Barot
Encyclopedia
Barot is a picnic spot and tourist location in Mandi district
in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh
. It is situated 40 km from Jogindernagar
and 66 km from Mandi, the district headquarters. The road to Barot branches off at Jogindernagar-Mandi high ways and from Jogindernagar the distance is 40 km. If one is lucky enough one can use the trolley up from Jogindernagar which, apart from the thrill, knocks the distance down to 12 km. Through terraced fields and thick cedar forests, the track rises to Jhatingri, an enchanting spot atop the hill. The remains of the summer palace of the former rulers of Mandi are located here.Through the little village of Tikkan, the road carries on to Barot. The town has a range of outdoor activities. For a start there is a trout breeding centre from where fish are released into the Uhl and there is a 30 km section of the river which is excellent for angling.
Barot also forms the gateway to the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary which lies across the Uhl. The sanctuary is home to the monal, black bear and ghoral. Within it are forest rest house s at Thaltuckhod and Silbandhwari. Through woods of cedar and pine a trek route cuts across the sanctuary to Kullu.
Known only to a select band of angling aficionados and some intrepid trekkers, Barot has all the wonderful views , wildlife, adventure- and even the option of solitude - poured into a small but satisfying dish.
and 35 km from Mandi. This bye road passes through Jhatingri and Tikkan. From Tikkan, the road runs along the Uhl river
till Barot. A major portion of this road is single lane, though not one way.
Barot is connected by public buses to Mandi, Jogindernagar
and Palampur
. Buses plying to Kothikodh, Bada Gran and Luhardi also pass through Barot.
, terminus of the narrow gauge
railway line connecting Jogindernagar
to Pathankot
. The line is operated by Northern Railways, a division of Indian Railways
.
trolley of the British times connects Barot to Jogindernagar. This trolley link was set up to facilitate transport of construction material to Barot for a reservoir on Uhl river
for Shanan Power House
. The trolley was also sparingly used as a means of transport since Barot was not linked to a road till 1975. However, once the road connection was established, the trolley fell into a state of disrepair. It is currently owned and maintained by the Punjab State Electricity Board. Currently, the trolley is not in use and is only operated for occasional inspections of the project pipelines.
. The importance of this route declined once Kullu
was connected to a road from Mandi.
formed by the Uhl river
. Surrounded on both sides by parts of the Dhauladhar
range of the Himalayas
, Barot is located at an elevation of 1819 metres above the mean sea level
. Most of the village is settled along the banks of Uhl on both sides. The Uhl barrage and reservoir for the Shanan Power House
are a major geographical feature of Barot. Most of the forest around Barot is Deodar and Himalayan Oak
.
and day tourist destination. Many trekking trails pass through Barot, including trails to Bada Bhangal, Manali and Kullu
. Most of the day tourists as attracted by the serene surroundings and cheap availability of accommodation.
Of late, Barot is also developing into an angling
destination. The Uhl river
supports Trout
breeding and Barot has a few fish farms. Across the river Uhl is the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary
, home to Ghoral, Himalayan Black Bear and a variety of pheasants.
Mandi district
Mandi district is one of the central districts of Himachal Pradesh state in northern India. Mandi town is the headquarters of Mandi district Mandi. The town has both mythological and historical significance and boasts of a unique temple architecture...
in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
. It is situated 40 km from Jogindernagar
Jogindernagar
Joginder Nagar or Jogindar Nagar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Named after Raja Joginder Sen, Joginder Nagar is terminal point of 163 km long Kangra Valley Narrow gauge railhead...
and 66 km from Mandi, the district headquarters. The road to Barot branches off at Jogindernagar-Mandi high ways and from Jogindernagar the distance is 40 km. If one is lucky enough one can use the trolley up from Jogindernagar which, apart from the thrill, knocks the distance down to 12 km. Through terraced fields and thick cedar forests, the track rises to Jhatingri, an enchanting spot atop the hill. The remains of the summer palace of the former rulers of Mandi are located here.Through the little village of Tikkan, the road carries on to Barot. The town has a range of outdoor activities. For a start there is a trout breeding centre from where fish are released into the Uhl and there is a 30 km section of the river which is excellent for angling.
Barot also forms the gateway to the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary which lies across the Uhl. The sanctuary is home to the monal, black bear and ghoral. Within it are forest rest house s at Thaltuckhod and Silbandhwari. Through woods of cedar and pine a trek route cuts across the sanctuary to Kullu.
Known only to a select band of angling aficionados and some intrepid trekkers, Barot has all the wonderful views , wildlife, adventure- and even the option of solitude - poured into a small but satisfying dish.
By Road
Barot is situated 25 km off National Highway 20. The diversion to Barot is at a village, Ghatasani, 14 km from JogindernagarJogindernagar
Joginder Nagar or Jogindar Nagar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Named after Raja Joginder Sen, Joginder Nagar is terminal point of 163 km long Kangra Valley Narrow gauge railhead...
and 35 km from Mandi. This bye road passes through Jhatingri and Tikkan. From Tikkan, the road runs along the Uhl river
Uhl River
Uhl is a Himalayan stream which is part of the watershed of Beas river. The river originates at the Thamsar Glacier in the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas, flows through the Uhl valley crossing Bada Gran and Barot, both villages in the Uhl valley. In the lower part of its course, it is also known...
till Barot. A major portion of this road is single lane, though not one way.
Barot is connected by public buses to Mandi, Jogindernagar
Jogindernagar
Joginder Nagar or Jogindar Nagar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Named after Raja Joginder Sen, Joginder Nagar is terminal point of 163 km long Kangra Valley Narrow gauge railhead...
and Palampur
Palampur
Palampur is a green hill station and a municipal council in the Kangra Valley in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, surrounded on all sides by tea gardens and pine forests before they merge with the Dhauladhar ranges. Palampur is the tea capital of northwest India but tea is just one aspect that...
. Buses plying to Kothikodh, Bada Gran and Luhardi also pass through Barot.
Railway
The closest railway station is at JogindernagarJogindernagar
Joginder Nagar or Jogindar Nagar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Named after Raja Joginder Sen, Joginder Nagar is terminal point of 163 km long Kangra Valley Narrow gauge railhead...
, terminus of the narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railway line connecting Jogindernagar
Jogindernagar
Joginder Nagar or Jogindar Nagar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Named after Raja Joginder Sen, Joginder Nagar is terminal point of 163 km long Kangra Valley Narrow gauge railhead...
to Pathankot
Pathankot
Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...
. The line is operated by Northern Railways, a division of Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
.
Other modes
A haulageHaulage
Haulage may refer to:* The business of being a haulier or hauler , also called haulage contractor, common carrier, contract carrier, or private carrier, in other words of transporting goods by road or rail for other companies or one's own company.* The horizontal transport of ore, coal, supplies,...
trolley of the British times connects Barot to Jogindernagar. This trolley link was set up to facilitate transport of construction material to Barot for a reservoir on Uhl river
Uhl River
Uhl is a Himalayan stream which is part of the watershed of Beas river. The river originates at the Thamsar Glacier in the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas, flows through the Uhl valley crossing Bada Gran and Barot, both villages in the Uhl valley. In the lower part of its course, it is also known...
for Shanan Power House
Shanan Power House
With a vision to construct 5 hydro-electric power stations utilizing the water of Uhl river, British Engineer Colonel B.C. Batty and his team in collaboration with the then ruler of Joginder Nagar region, Raja Karan Sen, designed and created the Shanan Power House, which is situated 2 km from...
. The trolley was also sparingly used as a means of transport since Barot was not linked to a road till 1975. However, once the road connection was established, the trolley fell into a state of disrepair. It is currently owned and maintained by the Punjab State Electricity Board. Currently, the trolley is not in use and is only operated for occasional inspections of the project pipelines.
History
Historically, Barot formed part of the Mandi riyasat before and during British times and was governed by the King of Mandi. Pre Independence, Barot was also on the mule trail connecting Kullu valley to Kangra valleyKangra Valley
Kangra Valley is situated in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is a popular tourist destination, with the peak season around March and April.Dharamsala, the headquarters of Kangra district, lies on the southern spur of Dhauladhar in the valley .-Geography:...
. The importance of this route declined once Kullu
Kullu
Kullu, once known as Kul-anti-peetha - "the end of the habitable world", is the capital town of the Kullu District, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about ten kilometres north of the airport at Bhuntar.Kullu is a broad open...
was connected to a road from Mandi.
Geography
Barot is situated in a small V-Shaped valleyValley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
formed by the Uhl river
Uhl River
Uhl is a Himalayan stream which is part of the watershed of Beas river. The river originates at the Thamsar Glacier in the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas, flows through the Uhl valley crossing Bada Gran and Barot, both villages in the Uhl valley. In the lower part of its course, it is also known...
. Surrounded on both sides by parts of the Dhauladhar
Dhauladhar
The Dhauladhar range is a southern branch of the main Outer Himalayan chain of mountains. It rises spectacularly from the Indian plains to the north of Kangra and Mandi...
range of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, Barot is located at an elevation of 1819 metres above the mean sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Most of the village is settled along the banks of Uhl on both sides. The Uhl barrage and reservoir for the Shanan Power House
Shanan Power House
With a vision to construct 5 hydro-electric power stations utilizing the water of Uhl river, British Engineer Colonel B.C. Batty and his team in collaboration with the then ruler of Joginder Nagar region, Raja Karan Sen, designed and created the Shanan Power House, which is situated 2 km from...
are a major geographical feature of Barot. Most of the forest around Barot is Deodar and Himalayan Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
.
Tourism
Barot is a frequent backpackerBackpacking (travel)
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
and day tourist destination. Many trekking trails pass through Barot, including trails to Bada Bhangal, Manali and Kullu
Kullu
Kullu, once known as Kul-anti-peetha - "the end of the habitable world", is the capital town of the Kullu District, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about ten kilometres north of the airport at Bhuntar.Kullu is a broad open...
. Most of the day tourists as attracted by the serene surroundings and cheap availability of accommodation.
Of late, Barot is also developing into an angling
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
destination. The Uhl river
Uhl River
Uhl is a Himalayan stream which is part of the watershed of Beas river. The river originates at the Thamsar Glacier in the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas, flows through the Uhl valley crossing Bada Gran and Barot, both villages in the Uhl valley. In the lower part of its course, it is also known...
supports Trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
breeding and Barot has a few fish farms. Across the river Uhl is the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary
Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary
Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary lies across the Uhl River in Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh.-Geography:The sanctuary is located at .-Access:*Airport:- Bhuntar *Railway:- The closest Railhead is at Jogindernagar...
, home to Ghoral, Himalayan Black Bear and a variety of pheasants.