Churdhar
THE enchanting Churdhar peak in Sirmaur is one of the highest Peak of Shivalik ranges at a height of
11965 feet. Churdhar, commonly known as Churichandni (Bangle of Snow), is blessed with some of the most
spectacular and beautiful landscapes in this region. The view from the summit embraces a vast panorama
of lowland tracts towards the south and snow-capped ranges, including the peaks of Badrinath and
Kedarnath in the Garhwal region, towards the north.A wealth of herbs and beautiful alpine flora cover
these Himalayan slopes. Walking through the wildlife sanctuary, one spots the spectacular monal,
Himachal’s state bird, along with koklass and kaleej pheasants. The canine-toothed musk deer and the
endangered Himalayan black bear inhabit the higher forests.Below the summit is the deodar-roofed,
single-storey, square temple of Srigul with a lingam, dedicated to Shiva (Chooreshwar Mahadev). Pilgrims
sing and dance at night during the Navratras fair in this ancient temple.Trekkers tread over small
glaciers on their way to the wind-blown Churdhar summit, which has moderate to heavy snowfall (average
of 33 feet snow). Often the Srigul temple gets buried under it.A view of the rainbow emerging on the
horizon after the rain, is a memorable sight. The multi-coloured rays streaming out of the cloud cover,
make the sky look like a huge chandelier.
How to Reach:
By Air
The nearest airports are at Chandigarh and Dehradun. Taxis/buses are available for Nohradhar at all
places
By Train
The starting point is the capital of India, New Delhi and from here one can travel up to Chandigarh (
250 Kms) or Kalka (280 Kms) by rail. Taxis/buses are available for Nohradhar at all places
By Road
There are buses and taxis available at Chopal to reach Sarain, the starting point of the Churdhar trek.
If you are coming from Delhi, hit the national highway 1 (NH1) to reach Ambala, and from there take the
NH 22 to reach Shimla. Follow NH 22 that goes to Kinnaur from Shimla thorugh Sanjauli and Dhali up to
Theog. Reaching Theog, hit the state road that leads you to Chopal via Sainj, Deha, and Khirki. And,
from Chopal, you need to follow the way that is going to Nerwa, and then follow the link road to Sarain
after nearly 7 km.
