The Chanderkhani Pass Trek - 2 Nov 2012

Chanderkhani Pass (3525m) – Malana (2625m)

View of the Malana side of the pass

As we move from Chanderkhani pass towards Malana, for a brief period I get mobile coverage from BSNL and I shoot off messages to family giving them my co-ordinates. The descent from the ridge is initially gradual. We reach a rock face where the path is not discernible - destroyed by goats tramping around, my guide informs me. I make my way forward taking steps gingerly.

The hill side progressively gets steeper. The road leading to the dam of the Malana - II hydro electric project, an ugly white gash doubling up on the green hill side is visible far below. Loosing height continuously, and with the advancing afternoon, we are now in the shadow of the Chanderkhani ridge.

The descent is relentless and it appears as if we are climbing down into a deep dark almost conical hole. The hill side is steep and a slip will mean certain oblivion.

Momentarily, I feel confused. Where Am I? Is this a dream or is it for real. Panic strikes me. Is my confusion because of extreme tiredness? I sit down, hailing to Hira to wait. I find something to eat in my bag, drink some water, and rest a while. Then it is time to resume. I keep my eyes focused on where I am going to put my next foot, my mind on the next step. Step after interminable step.

Compare with the first photo for a feel of the height loss

The track leads to a mountain stream, now dry, that tumbles down into the Malana River. We make our way down hopping over boulders. Looking down the course of the stream makes me nervous, for after some point, it is not visible, possibly having taken on a steeper gradient downwards. Eventually, we get off the stream and the path goes down the side of a hill more gently. Hira strikes up conversation with a goatherd, the first person we meet after leaving the pass. We are in a field of cannabis which has been harvested, only the bare stalks now left on the ground. Malana cannot be very far.

It is a little after four when we enter through the upper end of Malana village. Men standing in a group some way away stare at us unabashedly.

A thin man with glazed eyes and untidy appearance accosts me and asks in pidgin English if I would like some charas. We inspect the Dragon guest house and settle for a room with two beds for all of Rs 250, order our dinner and make ourselves comfortable in a balcony overlooking the village. 

The village is spread out on flat ground, at some height above the Malana river. The river itself is far below and cannot be seen. What can be seen is the road on the hill across from the river used to approach the dam of the Malana - II project, several km upstream, where the rivers waters are diverted into a tunnel. The high peaks surrounding the village ensure that it is in the shadow of the mountains for much of the day, like it is now.

The houses are scattered about in no particular order and it is hard to discern any streets. Only a few have traditional slate tiled roofs; the majority have tin roofs. Some are garishly painted with red roofs and walls, some in blue. In the midst of this jumble, there are a few constructions of steel and concrete with flat roofs, unfinished columns left for future expansions. Overall, the village has a far from pleasing appearance.

A group of young men – they say they are from Gujarat – are the other tourists at the lodge besides us. Surprisingly they don’t ask me my name – they only want to know my profession. They have come up from the Jari side and are clearly not here for trekking – and this becomes more apparent later that night.  In the gathering dusk a Shepard returns with his flock. It starts getting really cold and we move inside for the rest of the evening.

Malana - I project dam

Malana (2625m) – Malana roadhead (2000m)

The next morning we wake up Prem, the manager of the guest house, to make tea. Barely have we settled down with the drink, when Prem gets a call on his mobile and he is all tensed up. A rescue is to be mounted to look for a young man from Mumbai who has been missing from Kasol for a week. Prem is a regular with the rescue team composed of villagers of that area and police officials. He has been asked to report to Jari immediately from where the team will fan out to Pulga, Kulga, Josh and Kasol to look for the missing youth. In 5 minutes, Prem has dressed, has his Kulu cap on, and is on his way to Jari. 

It is just past 7 am. Before leaving for Jari, we decide to take a walk through the village. The streets are dirty with slush and the discarded plastic strewn about. The temple of Jamlu devta, the local deity is a three story wood and stone structure in traditional architecture with carved wooden panels. Signs in several places forbid visitors to touch the temple walls or even take photographs. The few villagers we pass on our way out do not greet us or evince any interest in us.

Malana river bed

The descent from Malana village to the road is even steeper than the descent of the previous day. The path winds down the side of a hill that falls straight to the river. The stones placed along the path are covered with a fine powder. Heavy downward steps result in a slide. I slip a couple of times and start choosing my steps carefully. A couple of girls from Malana, busy in conversation, close in from behind rapidly. Momentarily distracted, I fail to control my step, slip and land heavily on my back. I see concern writ on the faces of the girls. Hira too looks worried and offloads me of my backpack. The fall has left my palms bleeding from abrasions, but what is worse, badly shaken my confidence. 

I proceed extremely slowly from there on. My legs are stiff from the previous day’s trek. I have also managed to badly stub the toes on both my feet, and every downward step is painful. We are making our way down a sheer cliff now and there is no leeway for a mistake. I concentrate on my walking as I have never done before, testing every step before easing my weight on the leg. The descent seems interminable.

A linesman at work

At last the path levels out by a stream. I wash my bloodied palms with soap in its sparkling waters. A few minutes later, we reach Malana river and the road. It is 10.30 am.

Malana roadhead -> Jari

There are two ‘run of the river’ hydroelectric projects on the Malana river. The road going past the foot path leading to Malana services a dam several km upstream where the river water is diverted into the tunnel of the Malana – II project. The project has been completed, but the road remains unfinished. So also is a tunnel bored through rock that we walk through before reaching the site where the water after driving the turbines is released back to the river. 

The pond where water is diverted for the Malana – I project lies just beyond. After this point, the road is in better condition and follows the left bank of the river downstream. Hira tells me of his visits to Malana before the Malana – I project came up. The trek then involved walking through forest and along the river on its right bank.

The stairway down to Jari road

Walking down the road, we have company in a young man from Chamba, who is also walking to Jari to get some medicines for a sick colleague.  He tells us that he has been working as a carpenter cum mason at Malana for the past 3 months on a daily wage of Rs 350. He presents a bleak picture of life in Malana – the addiction of men to charas and drink from an early age, the lack of any outlets for outsiders to relax, the lack of medical facilities and non-availability of medicines, the lax morals concerning marriage and sex and the overall lawlessness of the place. 

The villagers are flush with money from growing Cannabis. Officials, from the police downwards, do not interfere in the affairs of the villagers, either because they are afraid to, or for other reasons, he avers. Our conversation comes to a abrupt end when he gets a lift in a truck taking other workers down to Jari.

The Malana and Parvati rivers meet just below Jari. However the Malana – I project carries the waters of the Malana in pipes downhill directly into the Parvati, some km upstream of their confluence.

Malana meets Parvati

A staircase, presumably for the use of maintenance workers, descends to the Parvati alongside the huge pipe carrying the Malana’s waters and this is our path for the last part of our trek. Crossing a bridge over the Parvati, we stand at the gates of the Malana – I power plant on the Jari – Manikaran road at 12.30 pm. In a few minutes, we board a Manikaran bus.

Back in Naggar, my host tells me that Malana used to be a pretty village with traditional structures until a fire destroyed most of the houses some years back.

Ascent to Chandarkhani Pass








Himalayan Trek 7, Nov 2012