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Nature's Own Bouquet



For anyone interested in wild flowers, a visit to this valley nestled 13,000 feet high in Garhwal is a must.


As I prepared to lie down to rest under a tree, I found a cobra staring at me as if ready to at-tack. The sight was so scary, I forgot even to shout! The grass and the trees seemed motionless as if they, too, were under the spell of the snake. There was dead silence ó not even an echo from the vast valley beneath. I seemed to be standing at the entry doors of heaven!


The snake, I realized, was not moving. It seemed to be staring fixedly at me. A closer look made me release a loud sigh of relief. It was only a flower named Cobra Lily! The flower in full bloom resembled an angry King cobra ready to attack. I was told later by the locals that this flower is poisonous too. A drop of the juice of the plant induces painful itching and a goat who has eaten this plant can choke to death in less than five minutes.


These Cobra Lilies are just one of the hundreds of wild flowers that grow abundantly in the Valley of Flowers in the Garhwal Himalayas. The valley is one of the most famous areas for wild flowers. It is commonly known as ìNandan Kananî (garden of paradise). The valley was discovered by Frank Smythe, a well- known mountaineer. The place is host to hundreds of varieties of flowers in one season. The flowering season begins in the early monsoons and continues till the end of the rainy season.


For botanists and anyone interested in wild flowers, a visit to this valley is a must. Brilliant clusters of wild flowers light up the way to the valley. It is a seven km stretch at an altitude of 13,000 ft in the Garhwal region in Uttar Pradesh. Bursts of Alpine Calendula, cobra flowers, Kasturi Kamals, the scented Brahma Kamal (the flower of Lord Brahma) and many other varieties blossom all around. This valley is one of the beautiful destinations in the Himalayas and is easily accessible by even the most amateur trekker.


Starting from Delhi, the journey to Govindghat via Joshimath takes one through enchanting and exciting routes passing through thick forests of whispering Pines, Oaks, Junipers and Birch.


Over the past ten years, I have made more than seven trips to this heavenly place. Though the trek to the valley has undergone drastic changes, the route which bifurcates from Ghangharia to the valley has remained much the same. The trek, surprisingly, is relatively free of environmental degradation.


Starting early in the morning, one can trek to Ghangharia in six to eight hours. The route is part of a pilgrimís trail and therefore has scores of tea stalls and roadside eateries on the way. After Ghangharia, the road bifurcates. One leads to the valley and the other to Hemkund Sahib. The luxuries of the pilgrimís trail disappear and the trek continues along a lonely and scenic trail through dense forests.


After two hours, you enter the valley. It is a riot of colour so beautiful that time seems to stand still. It is as if heaven and earth have merged into an organic whole. The sight of hundreds of flowers and their fragrance leaves one intoxicated and ecstatic.