Bagha Sarahan - An unimaginable & stunning hill station with least known green meadows surrounded by some huge waterfalls, water-streams & snow capped mountains in Kullu region of Himachal Pradesh

Hidden among the snow covered hills of Shrikhand Mountian Ranges, which are known for their mythological significance and is said to be one of the adobe of Lord Shiva, this unknown village beckon those with an adventurous spirit as its beautiful landscape and lush green valley will take your breath away. 

Many of you may get confused with Sarahan in Shimla district with its beautiful Bhimakali Temple but those you know and have been to Kullu will know this Bagha Sarahan better at 3200 metres height, and that too if they have had the zeal to walk all the way to picture its magnificent beauty.

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If you start your journey from Shimla then head towards Narkanda about 63 kms and then towards Nirmand which is another 28 kms approximately, with panoramic views of the Satluj Valley. From there you reach Bhagi Pul and then an uphill narrow road covering a distance of about 12 kms leads to this small village nestled among the mountains in all its pristine. 

Those who wish to travel by bus should be prepared for a long journey as it is nearly 176 kms from Shimla and can take up to 10 hours to reach, but of course with few stops and immense beauty to admire. Those planning to come from Beas side should be aware that there is no motorable road and would have to cross on foot from the Bishloi Pass.

The HPPWD rest house situated outside the village offers decent accommodation which needs to be booked in advance but for the more adventurous laying out their tents (which of course you need to carry) in the open meadows can always be an option. 

With permission from the Government School nearby you can set your camp under the starry sky. The huge ground in the centre of the village is surrounded by fields, flora and fauna, water streams, waterfalls with amazing views of the snow covered hills nearby. 

With so much natural beauty around it becomes quite hard to concentrate on anything and then there were these kids studying in their open air classrooms.

Related Blogpost - Mountain Terrain Biking, Himachal Pradesh 2011 - Day 5 - Good Morning Kullu Sarahan !!!

School children attending their classes in beautiful ground in Sarahan Village, surrounded by snow covered mountains.

Those raring to go can begin their trek from Kullu Sarahan to Bashleo Pass through the dense forests and green meadows to experience this place and its serenity. 

A one day trek to the nearest snow covered peak is an enjoyable experience as one would come across innumerable waterfalls, small stream and unexplainable natural beauty. 

The freshness and the virginity of the place suddenly hits you taking you thousands and thousands of miles away from your hustle bustle city life.

Other trekking options include heading towards the Jaon village to begin the Shrikhand trek through various hills, forests and streams. Village folk are often seen walking all the distance to Banjar and making it back by dinner time.

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That's a kind of view of snow covered mountains you see from Bagha Sarahan village. 

The most typical feature about this village is its beautiful temple dedicated to sage Shring and gives a feeling of being a step closer to god and reaching for the sky. The use of vibrant colours, intricate artwork and unique architectural style will capture your imagination. The snow covered hills behind the temple gives it a perfect backdrop of picture perfect beauty. 

This photograph is clicked near government school in Bagha Sarahan and notice the height of these 3 trees and compare that to house you see on left part of this photograph. 

In case you plan a trip to Kullu and its better known destination do not forget to enquire about this small little village as it will equally charm you as would the other destinations.

Camping, Trekking, and Budget travel used to be my favorite activities. Over a period of time, things have changed a bit because of multiple reasons. But my love for the outdoors, keeps me compiling these posts around camping places, gears, and so on. 

Related Blogpost - Mountain Terrain Biking, Himachal Pradesh 2011 - Day 4 - Rest, Trekking, Camping, Music & Dance at Kullu Sarhan

I went to Bagha Sarahan (please note that it’s not Sarahan in Shimla but a small village in remote areas of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh) few years back and camped there with friends. Let me share why I feel that it’s a brilliant location for camping -

1. It’s located far from the hustle bustle of regular traffic. 
2. The village is well connected with a kachcha road. The main station around Sarahan is Baghipul, which is 13-14 kilometers from Sarahan village.
3. There is a huge ground in the middle of high mountains. This almost equal to a cricket stadium.
4. There is enough fresh water around this lush green ground.
5. There is a school and HPPWD guest house around the boundary of this ground, so in case of emergencies one can move to the galleries of these 2 buildings.
6. 2 basic shops are there in the village. You need to walk a bit to reach these shops, but you can find basic groceries here, in case you forgot to carry something.
7. The place is safe. There is a village around it. But it’s always recommended to be prepared for unknowns. As with any other place, stay alert.
8. There are brilliant landscapes all around – snow-covered peaks, waterfalls, streams of chilled water all around, forests, treks, huge trees and lot of other things, which you find around Kasol/Malana.
9. Beautiful nights with glittering stars in the sky and shooting stars. 
10. Trekking opportunities all around. 

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And the positives of this place go beyond these points. There is lot more to it, which is difficult to describe in words. A walk inside Sarahan village is worth. There is beautiful temple inside the village. And during your walk you would come across some surprises. Village is well lit in the night, because of sufficient solar light panels installed all over the village. You will find happy people all around who are satisfied with their simple life of dealing with pets, their fields, & food. Such experiences compel you to rethink the life we live in cities and a lot of WHY questions hit your mind.

All photographs shared in this Photo Journey are clicked without a tripod. Since it was a rough trip and we were advised to carry the least amount of weight on our shoulders, I did not carry a tripod and I don’t regret that.

Those were the days when I was learning various Photography techniques and the utility of Shutter-Speed mode :). I along with other Photographer friends spent a lot of time around these water streams to click the flowing water. We had lots of opportunities to try different kinds of photographs around Kullu Sarahan. 

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Here is the huge ground I was talking about. This is probably just 40% of the ground shadowed by these snow covered peaks and dense cedar forests.

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Above photograph was clicked when we were trekking to the waterfalls. In the photograph, you can see the scale of this ground. The buildings around the ground are the school and the houses. You can also see the village at some distance. Look this photograph carefully and share what all your see here :)

Sarahan village has beautiful houses all around, with varied architectures. Roofs of all these houses are the same. Sloped roofs are made of rock-cut slates. These rocks are usually found on hills which get snow all the time. These rocks/slates are considered very strong and that's why are used on roof tops in areas which get heavy rains or snowfall. 

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Related Blogpost - Wonderful stay at Sarahan Village of Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh (During MTB Himachal 2010) 

Wood is also used heavily in constructing these houses. Mostly it's cedar wood which is considered pretty strong. 



I have been to Kullu Sarahan twice and have loved spending time around this beautiful temple in the middle of Sarahan village.

Walking around these villages is an amazing experience and I always enjoy roaming around these streets with surprising activities happening throughout the day. I also belong to a village but each village has a character and has varied experiences to offer. 

How to reach Sarahan (Kullu) -

1. By Car – Reach Shimla from Delhi. Follow Kinnaur highway. Before Rampur, take a left cut over Satluj which takes you to Baghipul. From Baghipul, there is a steep climb till Sarahan village. 4*4 can comfortably go till the top
2. By Bus – Take bus from Delhi to Shimla. Then try to find a local bus which connects Shimla with Baghipul. You can also choose to take any bus to Rampur and get down at the bridge which goes towards Left. Bus conductor would help you to find this place. It comes before Rampur town. So you would need some help. Either GPS or any passenger, if not bus conductor. From Baghipul, you need to hire a taxi.
3. By Train – Train is only available till Shimla/Kalka. Beyond that follow the route mentioned above.

Sarahan in Shimla region of Himachal Pradesh is quite popular because of royal palace and famous Bhimakali temple there. While almost no one knows about Sarahan in Kullu, which is little away from main roads although connected through rough road. Sarahan in Kullu is awesome because it's located around some of the most beautiful natural beauties. Can you imagine a huge lush green ground for camping with water streams flowing through it and snow covered mountains all around. Walk for 20 mins and you hit a huge waterfall which was visible from this ground I mentioned above. There is a small village with unique styled houses and solar lights on pathways inside the village. 

During the night, you can see millions of stars in the sky. I can go there any number of times. There is also a HPPWD guest house in Bagha Sarahan which you can book. 

While I was writing about Bagha Sarahan, I felt like taking out my car and driving straight to this magical place. 

If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling -

- Manage your waste well and don’t litter

- Use dustbins. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin.

- Avoid bottle waters in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem.

- Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits.

- Don't play loud blaring music in forests of jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite