Pplanning to visit the northern state of Himachal Pradesh in India? Then give some of your attention to the Bhagsunag Waterfall tourist attraction. How simple find, walk and drive to the waterfall in the Indian village of Bagsu near Dharamsala from McLeod Ganj and what interesting things can be found in its surroundings.
About Bagsu's "village" and its famous waterfall
Bugs, she Bhagsu, Bhaksu or Bhagsu nag (Bhagsu Nag) is a village located about 2 kilometers from Upper Dharamsala - McLeod Ganj in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Don't be confused by the generally accepted name of this locality - the village. Maybe for someone this is a village ...
At the beginning of the 18th century, the British settled here, and in 1815 the Malaunsky regiment was founded here. The very name of the village Bhagsu comes from the name of the Bhagsunagh temple.
According to Indian mythology, the snake god went into battle with King Bhagsu. The reason for the battle was that King Bhagsu stole water from a sacred lake called Nagdal Lake. The king was defeated but ultimately forgiven and the place was consecrated as Bhagsu Nag.
Probably everyone who comes to McLeod Ganj must go to Bagsu to see the waterfall (Bhagsu Nag Waterfall). I will say right away that the waterfall during the tourist season (April-June) is most often not impressive, although it depends on the particular year. Undoubtedly, it is better to look at it during the rainy season, so there will be more impressions.
However, the whole feature of Bugs is her surroundings, it is pleasant and interesting to wander around them. These are the most beautiful mountains, cozy cafes and some kind of relaxing carefree atmosphere.
Road to Bhagsu Nag Waterfall
How easy get to Bagsu Falls from McLeod Ganj. Why McLeod Ganj? This is the most convenient starting point. I won’t go into too much depth, but from Delhi you can get to McLeod Ganj by train to Pathankot Junction railway station. This is the nearest railway station, although it is located more than 80 kilometers from the point we need. from the station Pathankot already by bus or taxi.
To buy tickets at the train station in Delhi, look for an international travel agency that is specifically set up to sell tickets to foreign tourists. About how to find it and not fall for scammers read in the article travelguide.ru: How to Buy Tickets at Delhi Railway Station.
From the central little square in McLeod Gange, standing with your back to the road that leads to the bus station, you need to choose one of the streets leading to the left. Immediately 10 meters on this street you will find a sign in the form of two arrows: one to the village of Dharamkot (Dharamkot), the other to Bagsu (Bhagsu Nag Temple).
In the village you will find yourself in half an hour on foot (about 2 km) along a simple asphalt road or in 5 minutes by tuk-tuk. The cost of a tuk-tuk is about 50 rupees.
Bagsu Center is a small market where you can buy some things, tourist knick-knacks and food. In general, a standard Indian market where everything you need is sold.
There is a public pool next to the bazaar, where everyone can swim - and there are quite a lot of them. I have never seen women swimming. The pool seems to belong to the temple complex.
There is a hotel next to the pool. In general, taking into account the new hotels that have appeared in the area and the infrastructure in general, the word “village” somehow hurts my ear.
Right behind the pool is the road to the waterfall. The road is not long, comfortable, paved with concrete slabs, but since it constantly strives upwards, you will have to stop a couple of times to rest.
Along the way, which will take you 20-30 minutes, you will meet several inexpensive cafes, which offer a beautiful panoramic view.
The concrete road does not lead to the waterfall itself. To reach the waterfall itself, you need to climb over a ledge, on the right hand of which there are no handrails. In the rainy season, when this ledge is wet, such movements can be a bit extreme.
The waterfall and its surroundings
Bagsu Falls, as I said, are difficult to compare with Niagara Falls and are far from stunning in their grandeur, but quite cute and picturesque.
A lot of tourists go to the waterfall, including Indians. The water in it is cool, but in the heat you can plunge a couple of times without straining. Indians, young and old, frolic in it and bathe with might and main.
About ten meters from the waterfall, there is a cafe with the catchy name "Shiva", where they prepare light meals, sell tea, coffee and water. In the cafe you can order good pizza, extremely tasty hot sandwiches, french fries, spaghetti, salads and some sweets. Everything is delicious and even a little atmospheric, taking into account the obvious sympathy of the owners of the establishment for Bob Marley.
A little further down the side of the mountain, where the water flows from the waterfall, Tibetan monks from a nearby monastery often sit on boulders and wash their orange robes.
What is interesting near the waterfall
The area near the Bagsu waterfall is very beautiful, so you can sit either in a cafe or on the rocks somewhere nearby and spend a lot of time here.
For those who feel physically strong, I recommend climbing the mountainside, which is located above the cafe near the waterfall.
The ascent is quite difficult, as the climb will be sharp. However, it's worth it, in my opinion. The ascent itself will take approximately 40-60 minutes.
Few people climb this slope, or rather, many begin to climb and return, since climbing is long and hard.
Up on the mountain there are about six authentic houses where local highlanders live. The houses are made of stone, the roofs are made of puff stone slabs.
Near the houses there is a prayer service dedicated, if I am not mistaken, to Shiva. Often, when a religious holiday is celebrated, 2-3 dozen local residents come here. They bring their offerings and eat festive food, which I was kindly treated to. At all attitude towards foreigners and Russians in India in my opinion, purely consumer, but here everything was different.
In the prayer service, in addition to flowers, a box for donations and some obscure items, I also saw a freshly cut off head of a goat.
Since the water leaves extremely quickly in the heat and heats up just as quickly, and you don’t want to carry more than one liter bottle with you, at the top of the mountain you will find pure mountain water, which the locals sent into the pipe and generously let you draw it. The purity and safety of the water was personally checked - everything is ok.
My humble conclusion about this next sight of India is simple. Not overly impressive, but quite a pleasant place, which, if possible, is definitely worth a visit ...
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I'm in Baksu now. I went to the waterfall but only got to the small ones because foggy clouds descended and it began to rain. An Indian guy showed me around; of course, he wouldn’t have found it himself, although there’s nothing complicated; you need to reach the upper part of Dahrantot, and they’ll show you there or you’ll understand.