Janjehli valley


The Janjehli valley in the interior of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh.

A Very Very Happy New Year!

THE journey to Janjehli, a little village in the Himalayas is an enchanting and fascinating experience. Situated at a height of 2150 metres in Thunag tehsil, Mandi district, Janjehli is a trekker’s paradise. With no frills of modernity here, it is a refreshing break from routine and packaged holidays.

From Shimla, Janjehli can be approached via Karsog. It lies 85 km from Mandi. After passing Chail Chowk, you come across a village called Bagsiad, which is considered a gateway to the Janjehli valley.

Janjehli, with its lush green meadows surrounded by lofty pines and deodars and a rivulet presents an enchanting view. On the left side of the village are orchards. There are two guesthouses there, one belonging to the H.P. Forest Department and other to the P.W.D. Locals say that Britishers were so fascinated by Janjehli that they had thought of making it the summer capital instead of Shimla. A British officer had approached the Raja of Janjehli for seeking permission to make it their summer capital. The king, however, turned down their request. Janjehli’s height of 2150 metres makes it an ideal summer retreat. Apart from providing some excellent souvenirs like seraji pulas made of hemp and household wares made of walnut wood, it is also famous for its honey.

Twelve-kilometres from Janjehli is Shikari Devi, famous for its roofless temple, the only one of its kind in northern India. A peculiar aspect of this temple is that it has remained roofless in spite of numerous attempts made by the locals to construct a roof. Locals attribute this phenomenon to some unseen spiritual force.

Janjehli offers interesting one-day treks.You can undertake a 16-km trek from Janjehli to Karsog. It can be covered in about eight hours. About 6-km from Janjehli, you come across Bulah, an open ground with lush green meadows. It looks strikingly similar to Gulmarg. On your way you will come across a number of natural springs. After Bulah, the next stop is Rajgarh followed by Gurah and finally you reach Karsog. In the evening you can trek back to Janjehli.

Another one-day trek from Janjehli could be to Budah Kaidar, at a height of 9000 feet. A trek to Magru Galu, a high mountainous pass can be exciting, too. From Magru Galu you get a beautiful view of Pandoh and Mandi.

The fourth trek from Janjehli could be to Rampur, which is 40 km away. The first halt comes at Chetu followed by Cheeura, Swad, Loori and finally you reach Rampur. Yet another adventurous expedition can be undertaken to Gadagushaini and Banjar which is again 40 km from Janjehli. A number of foreign tourists visit Banjar which is famous for its wildlife sanctuary. You can even camp en route. Although Janjehli’s scenic beauty makes it ideal for its development as a summer resort what is required is construction of more roads and tourist bungalows.

Janjehli is 29-km from Kulu, which is well-connected to Delhi by road and air.

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27 Comments

  1. says: Kamal Singh Thakur

    nice blog dude!! nice to my home distt places smwhr thr on net… I am from Balh valley exactly from a village around chail chowk on the way to karsog… doin comp sc and engg frm nit jalandhar. nice to see this blog

  2. says: rajat

    this place is heaven on earth..take a trip from mandi to shimla via this place..my cousins stay here so i visit pretty often..
    its beautiful n serene n lonely
    most ppl who visit himachal leave this place out

  3. Dear Mr Katoch,

    I thought that i would be one of the first to speak about Janjehli , but you have outwitted me by a long margin. Well i am so glad to see this effort on Janjehli as I belong to Janjehli and am also into travel business.
    I am working on my web site on Janjehli & Karsog under the http://www.janjehli.com & http://www.karsog.com and should be ready in about couple of months time.

    Any inputs you can give will be most welcome.

  4. says: Ashwani Bhalla & Family

    Its heaven on EARTH. We went last year & we really enjoyed a lot over there.

  5. says: Virender Thakur (Bunty)

    Mr.Katoch, Well done…………….I belongs to Janjehli (Dheem).Now Iam at Guwahati.Thrilled to see the blog.Home away from home.

  6. says: yash thakur

    I suggested everyone to visit atleast once to green valley janjehli and enjoy the beauty of nature by visiting the places like bhullah, shikari mata, panavsheela,budhha kedar and many more….and i assure u that u will definitly desire to visit again and again…………..

  7. Whenever I visit the web page of my village; keep on tackling for a long time, searching for the related links. It’s very nice to see the daetails of my own valley on internet while this time I am far away from Janjehli, viewing the ‘snow covered heaven ‘ on he computer screen here in the library of Punjab University.
    I am myself aresident of Suragi Village in Janjehli.
    And I am proud to be a resident of here.

    So , well done guyy…..just keep it up…..

    Ishwar Dass Thakur

  8. Janjehli is one of the unexplored and virgin areas of Himachal. It is amazing that not many himachalis are aware of the pristine beauty of the valley ! Any one looking for an exciting and adventurous break should be heading to Janjehli.

  9. says: Gita

    What is the condition of the road going up to Shikari Devi temple right now?

    Is it possible to visit Bhullah by road?

    Thanks

  10. says: Rupesh Gupta

    Thats grt to read about such a nice place. But really sad being so near to my home town (Kullu) I have never visited that place. Will surely visit it this time when I go to Kullu for vacation. Thanks dude for posting the blog

  11. says: lkkapoor

    Dear Mr.Katoach, Iam happy to read the article on janjehli. I’m crazy old but still adventurous man who loves to be in Janjheli valley. It still requires to be explored more with numorous trek routes and all should be encouraged to visit this place and area around. I have to rectify one thing first that there was no Raja of Janjeli. It was part of Mandi State. The distance to Kullu shown as 29 km seems wrong. Please check and verify for readers like me.

    1. Ikkapoor,
      thanks.
      This article was posted few years back. I am out of state so don’t have all the facts. Would appreciate if someone can help by providing the facts.

  12. says: lkkapoor

    Dear Mr. Katoach,
    As regard to Janjehli Valley, it remains under the domain of erstwhile Mandi State. On one end,it is jagir of Kullu nd otherside Suket. Secondly,Kullu toAut/Thalout is near to 25 km.and Janjehli,as far my knowledge goes is quite far to provide correct kilometerage.

  13. says: HARSH KHULLAR

    Dear Mr Katoch, All d best to u & ur blog. Its a simple but an honest start for this beautiful terrain. Keep it up & YES DO GIVE ME UR CONTACT DETAILS.

  14. says: DILE RANA

    HI …
    Janjehali bulha so real hearted place .& shakari matha also unique hill & tamples……

    i really hearting vally janjehali.mandi h.p

    from Thakur dilawar rana chandigarh.rishy,nancy

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