Jai Mata Di! This post is about my last trip to Shikari Mata Temple situated at the highest hill of Janjehli valley. The ones who do not know about Shikari Mata Temple and Janjehli, the place is in the upper area of Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh. Janjehli is 80 KM from the centre of Mandi city and Shikari Mata Temple is 16 Kms from Janjehli. You can choose any of the media to reach there including trekking, by two-wheeler or on the car.
Janjehli is my native place, but due to studies and job, I have been living away from this place. This time, coincidently, due to the elections I and my brother went the home and planned for a trip to Shikari Mata Temple. We chose a Bullet Enfield for our trip, and my three cousins joined us for the trip. So here the adventure started.
The day was sunny, and a cool breeze kept us fresh all the way. This was my first ride to Shikari Mata Temple on a bike, and it was unforgettable. At a distance of 8 km, from Janjehli to Shikari, there is a place called Bhullah. The tourists often take a break and spent some time enjoying the beauty of this place. The smooth road ends here and starts the dirt road.
The path to Shikari Mata Temple is not so smooth, and as it is situated amid a sanctuary area, to preserve the wildlife and the environment, there are no proper roads built. So overall, it was a bumpy ride, and on a Pulsar, you will always be scared of slipping down to the bottom of the Hill. So two bikes and five cousins. The weather was astounding. The fresh air felt like we were driving inside an ac. And, the eye-pleasing view we saw, can’t be compared to anything.
So in 30 minutes, we were at the bottom of the hill, from where we had to climb over 500 stairs to reach the temple. Chattering along, we started to walk towards the temple, and with the beautiful view, we could not stop ourselves from taking pictures. It took us 20 minutes to reach the top of the hill. On the top, there are different shops, where local people sell things, you can present to Shikari Mata, as well as take home as a gift for your loved ones.
We reached up to the hill, and the view was breathtaking. The most amazing thing that I love about this place is the peace it provides to the soul. In this polluted era, a place which is untouched is like a heaven. We literally felt that we are in heaven. After so long, I was at the place I loved the most. We were the happiest, and being together, it became really special for us.
One interesting thing about Shikari Mata, I want to share, is that Mata does not like to be under a roof. Yes! It is a place, where, in winters there will be 6-7 feet snow, but the snow never touches Shikari Mata. Another fact about Mata that I got to know, only in this trip, is that Shikari Mata possesses extreme powers, and whenever, other Devi Devta in the region feel low on power, they visit Shikari Mata to get that power back.
Ok, then we entered the temple, and it was to most relieving feeling ever. I prayed for everyone I love, and then, the time was to click pictures. We went to the other side of the temple, and you can’t imagine how beautiful it was. Being on the highest peak of the valley, you can see the other side of the location. Karsog is visible form Shikari Mata, and some people even say that you can see Shimla from the top. See, it is around the world.
After enjoying the ambience, the time was to go back. So after bidding goodbye to Mata Shikari, we started walking down. But we were hungry, so down the hill, we stopped for tea and Maggie. The lady who served us was really good. We chatted about Mata Shikari and some other things.
As soon as we took off from Shikari Mata on our bikes, there came a huge black cloud, and we got scared as in Shikari, riding on the wet road is not that easy. After coming 2-3 km ahead, it started raining. This could feel amazing, but the road was quite dangerous, especially for bikes. But we kept on going as staying back was not an option.
So after another 6 km, we had to stop and take shelter, as it was raining heavily. It started to feel cold, but again, the view, the apple orchards around us, mesmerised us. We waited for the rain to stop and enjoyed the magnificent view. The rain had no plans to stop. So we decided to move ahead, as it was merely a 4kms ride. So in the other fifteen minutes, we were inside our cosy home, in front of the warm flames ignited in the traditional chulha.