Chronicles of Spiti - Rampur

Halfway To Paradise

It was a gloomy, frosty morning. A long journey was interrupted by misfortune. Who doesn't want us to know about the secrets of Paradise? Was it delayed by something unexpected? This is the plot of Nature, The Odyssey, and even an Act Of God.

All of a sudden, the climate changed its wings and we were hit by a heavy snowstorm. The snow and strong winds created a zero-visibility and blocked roads. I was looking out from Tempo’s window to understand the situation, the scene was total chaos. Into this chaos, a random guy in a jeep stopped and yelled, “TURN BACK, ROAD IS CLOSED!”.

Ahh, with all this adventure we returned back to our hotel in Rampur.

In our Spiti itinerary, Rampur was not on our list. But, the heavy shower of snow made our stay. Rampur is on the banks of river Sutlej embraced by snowclad mountain ranges, sparkling streams, and stunning views, also a vibrant market and street food. The hotel we stayed at was “Nau Nabh Heritage''. The exquisite architecture with wooden work adds majesty to this place. It has a crown-like structure, stone pillars, colorful tinted glasses, carved wood floor, and a red slanted roof that gives the entirety of the palace. So, it wasn’t that bad to be stuck in a place like this. To make our day productive, we all made a mini backpack and left our hotel to explore this little-known territory.

We headed out for the first spot, which was “Padam Palace”. It was right next to where we stayed and I had no idea it was like this. The palace was gigantic like big enough for a giant to live. The aesthetic of the place was astronomical with its scenic surroundings, with wide and well-cut lawns, fountains, ornamental botanicals, and the Himalayas around it. Also, it was quite a picturesque palace. So, my friends went a bit crazy and took photos for almost 2 hours making me a photographer.

As a whole, Padam palace is a blissful place, full of historical significance. Though it is a private property belonging to the royal family of Bushahr and we were allowed to explore it.

What’s next?

Being in Rampur was like playing hide and seek because I knew there are great places around and hidden from us. While we were planning for the next place, a clothing storekeeper started speaking with us, asking “Where are you from?” and all the WH questions. In a conversation, I asked “Which is the best place to visit in Rampur?” and the storekeeper said something which blew my mind.

“On the top of the mountains, there is a temple, surrounded by the Himalayas, sheltered in the snow!”

2 hours of drive, passed like eye blinks. Once we were there, all the roads were hidden, not a single landmark was visible, only a blanket of snow with mountains rising out of it. And the BhimaKali temple is right in the middle of it. The two-storied ancient wooden temple and its Hindu Tibetian architecture, couldn't expect much less than bliss. The temple complex had very clean premises and well-organized walkways. Impressed with the very rich and serene experience. Inside it had a warm interior, intricate wooden carvings on the walls, the silver-plated doors, the beautiful stone roofs, and the peaceful atmosphere took us to a different world. And the snow makes this place look so magical!

Above all, however, footwear was not allowed in the temple and its surroundings. Walking barefoot on the snow was really a tough challenge to achieve. After 15-20 minutes, my foot completely lost its consciousness more often than not - a great deal of fun!

It was hazy and cool like a beach after the evening fog rolled in. The city market was definitely an evening spot. The market was filled with woolen clothes such as sweaters to socks, beanies to blankets that make this town ideal for shopping sprees. I bought a few beanies for myself, it was a great buy at a very cheap price. This entire market was on the banks of the river and roaming around those narrow streets if truth be told was very confusing and complex. Even though we found some good places to have those hot samosas, gulab jamuns, and tea. And, on the way back to the hotel we filled our stomachs with street food and lots of memories from Rampur.

The next day, we said Goodbye to Rampur, and not a single drop of snow stopped us from going to Spiti.