Chopta – A Himalayan haven for all interests

Chopta is called the mini-Switzerland of India for a reason. This is a small region of green meadows at a height of about 2500 meters above sea level. In the midst of an evergreen forest that is part of the Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary. In the middle of the Himalayas. Surrounded by snow-clad mountains. The views are stunning – the Himalayas including the Trishul, Nanda Devi and Chaukhamba peaks!

And best of all, its not too crowded. The people who come here, come for peace and quiet. And they get it in plenty. The village is surrounded by the forests – mainly pine, deodar and rhododendron.

Chopta for the religious-minded

The significance of Chopta come from the fact that it is surrounded by the Panch Kedars. These are the most significant religious abodes of Lord Shiva. Panch Kedars means Five Kedars. Kedar is another name for Lord Shiva. Kedarnath and MadhyaMaheshwar are on one side of Chopta. Rudranath and Kalpeshwar are on the other side. And at the top of Chopta is Tungnath. This is why Chopta assumes so much religious significance and positive energy.

The Panch Kedar

As I mentioned, the Panch Kedars are the most important temples to pray at for the devotees of Lord Shiva. They are all in the Garhwal Himalayan region of Uttarakhand. The faithful believe that these were built by the Pandavas after the Mahabharata war. Then, Adi Shankara supervised the renovation of the Panch Kedars about 12 centuries ago. The main temple of the five is Kedarnath. Kedarnath is also one of the 12 holy Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The next in the order of importance are Tungnath, Rudranath, MadhyaMaheshwar or MadhMaheshwar and Kalpeshwar. This order of visiting the Panch Kedar shrines is strictly followed by the faithful.

Some devotees believe that the pilgrimage of the Panch Kedars starts at the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal. And then the rest, in the order mentioned above.

Legends

Many legends and stories abound regarding the sanctity of the Panch Kedar pilgrimage. One of them is that after the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas were looking for penance to redeem their sins. Especially the mass killing during the war. They reached out to Lord Shiva in Varanasi.

But the Lord, was upset at the war and decided to avoid them. He went missing, took the form of Nandi, his bull, and hid in the Garhwal region. The Pandavas chased him down. Bhima, one of the Pandavas, found him as a bull in GuptaKashi (means ‘hidden Kashi’ referring to the Lord Shiva hiding here). Bhima chased and caught the bull by its tail and hind legs. The bull disappeared into the ground.

It then reappeared in parts through the earth. The hump on its back came up in Kedarnath and the arms in Tungnath. The navel and mid-riff appeared in MadhyaMaheshwar and the face in Rudranath. Finally, the hair and head appeared in Kalpeshwar. This how the Lord showed his entire self to the Pandavas in five different places.

The Temples

The Pandavas then built temples at these five places for worshipping the Lord. These then became the Panch Kedars for the faithful to pray to Lord Shiva.

By the way, it is interesting that after building the Panch Kedar temples, the Pandavas meditated at Kedarnath. And then used the Mahapanth (Swargarohini) to attain heaven or Moksha.

Sri Rama is also believed to have meditated at Tungnath and Chandrashila peak. As also Ravana – the place where he meditated is called Ravana Shila near the Chandrashila Peak.

Chopta for the adventure-seekers

Lots of adrenalin-rush activities. There is camping, trekking, a bit of skiing, rock-climbing, rappelling, photography – both nature and animal… Take your pick. Chopta is the base for many treks, some tough and some easy.

Tungnath-Chandrashila and other Treks from Chopta

The most popular one is the Tungnath and Chandrashila peak trek. Tungnath is the highest Lord Shiva temple in the world. It is about 4 kms away and about 3500 meters above sea level. The Chandrashila peak is less than 2 kms from Tungnath temple. This is about 4000 meters above sea level. Don’t be misled by the short distance – the walk up is quite steep. But I would rate it an easy trek – it shouldn’t take you more than 6 hours. Majestic views – do remember to stop and stare as the poet once said… All in all, an easy, fulfilling, absolutely beautiful trek.

The Deoria Tal trek is also a popular one. Deoria Tal is a Himalayan lake surrounded by forests on all sides. Quite a beauty, this one is. Again, an easy trek, suitable even for kids.

There are a few other treks too. Some are to the Panch Kedars – Rudranath and MadhMaheshwar. Or the scenic Har ki Dun Valley, Valley of Flowers or Dayara Bugyal treks. Some others options are the Kedarkantha, Kuari Pass, Satopanth, Rupin Pass, Bali Pass and Dodital Treks.

Food and Drink to try

Oh, and do eat the local food and drink en-route. I must mention some of the things I tried. Roti (flat bread) made of Mandua (Ragi flour) with a curry of Solai (Amaranth) leaves and another of Lingda (Fiddlehead fern). The taste is absolutely out of the world. Especially since the only flavoring that they use is salt! You must try it – quite an adventure it is. A rewarding one… 😊 Of course you get Rajma (red kidney beans) or potato curry also. And the most interesting one is the Buransh juice. It is made of Rhododendron! This is the state flower of Uttarakhand and you get it only in this region. Try it – it is very tasty, sweet and reputed to be extremely nutritious.

Chopta for the romantics

This is a place meant for those with romance on their minds and hearts. Rolling meadows. Fabulous views. Long walks. Forests. Waterfalls. Silence. Peace and serenity. Solitude. Good food. Great weather… What else do you need as a setting for romance?

Chopta for the peace and serenity-seekers

If it is peace that you seek, it doesn’t get better than this. With the lush forests and mountains… And a languid, unhurried pace of life. In the lap of Himalayan nature. It has not yet been discovered by too many tourists. Hence, as of now, Chopta affords a distance from the madding crowds…

Chopta for the nature-lovers

This is the land of the Gods. Nature in every aspect. Mountains, rivers, forests, meadows, birds, animals… You name it, Chopta has it… The dense forests of the region house many birds and animals. This is quite a birding-enthusiast’s paradise. Add to this the many lakes like the Deoria Tal, the many Bugyals (highland grasslands), waterfalls like the Atrimuni falls and the many Himalayan peaks like Tungnath and Chandrashila. And of course, the fantastic panoramic views of the Himalayan range including some famous peaks like the Meru, Sumeru, Chaukhamba, Nilkantha and Nanda Devi.

Where is this piece of heaven?

Chopta is in the Himalayan region of North India. In the RudraPrayag district of Uttarakhand state. It is about 500 kilometers from Delhi and 160 kilometers from Rishikesh. The town of Ukhimath is about 30 kilometers from here.

When to visit Chopta

This is almost an all-year destination. Great for trekking, temple-visits or simply chilling in April-November. Accessibility is not a huge issue so you can go in winter too… For the snow… Tungnath and Chandrashila are snow covered during winter.

How to get there

Chopta is on the road connecting the towns of Gopeshwar and GuptaKashi. Hence, you can reach Chopta by road through two routes from Rishikesh which is well connected. Either via RudraPrayag-Kund and Ukhimath or RudraPrayag-KarnaPrayag-Chamoli and Gopeshwar.

In case you wish to fly, Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport. It is about 220 kilometers from Chopta – enough taxis are available at the airport. There are regular flight connections from Delhi to Jolly Grant.

In case you are getting here by train, the nearest railway station is Rishikesh. About 200 kilometers from Chopta. Lots of taxi and bus options are available from Rishikesh.

Why visit Chopta

From what I have mentioned above, you would have figured the diverse interests that Chopta caters to. This is a Himalayan sanctuary for travelers with all kinds of interests. Be it religious, adventure, romance, nature or simply peace… Further, it is as off-beat as it gets and very accessible from across India. Check out this itinerary for Chopta.

Of course, any kind of customizations can be made on this to cater to your specific interest. Write to us and we can suggest options for you.

Read about some of the other places of spiritual significance in India. In case you are a nature lover, check out the natural wonders of India.

India is a many-faceted country. It celebrates the mysterious, cultural, natural, wildlife, spiritual and more… Here is some more information on these facets of India, to help you travel beyond the regular tours and packages to India.

And if you are looking to have interesting experiences around India, Asia, Europe or Africa, visit Beyonder Travel.