation of 500 mts. is considered to be a very good skiing ground by international standard. The background of lofty snow clad mountains heightens the sprit of the skiers.

To attract attention, skiing festivals are also conducted at Auli. These now include the national championships staged by the Winter Games Federation Of India. While skiing is the chief attraction at Auli, there are other attraction like cable car rides and rope lifts, or spend the day outdoors building snowmen, or having snowball fights.

Gopeshwar
Situated at a height of 1308 mts. amidst beautiful mountain ranges, terrace farms and small lakes, the picturesque township of Gopeshwar is the district headquarter of Chamoli. An ancient temple of Lord Shiva is the main attraction of the town and thousands of pilgrims come here throughout the year to visit the temple. Owing to its natural beauty and fresh and serene atmosphere, Gopeshwar is becoming a major attraction for the tourists. Many well known tourist spots and religious centres are spread around this town. According to historians, the name Gopeshwar has associations with the name of Lord Krishna.

Besides the ancient temple of Lord Shiva, Vaitarni Kund, a group of temples without idols and Oak View are other places of interest.

Vasudhara
Water falls have always captivated the human imagination. 5 Kms. from Mana village, toward the west is the Vasudhara fall with a sheer drop of 145 mtrs., set in a background of snowy peaks, glaciers and rocky heights. Violent wind sometimes sprays out the entire volume of the water falling and it appears that the water fall ceases for a minute or two, giving rise to a lot of superstitious ideas to the locals.

Valley of Flowers
A profusion of wildflowers - iris, violets, roses, primulas, anemones, potentillas - mark this valley, celebrated all over the world for its lush beauty. A narrow river flows through the valley, now declared a national park. Reached by an easy bridle-path from Govindghat, visitors are no longer allowed to camp within the valley.

The valley had always been known to the local people who avoided getting to this area for fear of fairies, who they believed, would take them away. It was in 1931 that Frank Smythe and Holdsworth stumbled into the valley while returning from their successful Kamet expedition and were “at once transported from a region of solemn austerity to a fairy land of dainty flowers, most of them dwarf but brilliant in colour”. Smythe wrote about the valley and its flowers - “their carpet is a celestial one, breathing innocence and joy to the world overburdened with sophistication and sorrow”. His writing invoked a great interest of the people in this valley, both at home and abroad.

Legends associate this valley area with “Gandhamadan” from where Hanuman of Ramayana collected “Sanjeevani” herb to revive Laksmana. Hanuman had to visit far-flung areas in his search for the life-saving herb, some named after him. He visited Hanuman Chatti near Yamunotri, Hanuman Tibba near Gangotri, Hanuman peak near Nandadevi, Hanuman Chatti near Badrinath and ultimately the valley of flowers or Nanankanan as it is also known as.

The best time to visit the valley is during July and August when innumerable varieties of flowers bloom and present a spectacular sight. The valley itself is 10 kms. long and about 2 kms. wide in conical shape, with the river Pushpavati flowing through it. After one gets down at Govindghat on the main Badrinath highway, it involves a trek of 15 kms. to reach Ghangaria wherefrom a further short trek of 5 kms. leads one to the edge of the valley. The valley ranges between 3352 and 3658 mts. in altitude.

Satopanth Lake
This triangular lake of serene water has a perimeter of about half a kilometer. It is about 25 Kms. from Badrinath. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar, the Hindu trinity are believed to occupy one corner each, and which are named after them. The trek is hazardous, but full of dramatic scenery. There is no place to rest between, except caves. Cooked food, stove etc. have to be carried from Badrinath itself.

Bedni Bugyal
Situated near Wan, Bedini Bugyal is a charming green meadow adorned with flowers in a spell binding varieties, in full bloom. There is a small lake situated in the midst of the meadow, where Tarpans are offered by the devotees. Situated nearby is a small temple where the devotees pay there obeisance, during their halt at Bedni Bugyal.

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