Ever since I saw this village in Malana valley, I had decided; I’m going there one day! And, today was the day. It felt like the right thing to do as well after all the long treks and a talking knee. It was not an exploration but a light walk around the village.
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Chowki village is the only other village that is there on the route to Malana. It is at a perfect distance from the main road and the valley that it seems hidden unless you enter the road to Malana.
I went there for a walk in the evening expecting nothing and it turned out to be a better experience than I anticipated. When I started walking, it was still the golden hour with the orange light coming from the sunset. To my surprise, this small village seemed much more oraganized in terms of connectivity.
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I’ve visited a few other villages so far. Some of them commercialised and some other isolated. But none of them felt this connected with paved trails. Colourful wooden houses were one of the things attracted me to visit this village and they seemed very far from the road.
Once I entered the village, there were many houses with the tile roofs and wooden panels, just what I was looking for! Plus, those houses were connected with concrete trails and they went through each and every houses and the trails were made parallel, one step below the other plane of land giving more structure to the village.
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The village was largely empty probably because everyone was away for work except for a few ladies I found in some houses. I always wondered how people live in tiny houses in the mountains and this village showed me otherwise. The houses were big in terms of area. There were a few under construction as well.
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There was nothing else to in the village other than to walk around and take in the amazing view of Parvati valley. The stationary shops, restaurants and homestays were all on the main road to Malana. Once you enter the village, there is nowhere to buy things.
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I went till the end of one road where it reached the place I always looked up from the Malana road. Then the sun started to disappear and you know the drill by now, you don’t go for adventure in the dark in the Himalayas.
While my way back I met the procession at the local temple and this is where I saw the Gur in action (I’ve written a separate blog on the Devata concept in Himachal). There was a grandma who was waiting to see the deity on the trail. Women are not allowed to enter the temple premises during this ritual, so, she was waiting there for a glimpse. I loved her sweater. It was very unique and handmade.
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I reached back to the road with the group of people who were carrying the deity and crossing the valley. Then I was stopped by this cute little child who was interested in my camera. However, it turned out to be a sad moment when he wouldn’t leave without the camera and started crying.
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Well, there’s nothing more to write in this blog since it was a very light walk and all I carried along were my thoughts. I think your experience largely depends on your mind during that trip and all I can say is I was really happy with visiting Chowki village.
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If you ever want to visit, you need to reach the Joystel in Malana road and you can find a staircase that goes up to the village. That is Chowki Village.
On Map: [//]:# (!pinmapple 32.00608 lat 77.24617 long Chowki village d3scr)
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