“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”

We travel, not only to find the world but to find ourselves. To come back home with more exposure, more insight and more knowledge about the things which exists, but stays hidden from our ordinary lives. In this month, I got the opportunity to explore Himachal, and today I am going to explore my visit to a peaceful yet mysterious place, the Parashar lake.

The world we live in is full of mysteries, superficial stories, and realities, realities which are real but seems surreal. Parashar lake is ones such place, positioned near about 49 Kms from Mandi, a town in Himachal Pradesh.

How to get there?

Begin your journey from Chandigarh (180 Kms) or New Delhi (450 Kms), from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh respectively. I went there with my friends, and we stayed at Mandi for the trip. When we started over the journey to Parashar lake, we crossed the bridge on the River Beas and took the road heading towards IIT Mandi (Mandi-Bajaura Road) It was a well-maintained road and smooth to drive on, but I am not sure about the rainy season. You will reach the destination via going through some of the highly remote village areas and might get the chance to see life from their perspective. It gently twists besides a small stream known as Uhi river.

Once you get down to IIT Mandi, pass the bridge and move to the town known as Baghi, the real adventure begins. Although, it will take you about half an hour to reach Baghi. To note down, 16 Km stretch from Baghi to Parashar is quite deadly but incredibly majestic experience. I suggest you move your vehicle cautiously once you cross Baghi and begin the journey to Parashar Lake. Eat less before you go on the lake, as you could feel deadly for a while. There’s just one-way road without a barrier at the end of the roadside, which gives you the direct hint of how hard you can fall if situation changes, so stay are cautious and enjoy the ride. It’s incredibly terrifying yet humungous.

Once you enter the designated area, you will have the following options-:

1. Park the car to the forest / PWD guest houses and travel a bit to the temple and lake
2. Drive directly to the lake

Witness My Walk to The Majestic Parashar Lake 

What makes this place so incredible?

The Name and It’s significance

Named after Parashar Maharishi, who was one of the most famous authors and speaker. He is also known as the author of the first Purana, Vishnu Purana before his son, Vyasa Rishi, written it in the current form. If talks about genealogy, he was the great-grandfather of the main parties of Mahabharata which is Kauravas and Pandavas. So, Parashar Rishi has selected this place and meditated here long enough to make this site a living wonder for all of us.

The Magical Island

On the lake, there’s a small island that stays upper-side in the middle or at a side of the pond. As per localities and wisdom holders, Island is a magical spot created by the Prashar sage to meditate upon. The Island changes its location with time? Just like the 12 months, the island takes around over the lake and found at different positions at different times. I tried asking people about the reason behind this miracle, but then I get to know that no one has ever been able to solve the mystery.

The Infinity of Lake

During our visit to Parashar lake, we were accompanied by a localised friend (Rakesh Thakur) who was aware of all the mysteries behind the Parashar lake. He told me that a group of renowned scientists had visited the lake with high-tech diving equipment to solve the mystery of the lake for once and for all. Nevertheless, they failed even to reach the bottom of the lake. This has led to a widespread belief that the lake has infinite depth. Even on this date, the extent of the lake is unknown. Rakesh Thakur also told me about the undeniable reality of the existence of a lake in the mid of mountains. Lake or sea water bodies are found below the land, not under a skyscraping mountain, still challenging the science- the lake exists here.

Story Behind the Parashar Temple

Just as this place, the story behind the creation of the temple was truly fascinating. Rakesh told me that the whole temple (the primarily structured base) was created by an eight years old kid. Once while sleeping in the night, he saw a dream where he was travelling in the mountains and stopped at a particular place, where he got the direction from the Parashar Rishi, to form a temple. Next morning, he woke up and starts walking amid the mountains. He travelled and found the place resembling what he has seen in the dream. And then, he started making the temple. It was also being told that the kid saw a spider making his web and followed him, and structured the base of a temple. Even today, the bottom of the temple is same, just the other part is architected by the localities and governments.

They say that even a drop of the sand moves and tells a story when a place is so mysterious. The stories of Parashar lake was astonishing. Rakesh also told me about the significance of the Parashar lake and how it fulfils the wishes of those who come upon him. He told me about the most fabulous Parashar Rishi Mela when gods of people from Himachal begins to take the circle of the temple. As strange and unbelievable as it sounds, the place itself holds the magic of enchanting every single soul around.

Watch Out My Rhythmic Conversation with the Fog and the Divine

The First Snow Experience

So, we visited the Parashar lake in the January 2018, a time when snowfall was expected in the hilly area. Till the event, none of us had ever witnessed snow from our naked eyes. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to see the snow, make the snowman or play with it, as people do in fancy movies. I imagine seeing snow as a white sheet that covers the whole city, and I was also fascinated to see the snow because I had only seen it in the form of ice cubes in the drinks or inside the icing section of the fridge.

About 2 kilometres before Parashar lake, we first saw the sign of snow lying at the edge of a mountain. We laughed and shouted in excitement, and started with pictures, boomerangs, videos and what not. It was genuinely phenomenal walking down the road when snow is on both sides, I purely acted like a kid and tried to touch and crush it, and felt so freaking cold. After all, all we need is episodes of freedom where we can bring out the child from us. Later as I walk slowly and steadily, snow became a part of our journey and added to the most beautiful memory I had of the trip. I still didn’t get to break the snowman, but yeah. It was a good shot.

Except for just snow, we got to have the most fabulous view of Himalayas, have the most delicious Rajma Chawal from the local shops near the lake and also got the chance to spend time in solitude while witnessing the magic and hearing the stories that science is yet unable to solve.

If you want to challenge your theory and witness living miracles in the depth of Himalayas, visit Parashar lake.

All the best.

P.S- It’s a group tour with a couple of funloving friends for which we have hired the car service from Wheelzonrent.in and we really have a fun time using their car rental services. The car was polished, the journey was soothing, and the driver was also professional & kind in nature. If you are planning a trip to hills and need car rental services, don’t forget to book them. They are all that you are looking for. Cheers. 

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