Harsil, the Himalayan paradise, is a village, tourist hill station and army area located on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, on the way to

Gangotri Gangotri is a town and a ''Nagar Panchayat'' (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is 99 km from Uttarkashi, the main district headquarter. It is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi � ...

, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Uttarkashi district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Harsil Vally

Situated at an altitude of 9,005 ft (2,745 metres.) from sea level, Harsil lies 78 km. from Uttarkashi, and 30 km away from the Gangotri National Park which is spread across 1,553 square km. The hill station is well- known for its natural environment and apple production.

Background

Etymology

According to the local legend, the Harsil got its name from the rivers Bhagirathi and the Jalandhari as once they had an argument over their significance. Lord Vishnu, also known as Hari, was asked to intervene. He turned himself into a great stone, a shila, and absorbed their anger. Even today, after Hari-shila (or Harsil), the waters of the two rivers have become a little less turbulent. Harsil

History

Harsil lies on the old caravan trail between Tibet Autonomous Region and India, where trade & marriages once flourished. Harsil has been under the

Kingdom of Garhwal Garhwal Kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in the current north-western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India, founded in 688 CE by Kanak Pal, the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over the kingdom uninterrupted until ...

. In 1815

Anglo-Nepal War The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the British forces of the East India Company (EIC, present-day Indi ...

, British raj sided with the Kingdom of Garwal and as a reward they were given the eastern half of Garhwal. In mid 19th century, apples and rajma cultivation was introduced to Harsil by Frederick Wilson, which became Himachal's main

cash crop A cash crop or profit crop is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate marketed crops from staple crop (or "subsistence crop") ...

s. In 1842, ''"Frederick Wilson"'', also called ''"Frederick “Pahari” Wilson"'' and ''"Pahari Wilson"'', a 25-year-old Englishman, deserted the East India Company’s army and fled to remote Harsil where he made fortune by logging deodar trees and selling those to British for the construction of railways. He was nicknamed ''"Raja of Harsil"'' by locals, even issued own coins. He was a friend of

A.O. Hume Allan Octavian Hume, CB ICS (4 June 1829 – 31 July 1912) was a British civil servant, political reformer, ornithologist and botanist who worked in British India. He was the founder of the Indian National Congress. A notable ornithologist, H ...

and Rudyard Kipling, later's novel The Man Who Would Be King was inspired by the story of Wilson. Journalist Robert Hutchison wrote a book ''"The Raja of Harsil"'' on Wilson. A local deity's priest cursed him for destroying the forests and ecology. After he died in 1883, his 3 sons squandered the inheritance and died, his last known descendant, who had joined the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

, died in air crash after the World War II.

Sunderlal Bahuguna Sunderlal Bahuguna Ji (9 January 1927 – 21 May 2021) was an Indian environmentalist and Chipko movement leader. The idea of the Chipko movement was suggested by his wife and him. He fought for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas, fir ...

, founder of

Chipko Movement The Chipko movement ( hi, chipko andolan, italic=yes, lit= reehugging movement) is a forest conservation movement in India. The movement originated in 1973 at the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh) and went on to beco ...

, blamed Wilson for Garhwal's ecological destruction. Marco Pallis, ''Peaks and Lamas'' (New York, Knopf, 1940) includes an account of a visit to Harsil and environs in the 1930s.

Geography

Harsil Valley has a cluster of around eight villages near the India-China border. Upper reaches of Harsil are connected to '' Nelang Valley''. It is also connected to the

Baspa Valley Baspa Valley is a river valley that is said to be named after the Baspa River. It lies in the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh, India. Sangla is a major town in the Baspa Valley, and the valley is also known as the Sangla Valley or Tukpa Va ...

by several passes including the Lamkhaga Pass.

Demography

Over the years, a small number of ''Jadh''s, an ethnic group of the Bhotiyas, have settled here, and speak a language closely resembling

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

. There is also a sizeable Tibetan settlement in a close vicinity to ITBP Campus housing a

Stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

(Buddhist Burial Mound) and beautifully carved wooden houses.

Military setup

Army area

Harsil army area is a base camp of Garhwal Scouts and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Since it is close to the disputed India-China Border, it is of military significance. On 6 November 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Harsil to celebrate

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

with ITBP soldiers.

Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research

Harsil has a field station of the

Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research The Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research (DIBER) is an Indian defence laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Located in Haldwani in Uttarakhand state. It conducts research and development of bioenergy as wel ...

(DIBER), earlier known as the ''Defence Agricultural Research Laboratory'' (DARL), run by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). DARL, engaged in the research and development of

bioenergy Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms biom ...

as well as the

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

and eco-friendly high altitude agro-technologies in the Indian Himalayan Region for the use of

Indian Military The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...

, has developed a range of vegetable varieties suitable for mid to high altitude. Haldwani in April 2008. During the Golden Jubilee year of DRDO, the laboratory was renamed from DARL to Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research (DIBER) with a new mandate and thrust areas. DIBER has its origin in an Agriculture Research Unit (ARU) established 1960s at Sitoli, which was renamed to DARL in 1990s and to DIBER in 2008.Defence Agricultural Laboratory (DARL) Historical Background
DRDO, accessed 10 Sept 2021. Harsil filed research station was established in May 1973.

Tourism

Gangotri pilgrimage

Harsil is part of Chota Char Dham's

yatra (pilgrimage) route. The idol of the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

River Goddess

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

(Ganges) is brought down from the shrine at Gangotri in the upper Himalayas after

and kept at 'Mukhba' village near Harsil. It remains there throughout the winter when Gangotri is snowbound and inaccessible.

Eco alpine mountain tourism

Government is developing the cluster of 8 villages of Harsil valley, as well as Nelang Valley for the tourism by creating tourist facilities. India's first snow leopard conservation centre is being established in the region. During the summer tourist season, path to Gartang Gali cliff-side hanging stairway is open, along which homestays in the native villages are developed. Natives of the border villages, Sukki, Mukhba, Harsil, Bagori, Dharali, Jhala, Jaspur and Purali are trained as nature conservation and adventure guides for eco-tourism trekking, bird-watching, flora and fauna. Harsil town is being beautified, tourist lights being installed similar to those at Nainital and Mussoorie, telescopes being set up at several places for star gazing.

Transport

Char Dham Railway The Char Dham Railway, the Indian Railways's under construction twin railway lines, will complement the Char Dham Highway project by connecting the holiest places of Hinduism called Chota Char Dham, from the existing Doiwala railway station ...

's railhead at

Maneri Maneri is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Joe Maneri (1927–2009), American jazz musician and composer *Mat Maneri (born 1969), American jazz musician and composer * Sharafuddin Maneri (1263–1381), Indian Sufi mystic (Patna, ...

(62 km south on NH-34) is the nearest railway station.Achilles Heel in India's Border Defence with China!
Indian Defence Review, 20 June 2017. Nearest airports are

Dehradun Airport Dehradun Airport , also known as Jolly Grant Airport, is a domestic airport serving Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, India, located 25 km south of the city. Commercial operations began on 30 March 2008, after a runway extension to accomm ...

(220 km southwest)Harsil tourist place
uttarkashi.nic.in, accessed 10 Sept 2021. and Shimla Airport (375 km west). Harsil is on NH-34 within the

Char Dham Highway Char Dham National Highway, is an under construction two-lane (in each direction) express National Highway with a minimum width of 10 metres in the Indian state of Uttarakhand under Char Dham Pariyojana . The under construction highway will com ...

network. The ''"Karcham-Harsil Road"'', nearly 150 km long route, was announced in 2020 which will link Karcham on NH-5 (site of Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Plant) to Harsil, both in Himachal Pradesh. It will cut down present 450 km long distance, which take nearly 16 hours, to just nearly 150 km or 2 to 3 hours. Since Karcham and Harsial are 26 km and 52 km away from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) respectively, the new road will also enable the faster deployment of troop. This new road, to be constructed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at a cost between Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 crore, is in addition to the 73 previously approved

India-China Border Roads India-China Border Roads (ICBRs, ICB Roads) is a Government of India project for developing infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border by constructing strategic roads, including bridges and tunnels. The ICBR project is largely in response to C ...

(ICBR).Modi govt's infra push along China border — 2 new roads, alternate route to Daulat Beg Oldie
The Print, 15 September 2020.

References

External links

*{{Wikivoyage-inline Tourism in Uttarakhand Villages in Uttarkashi district