Reverse Gear to DEHRADUN from Yamnotri / Gangotri

After enjoying the evening in Nathala , next day morning we checked out from Hotel & proceeded towards Dehradun. There are two routes for Dehradun , one via Rishikesh & second one is via Mussoorie. We preferred to go via Mussoorie because my sister wants to visit Dhanualti on the way back to Dehradun. In next 15 minutes we were in Uttarkashi which is about 3 kms from Nathala. Some of the worth seeing places in Uttarkashi are already mentioned in my previous post “Scenic spots on the way to Gangotri”.

After Uttarkashi we passed through a small village Dunda which is about 17 kms from Uttarkashi. Around 10 kms later we reached Dharasu bend. Dharasu bend is in T shape , at this point the road is divided into three paths.One road goes to Gangotri , second one towards Uttarkashi & third one towards Rishikesh via New Tehri . We took Rishikesh road & reached village Barethi which is about 3 Kms from Dharasu bend.

From Barethi we reached village Chinyalisaur which is about 3 kms from Barethi & 34 kms from Uttarkashi. This village is one of the beautiful villages on this route. Some of the people prefer to stay here while going towards Yamnotri / Gangotri.For the stay GMVN hotel & and couple of private lodges / Hotels are available. The major town after Chinyalisaur is New Tehri. We were not expecting such a smooth ride on this road , the entire stretch of the journey was smooth supported with beautiful scenic view of the nature except the motion sickness.

New Tehri is about 75 kms from Uttarkashi. New Tehri is the only planned city of Uttarakhand state. Tehri Dam is the main centre of attraction of the town. New Tehri was developed as the residence of the people whose home got submerged in the water while construction of the dam. I have already written a detailed post on Tehri & Tehri Dam hence not repeating the same. Please go through the link given.

After traveling further for 13 kms we reached Chamba. From here one road goes to New Tehri , second one goes to Rishikesh & third one goes to Dehradun via Musoorrie. It is situated at an elevation of around 1,676mts above sea level. One can enjoy the Panoramic view of the splendid Himalayas from here. Previously Chamba was the part of the Gorkha Kingdom but later King of Garhwal ruled this place.

From Chamba we reached Kaddu khal which is about 26 kms from Chamba. In Kaddu Khal there is a famous temple “ Surkanda Devi “ which is situated at an elevation of 3,030 m above sea level. The temple site is accessible on foot, being about 2 km from the motorable road connecting Kaddu Khal. The legend is that Sati, the wife of Shiva, gave up her life in the yajna started by her father. Shiva passed through this place on his way back to Kailash with the dead body of Sati whose head fell at the spot where the temple of Surkhanda Devi stands. The snow-covered Himalayas and the forest area between Mussoorie and Chamba offer a splendid view. A big local fair is held here in the month of June every year, attracting tourists from all over.

Our next destination was Dhanaulti which is about 14 kms from Surkanda Devi temple. Dhanaulti is located amidst thick virgin forests of Deodar and Pines. Unobstructed views of the snow capped Himalayan peaks are distinctly visible from Dhanaulti, adding charm to this heavenly place. Dhanaulti is situated on Mussoorie – Chamba road at an elevation of 2286mts above sea level.

Eco park is the main attraction in Dhanaulti . It was my third visit to Dhanault , last one was in 2006 when Eco park was not constructed .During that time there was only a small table top adjacent to GMVN hotel. It was developed by the collaboration with forest department-Mussoorie & inaugurated in 2008. There is Entry Fee of Rs 15 For Adults and Rs10 for Children. A nice place for the whole family to spend an afternoon.

While kids were enjoying the swings in park, we went for a walk, the surroundings of this park was full of scenic views. After capturing a few scenic memorable moments in our camera we left this place for Dehradun.

On the way we stopped at Shiva temple which is located about 20 km away from Dehradun on the Mussoorie Road. It is a private temple where you can not offer any donations. Initially, the temple was made for the personal use , but later it was opened for public. In Prasad they offer Rajma- Rice, Kadhi -Rice, Fried Rice. Tea is also served as Prasad.

The main source of earning of temple is variety of precious Gemstones, Pearls, Rudraksh etc are sold in the temple premises.

We had Kadhi –Rice in Prasad followed by tea & left for Home and within half an hour we reached Home (in laws place).

Our Do Dham yatra was completed happily& successfully. We all were charged for 2011 for another Do Dham yatra (Kedarnath & Badrinath).