Sep 15, 2015 12:29 PM
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The memorable village of Sarahan is often overlooked in the rush to more recent discoveries in the Kinnaur area.
But it’s a delightful place to unwind and drink in the unadulterated mountain scenery. Flower-decked, quiet little Sarahan is an unpretentious Himachal hamlet and its stunning beauty offsets an extravagant backdrop of snowy peaks and undulating valleys.
Unfettered views of the Srikhand Mahadev peak (5155mts) are reason enough to visit this beautiful place. Sarahan is apple-country at its prettiest, with miles of lush apple and peach orchards and terraced fields that intersperse slate roofed houses.
Beautiful flowers and trees grow wild in the valley, flanked by forests of tall deodars and medicinal herbs.While in Sarahan, make a trip to the Kamru fort, Chitkul valley, and Sangla valley; go angling in the Baspa River; or trek around Srikhand Mahadev, Ranwin, or Bashal.So travel to Sarahan as this is one holiday you are likely to remember for a long time. The history of Sarahan city as per Hindu scriptures and folklore involves the demon called Banasura.
It is believed that he ruled the city of Shonitpur, which was the capital of the kingdom of Sarahana or present day Sarahan.He had a beautiful daughter named Usha, who once saw a handsome young man in a dream. She became enamoured with the youth and narrated the dream to her friend Chitralekha. Based on her description of the dream, Chitralekha drew an image of the man and set out to search whether such a man actually existed.
Her quest brought her to Lord Krishna’s palace, where she saw Prince Aniruddha. He happened to be a spitting image of the man that she had sketched on princess Usha’s behest. She spotted him lying down on his bed at night, and kidnapped him along with his bed to take him to Usha. When Lord Krishna was informed of this incident, he declared war on Banasura and rallied his troops to march to Shonitpur. Banasura was defeated, not even aware of what had transpired.
The magnanimous Lord Krishna however forgave Banasura later; got Aniruddha and Usha married and gave back Shonitpur to Banasura as dowry.The actual history involves a war between the kings of Kullu and Bushair. The king of Kullu was defeated in the final battle and beheaded. The people of Kullu implored the King of Bushair to return them the head of their king so his last rites could be ceremoniously performed. The king of Bushair relented, but kept three conditions for the return of the head.
One of the conditions was that the portrait of Lord Raghunath would be retained in the Bhimkali Temple in Bushair. The land belonging to the King of Kullu was seized and added to the kingdom of Bushair, giving birth to present day Sarahan. The best time to visit Sarahan is between the months of March and June and then again from September to October. The annual Astomi Festival, which is celebrated two days before Dussehra, is an important festival that you may enjoy here during this time. The summer months are the peak season for Sarahan, ideal for sightseeing and an excursion as the temperature stays within a range of 10ºC to 25ºC. The Monsoons arrive in August and leave by November. There are light to medium showers, the days are pleasant but the nights turn cold.
