 season.
Himalayas range, dense and mysterious
forest, devotional place and some rare
flowers makes this place an out of world
experience. Stay at home feelings tourist
place Maya deep guest house, which is a
different world altogether.
Chopta it is if you want to be “far from
the madding crowd's ignoble strife” and
enjoy the magnificent views of the Himalaya
from the alpine meadows. Chopta lies between
Kedarnath and Badrinath, at an edge of
Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, to the north
central part of Uttaranchal. Uttaranchal is
now Uttarakhand which was formed out the
state of Uttar Pradesh in India on 9
November 2000, and is also known as Dev
Bhumi.
 The motor-able
route:
Delhi -
Merrut Bypass - Mujaffarnagar Bypass -
Haridwar - Rishikesh bypass - Devprayag -
Srinagar - Rudraprayag and left fork towards
Kedarnath - Drive along river Mandakini (and
not crossing the river at Kund) - Ookhimath
(has a GMVN rest house) - Dugalbetta -
Chopta.
The checklist of birds has been compiled
for the area of study as below, along with
the height from sea level:
|
Makkumath |
~2100m |
|
Dugalbetta |
~2350m |
|
Banyakund |
~2600m |
|
Chopta |
~2700-3000m (30°29'N latitude and
79°10'E longitude) |
|
Bujgwali |
~3100m |
|
Devdarshani |
~3500m |
|
Tunganath |
~3680m |
|
Chandrashila |
~3750m |
 The
distance from Makkumath to Dugalbetta is 8
Kms, next to Chopta is another 12 Kms, and a
trek from Chopta to Tunganath is 3 Kms and
after 1 more Km is Chandrashila. As can be
seen from above, there is a rapid change of
altitude in a short distance.
This
region belongs to the Temperate zone where,
in winters, most of this area is covered in
snow and in the higher reaches the
temperature can plummet to -15C. During
Monsoons the area receives almost 2000 mm of
rain so landslides etc. can be a deterrent.
The local tea shops etc. are open from 30th
April to 20th Oct. at Chopta.
The habitat can broadly be termed as Quercus
forest ~2600m, Rhododendron forest ~3000m,
grasslands ~3400m. I have found that the
Rhododendron can be an altitude marker. At
Makkumath, Rhododendron arboreum (Red
flowers) is found. At Chopta, R. barbetum
(Pink flowers). At treeline near Devdarshini,
R. Campanulatum (white flowers). At
Tunganath, the shrubs of R. anthopogon. At
Chandrashila, R. lepidotum etc. The
flowering period is April/May only.
The whole region shows immense biodiversity.
Many varieties of Lichens grow here on wood,
soil and rock substrates. The plants and
herbs found here are used for traditional
healthcare medicines, beverages (the flowers
of Rhododendron arboreum, locals call it
"Burans", gives the Rhododendron juice),
dyes and insecticides etc. The fibers of
these plants are also used for handicrafts,
ropes, mats, baskets and sports items etc.
 The broad mix of trees here mainly consist
of Oak (Quercus semecarpifolia),
Rhododendron, Yew (Taxus baccata), Himalayan
Fir (Abies pindrow), Deodar (Cedrus deodara)
etc.
Many wild animals are found here. Himalayan
Black Bear, Leopard, Wild Boar, Jackal, Fox,
(also saw probably a Lynx), Yellow-throated
Marten, Pika, Himalayan Tahr, Ghoral,
Barking Deer and others offer evidence of
their presence. A Musk Deer reserve is also
present 7 Kms further towards Mandal.
From Chandrashila one gets the magnificent
panoramic views of Kedar Peak, Kedar Dome,
Mount Shivling, Chaukhamba, Nandadevi, Nanda
Ghunti, Hathi Parvat, Ghodi Parvat,
Dronagiri, Mandani, Trisul, Panchachuli etc.
A few Terrabits:
 Near this area in 1796, Major General Thomas
Hardwicke, was the first to collect plants
and shrubs.
The Himalayan Sheep Dog remains silent,
almost always, but growls when it senses a
leopard in the area.
A Snow Leopard was reported from Chopta in
1979.
Mispronunciation often means
Rhodo-dodo-dendron.
Mahishanand Maithani, nearly 90 yrs of age,
daily treks the steep climb up and down from
Chopta to Tungnath.
Bhuk Hartal (literally "Hunger Strike") bus
service is the lifeline here.
Kadik Bam is the most photographed person at
Tunganath and appears in many posters
advertising Uttarakhand.
To me the beauty of this place cannot be
described at all. There are only feelings
and some clues to solving the mystery. But
first, let the stiffness go, if you have
travelled this far, it has probably already
gone. At Chandrashila, as you touch the sky,
you are at the center of the magical orb. Be
there in the early morn and see the sun in
Taurus rise, feel the cadence. At first the
vast physical emptiness looks monstrous but
soon enough you know that the stillness is
an illusion. Even to the ordinary, the charm
will overflow and a state of "pure mind of
the sage" is reached.
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