Places to visit in Chamoli

An hour up the valley, Joshimath — ancient Jyotirmath — is the winter seat of Lord Badrinath and one of the four maths founded by Adi Shankaracharya. In its oldest quarter grows the Kalpavriksha, a mulberry tree believed to be over twelve centuries old.

Today it is the practical hub of the district: the Auli ropeway begins here, and every road to Badrinath, the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib passes through its bazaars.

Three kilometres beyond Badrinath, Mana is the last inhabited village before the Tibetan frontier, home to the Bhotia community whose stone-and-slate houses climb the hillside in terraces.

Walk to Vyas Gufa, the cave where the sage is said to have composed the Mahabharata; cross the natural stone arch of Bhim Pul over the rushing Saraswati; and end with tea at the claimant to India's last tea shop.

Each monsoon, a hanging valley below the Zanskar ranges erupts into bloom — blue poppies, brahma kamal, orchids and hundreds of other alpine species along the Pushpawati river. Legend places it as the valley where Hanuman gathered the sanjeevani herb.

The trek begins at Govindghat, climbing through Ghangaria to the park gate; entry is for day visits only, which keeps its silence intact.

At 4,632 metres, beside a star-shaped glacial lake ringed by seven snow peaks, stands the highest gurudwara in the world — sanctified as the meditation ground of Guru Gobind Singh in a former life, as recorded in his autobiography.

The steep climb from Ghangaria tests every pilgrim, and rewards every one: prayer echoing off ice, and langar served in the thin bright air. Most guests pair it with the Valley of Flowers, sharing the same base camp.