Kasol is a village in Himachal Pradesh, northern
India. It is situated in Parvati Valley, on the banks of the Parvati River, on
the way between Bhuntar to Manikaran at the height of 1640 meters.
Its Kasol and not the stone throw Kasauli (HP), even still famous for its suicide point and lovers point where you go and drown
yourself in a couple of beers, pose for some photographs and come back and
announce in a heroic manner, “Hey, I just came back from the hills.” Just Leave
that thing, Bang on the Manikaran road and some 37 odd kilometres from Kullu,
Kasol is a backpacker’s paradise. Minimal population, jazzy restaurants and
exorbitant liquor shops open till midnight keep the non-Indian culture alive
there. As many natives would inform you that the reason is that there are so
many ‘phoreners’, who don’t believe in having a fixed time for anything.
Kasol is inhabited mostly by tourists from Israel
which is why most of the hoardings are in Hebrew The Israelis in India move from Kasol to
Paharganj in Delhi to Goa with an elan as if each is in their neighborhood.
The place is also one of the base camps for Youth
Association of Hostels in India that manages treks and rock climbing groups.
It isn’t clear if the name Parvati valley has
anything to do with the manufacture of Hashish or marijuana that is grown in
this part of India but the melancholy beauty of the place will leave you
wanting for more.
With Parvati river gurgling and the formidable
snow-capped mountain lurking from a corner, enjoying in a café by the river
would be an interesting thing to do but while in Kasol and not indulging in
trekking would reckon the getaway incomplete. Parvati River flowing by one
side, there are shaky bridges to be crossed, tree barks to be jumped, slopes to
be slithered and landslides to be witnessed.
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