Lakhamandal Town

¤ Legendary Association

According to the epic, Mahabharata, the Kauravas had once conspired to burn the Pandavas alive here in a palace made up totally of shellac, known as lakshagriha (palace of shellac). The Pandavas, however, escaped unscathed with the help of Lord Krishna. There is a historic cave here and an eighth century temple with a number of carved stone figures and two big Shivlingas, (symbolic phallus of Shiva, the Destroyer of the Universe in Hindu Mythology) all of which are of considerable archaeological importance.

The area falls under Jaunsaar-Bhabur, a tribal land where people practise polygamy and polyandry, in keeping with the customs of the times of the Pandavas (the five Pandava brothers were married to a single woman, Draupadi). There is a saying in Sanskrit - atithi devay bhava (a guest is God).

¤ Main Attractions

The temple priest welcomes each visitor in the area in a traditional manner, while the temple drummer spreads the news in the whole valley.

Nowgaon Town
It is worth spending a couple of hours here. After that you could drive back to Bernigaad and continue the journey to Nowgaon, a small town about 12km from Bernigaad that offers the best view of the Bandarpoonch Peak (6315m).

Nowgaon has the last petrol pump on this route. There are a few village restaurants with S.T.D./I.S.D. phone booths. The road branches off here. The one leading to the left goes to Purola (1524m) and Tons Valley, while the other leads to Yamunotri and Uttarkashi. The petrol pump is 500 metres down the Yamunotri road. After crossing the iron bridge on the Yamuna, one leaves the Yamuna valley behind and beautiful pine forests herald the beginning of a different terrain.

Purola Town
Purolais 19km from Nowgaon and is quite a town. Apart from S.T.D./I.S.D phone booths (there is no phone booth after Purola on this route), there are a few big general stores where you could pick up grocery and toiletry. There are also a few chemists and a government-run liquor shop. Such markets do not exist beyond Purola.

Jarmola / Mori
After Purola is a gradual ascent of 22 km till Jarmola (1800m) through one of the most beautiful pine forests in Asia, with spectacular views of the Purola valley and the Kedarkanta Peak (3813m). 16km downhill through the pine forests and apple orchards is the village Mori, the gateway of Tons valley, from where one road goes to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh (150 km) and the other, to Sankri (1900m).

Yamuna Valley
The river Yamuna is one of the two major sacred rivers of the Hindus. Yamuna is said to be the sister of Yama, the God of Death in the Hindu mythology and it is believed that a dip in the Yamuna ensures a smooth passage to the other world. Yamuna originates from Yamunotri (3165m) and merges with the river Ganga at Allahabad.

The road that runs along the Yamuna for 54 km, starting from the Yamuna bridge (772m) right up to Nowgaon (1372m), offers some breathtaking frames en route.

Mussoorie
The journey starts at Mussoorie (2005m) and takes you through a jungle of oak and rhododendron. There is no petrol pump after Mussoorie till Nowgaon.
The famous waterfall, Kempty Falls, is 13 km from Mussoorie and is a good point to take a break and some refreshments. The stream from the Kempty Falls joins the Aglaar River that forms a tributary of the Yamuna. 12 km further is the Yamuna bridge which links Tehri district to Dehradun district.
Overlooking the river at Yamuna bridge is Ashok’s eating joint which is famous for it’s fresh fish.
It also serves vegetarian food. The experience of having a meal in a wooden hut with big windows giving on to a river is awesome.
From the Yamuna bridge, it is a 42km drive via Nainbaag and Damta along the river till Bernigaad (1090m).

From here the road turns off towards the historic site of Lakhamandal (1310m). The hamlet of Bernigaad has only one guest house (Dobhal Guest House) which offers very basic amenities. The restaurant serves simple yet delicious food. Fish is a hot favourite with non-vegetarians. If you have some time in hand, take the 6km drive across the river to Lakhamandal.