A Hemlet on the coast of Parvati River

Kasol does not need any introduction among youngsters. Most of the people who come to Kasol all over India visit there at least once in a lifetime. The market of Kasol is filled up with so many hippy items. This place is generally well-known among hipsters. The locals of Kasol believe in Lord Shiva, hence lots of things in the market have signs indicating devotion towards Shiva. You can enjoy the valley by looking at roaming around youth wearing colourful attires on them. Mostly colourful loose fitted lowers, cool Shiva print on their tees/kurtas on top, with a colourful hairband on their curly/knotted hairy guys, eyes covered with aviators & most famous “Manka Mala” around their neck/wrists. This attires you will get used to it while wandering Kasol Valley. So welcome to the valley of Kasol.

Why Kasol?

The name Kasol has its own story behind like most places in India. The “Kasol” word is driven from the goddess “Parvati”(Wife of Lord Shiva). The Kasol valley is situated on the bank of the river –“Parvati River”. Kasol opens lots of treks to other remote villages. Manikaran is only 3km far from Kasol. One way leads to Chalal, other open up gates to Grahan.

My Kasol experience

I went to Kasol twice. Once with a group of 25 people, and another with my 2 friends. On my first trip, we first went to Parvati valley, maybe 2-3km ahead of Kasol, which was also a mesmerizing experience for me. In Parvati valley, there is a bridge, and below that, the flow of water changes surprisingly. From the right side of the bridge, the water flow was quiet, but next to the left side waves are crazily flowing. You can differentiate it with sound waves created while they were crashing. On the right side, the river is widened, while on the other hand, the river is quite narrower. Maybe that changes the flow.

On the other side of the bridge, there is a small temple of Shiva. We all went up there & got Prasad from the priest who might live up there. We all were busy clicking pictures and completely forget that it’s been getting late for returning. After, We returned to Kasol, where the bus stopped for us to get some time to shop for souvenirs. I ended up buying an oxidised ring and printed hippy kind of Salwar(which I never wore until now). I don’t know why we keep spending money on such souvenirs which we never look at again in our life, instead we memorise the experience we had there, not the thing.

Availability

You can easily get public transport from the Bhunter bus stop. The roadways buses for Kasol/Manikaran are available every half hour or so. You can even book a cab/taxi from Bhunter. The taxi stand is just outside the bus stop.

Best time to Visit

All 12 months are good to pack your bags for the Kasol trip.