27th Feb 2017, Monday……….Day (11) Jot-Khajjiar-Dalhousie-Amritsar 239 km

Jot or Jot Pass or Chowari Jot has one of the best of views of Pir Panjal mountain range, pleasant weather all through the summers and is one of the least promoted passes of Himachal Pradesh.

Located approximately at a height of 8000 ft ASL on the Kanthli Dhar over the Dhauladhar range of outer Himalayas, the pass connects rugged Chamba Valley to the fertile Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh.

Since the pass is the shortest route connecting Chamba Valley with Kangra Valley, regular buses and taxis ply on the route and is a popular stop for passenger going towards both the sides.

Few dhabas, which we fondly call as desi dhabas serve simple vegetarian meals to the hungry passengers besides a hotel cum restaurant and a fast food cum non veg snack joint run by a nepali family at the spot.

We came to know about the place first time in 2002 during one of our visits to Dalhousie and Khajjiar. We drove to the place, loved the weather, mesmerising views and enjoyed simple but sumptuous food from one of the dhabas.

Have come to the place a number of times thereafter. Climbed the nearby slopes, loved the romantic weather, enjoyed the wonderful views of the magnificent Pir Panjal mountain range and of course yummy food.

The place has a charm of its own. It is the highest and the nearest place from my hometown Amritsar, where we can not only enjoy the mesmerising views of the snow clad mountains but also the pleasant weather even in the hottest of summers.

Jot experiences heavy snowfall during the peak of winters and remains closed for vehicular traffic. Thus it is the best and nearest place for us to enjoy snowfall in the winters.

The place is also famous for khoya burfi as the supply of milk supply is abundant in the area as so many gujjars live on the slopes in the vicinity rearing milch animals like buffalos.

The land on the both sides of the pass belongs to the forest department of Himachal Government which do not allow concrete construction in the area, otherwise many structures would have sprung up by now.

The department of tourism HP Govt however, has tried to promote the area as a tourist spot by erecting canopies along the route to Dainkund.

A number of bollywood scenes have been shot at the spot, prominent among them are the ones in the famous Sunny Deol starter movie ‘Gaddar’.

The place has awesome 360 degree views of the mountains around including the famous Manimahesh Kailash Peak (18547 ft, ASL), Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar mountain ranges.

A short trek towards the Chowari side leads to pristine Kainthli, an area tucked deep down into a thick forest of deodars.

A gentle walk approximately 6 kilometer from Jot leads to the famous Pohlani Mata temple near Dainkund. The views of the Pir Panjal range are spectacular from the entire route.

The view towards the Punjab plains was partially blocked by the thick smog that day, otherwise on a clear day, the views of meandering Ravi river flowing through the vast Punjab plains are so beautiful.

I had arrived at the place the previous night and had slept inside the car parked on a side of the road.

Layers of mountains leading upto the snow clad Pir Panjal range as seen from Jot

My sleep was however interrupted twice during the night, once by the unruly behaviour of some drunkards and the second time by the strong wind which blew away the covers of my car.

Got up very early and after a cup of tea from one of the dhabas walked on the nearby slope. Loved solitude, fresh air and amazing views of the mountain range before sunrise.

After a while Sun rose from behind the mountain range and illuminated the whole surroundings and after soaking in the balmy atmosphere walked back to the road.

Had another cup of tea and walked back to the nearby hills again. This time however, I chose to walk deep into the forest about two kilometer from the pass towards Dainkund side and climbed a hill top seemingly the highest point of the area.

Sitting on the cool grass on top of the hill with pleasant breeze blowing, Sun shining brightly and having a 360 degree views around and down below felt so good.

Kept sitting there in awe for a long soaking in the heavenly atmosphere, sometimes lying down flat on the grass and gazing at the vast blue sky and at times the splendid sight of snow clad mountains all around which seemed part of the vast horizon.

It filled my heart with so much joy that I began singing songs spontaneously doubling up the feeling and enjoying the moment.

Stayed there at the high hill top till midday when the hunger pangs struck and I had to walk down to the road to quench it.

Since the Nepali man at Suman Fast Food joint had served a very tasty chilli chicken the previous evening, asked him to prepare bread omelette with milk instead of my favorite regular meals.

After enjoying the meals I began driving back to my home. Instead of shorter route through Chowari, chose more scenic but longer route through Dalhousie.

The sky was clear, azure blue and the Sun shone brightly. Weather was pleasant and the surrounding absolutely amazing. Loved the drive and the views all around.

The sight of  paraglider hovering over the valleys and above the sky in the backdrop of snowy Pir Panjal mountain range was wonderful.

The sight became even more beautiful with the tall statue of Lord Shiva in the foreground near the Khajjiar meadow.

As usual, Khajjiar was abuzz with activity. Despite winters and off season, a large number of tourists were enjoying at the vast meadows.

Did not stop at Khajjiar or for that matter of fact at any of the other famous spots on the route including Kalatop as I was now eager to be back home soon.

Ever since my retirement I have begun living more freely, travelling at will and sharing my stories on social media. By doing so I have developed a bond with many wonderful people having same tastes even without meeting.

One of them is with Mr Johar Singh, a handsome young man, who runs a smart eating joint at a prime location in Dalhousie. We were constantly in touch and eager to meet.

Since I was going through Dalhousie, I decided to meet him at his joint. Parked the car on the road near GPO and walked to “Bon Appetit”, the joint owned by Mr Singh.

Meeting a like minded person for the first time with whom one has developed a bond for long without even meeting once, was such an amazing feeling. Mr Singh introduced me to his mother who has been helping him in running the joint.

Although I was not very hungry, yet Mr Singh would not let me go without tasting some of the dishes he serves from his joint. We tried at least two non veg items, both were very crisp and yummy.

After  a very warm meeting and yummy food, I took leave from Mr Singh and his loving mother and drove back home in Amritsar via regular route through Pathankot.

Despite the crowded and messy city that Amritsar is, the feeling of reaching home and meeting the people who matter the most in life, is an amazing feeling and especially when one is so lucky like me, to have such a loving and caring family………..!!!