RavenousLegs
  • Home
  • DESTINATIONS
    • INDIA >
      • ANDAMAN ISLANDS
      • GOA
      • GUJARAT
      • HIMACHAL PRADESH
      • KARNATAKA
      • KASHMIR
      • KERALA
      • LADAKH
      • LAKSHADWEEP
      • MADHYA PRADESH
      • MAHARASHTRA
      • PONDICHERRY
      • UTTARAKHAND
    • INDONESIA
    • MALDIVES
    • NEPAL
    • PERU
    • SRI LANKA
    • THAILAND
    • UAE
    • VIETNAM
  • EXPERIENCES
    • TREKKING
    • SCUBA DIVING
    • SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
    • BOUTIQUE
    • BACKPACKING
    • BEACHES
    • HIMALAYAS
    • WILDERNESS
    • HERITAGE
    • FESTIVALS
  • UnRaven
  • Reviews
    • BRANDS
    • APPS
    • PROPERTIES
    • PRODUCTS
    • GUEST POSTS
  • Contact
  • About Me

Bir, Himachal Pradesh - My first abode in the Himalayas

3/9/2017

13 Comments

 

Bir, Himachal Pradesh - My first abode in the Himalayas

Bir is a quaint little village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, nestled in the Dhauladhar Range of the Himalayas. I had serendipitously landed at Bir and made it my home for 3 months. After quitting my job in Pune, all I had asked for was fresh air to breathe, fresh water to drink and fresh food to eat. After all, it's not just the job that I wanted to quit, I also wanted to leave the cities for a better life. God exists! 
I had found my “Nirvana Moments” in the mountains. I was addicted to the Himalayas. I always found reasons to run away to the Himalayas, even if it was just to catch a glimpse of snow-clad mountains on a weekend. The next thing for me was to experience living in the mountains, live like a local and not like a visitor. 
Bir holds a special place in my heart as it was my first move to living in the Himalayas. It was my first experience of living amongst the nature and close to humanity. I had a paradigm shift in my lifestyle after I moved to Bir. In this post, I would show you all the sides of Bir that I observed, learnt and enjoyed.
Bird's eye view of Bir, Himachal Pradesh. When I flew up in the air
Bird's eye view of Bir, Himachal Pradesh. When I flew up in the air


​My home in Bir

I didn't know what to expect when I first landed in Bir. “Beautiful” is the word I exclaimed when I had my first glimpse at my rented home. A brick-red walled house in the green fields stood against the dense forest slopes of the mountain leading to Billing on the top.
My home in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
My home in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The house was basic, with no modern design. But it had a terrace that opened up to the clear blue sky and the snow-covered peaks of Dhauladhar mountains. I was jealous of my neighbours who lived in the traditional Himachali houses in my neighbourhood.
View from my terrace in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
View from my terrace in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
When I look up in the air from my terrace, I see colourful parachutes flying gracefully in the endless skies. I could spend hours observing them fly!
Paragliding in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, the view from my terrace
Paragliding in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, the view from my terrace


​Houses in Bir

The traditional Himachali houses add a colourful tinge to the surrounding greens, which makes the land of Himachal vibrant. 
Traditional Himachali houses in Bir
Traditional Himachali houses in Bir
The houses are made of local stones, mud and wood and roofed with slates. The new houses are roofed with red metal due limited availability of slates in the state.
Traditional Himachali houses in Bir
Traditional Himachali houses in Bir
Traditional Himachali houses in Bir
Traditional Himachali houses in Bir


​My mornings in Bir

My mornings that used to begin with a frustrating drive on the traffic-jammed roads to office were replaced with refreshing routines everyday.
I woke up to foggy mornings which made the place look prettier and cleaner, the perfect mornings to have my ginger lemon honey teas.
Foggy mornings in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Foggy mornings in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
I started exploring the place on foot after I settled in. The silent roads gave me ample space to enjoy my solitude in the serenity of Bir.
Buddhist prayer flags on roads in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Buddhist prayer flags on roads in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The dry leaves made my way beautiful but tough for my hikes in the forested mountains. There were many trails in the mountains, going nowhere, but it gave me good options for my workout routines.
Hiking in the jungles in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Hiking in the jungles in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
I fulfilled my long-pending wish of jogging in the mountains in fresh air. This is the time I interacted with lot of locals living in Bir. They all wanted to now where I was from, what I was doing in Bir, why was I running. Eventually the ladies in Bir had started sending their daughters with me to jog in the mountains.
Road to my home in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Road to my home in Bir, Himachal Pradesh


Flora in Bir

I had relocated to Bir on 27 Mar 2016. Spring is the best thing that happened to me in Bir. The snow from the tops had melted and the land looked vivacious in lush green . I saw different colours on the trees and plants during my 3 months of stay in Bir. Nature brings a lot of delight to my life.
Red bloom trees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Red bloom trees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Purple jacaranda bloom trees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Purple jacaranda bloom trees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Yellow jacaranda bloom trees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Yellow jacaranda bloom trees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Pink Bloom in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Pink bloom in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Pink bloom on trees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Pink bloom on trees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh


Fauna in Bir

I was always of the opinion that bird-watching was boring for me until Bir happened to me! How could I keep my eyes off the pretty creatures who paid regular visits to me near my home. I have now started chasing the colourful pretty birds everywhere in the mountains!
Red billed blue magpie in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Red billed blue magpie in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Picture
Never before in my life had I seen geese guarding the house. These geese started screeching as I tried to go near a house next to the monastery.
Pet geese in a monastery in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Pet geese in a monastery in Bir, Himachal Pradesh


​Traffic jams in Bir

I was so relieved that I no more had to struggle with wasting my precious time in the cities stuck on the traffic-jammed and polluted roads. The only traffic jams where caused by the cute goats and I bet no one would ever complain of such pretty jams. It was quite an exciting sight!
The goats causing traffic jam in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The goats causing traffic jam in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
It was a delight to see the goats placing themselves strategically at places I didn’t expect them to be.
The goats in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The goats in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The goats in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The goats in Bir, Himachal Pradesh


Local people in Bir

Apart from the local Himachalis, Bir is a home to many other races migrated from different parts. There is a considerable segment of Punjabis and Tibetans refugees living in Bir. Bir also hosts paragliders from different parts of the country and few people who have left cities for a quieter life in the mountains (like me).
The official language of Bir is Kangri (Himachali dialect) but the locals generally speak Pahadi - a mixture of Kangri and Punjabi.
The traditional dress for women in Himachal is Pattu, which they wear during special occasions. Though most women are seen wearing salwar kameez, the older ladies still wear the traditional dress regularly.
Pattu - traditional dress for women in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Pattu - traditional dress for women in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The Himachali men are mostly dressed in casual sherwani with a waistcoat in winters. The colourful Himachali cap is a mandatory accessory for the men.
Sherwani - traditional dress for men in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Sherwani - traditional dress for men in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
There's a separate settlement for the Tibetan refugees called Tibetan colony. There are lot of monasteries in Bir and the local Tibetans regularly visit them during the prayer times. ​
Tibetan refugees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Tibetan refugees in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The kid walks through the fields to go to her school.
The kid walks through the fields to go to her school in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The kid walks through the fields to go to her school in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The girls here didn't shy away from greeting me with "Good evening" or "Hello" whenever we crossed our paths.
Young girls in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Young girls in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The women are very used to going to work with their kids tied on their backs. The lady in the picture below was my domestic help in Bir.
My cook and domestic help in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
My cook and domestic help in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
There are gypsies or nomadic tribes that move around in the jungles on the higher mountains. A lady had once come to my doorstep to sell Jungli Lingdi (Fiddleheads), organically grown vegetable which she collected from the mountain tops. She insisted me to buy it as it tastes good. It was cooked by my cook and it tasted really good and healthy.
Lingdi (Fiddleheads) organic vegetable in higher Himalayas. Gypsies in the Himalayas
Lingdi (Fiddleheads) organic vegetable in higher Himalayas. Gypsies in the Himalayas
A lot of monks live in Bir. There are institutes in Bir where kids are trained to Buddhist Monasticism.
The kid monks in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The kid monks in Bir, Himachal Pradesh


Occupation of people living in Bir

Agriculture and farming is the main occupation for most of the people living in Bir. The locals are generally self-dependant for all the basic necessities. They grow their own food, raise their own cattle for milk and meat and do all the domestic chores on the own.
Women working in fields in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Women working in fields in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Pesticides are used for most of the crops, but there are people who grow vegetables organically. My neighbours provided me with farm-fresh organic veggies when I needed them. It was the season for green peas then. Green peas is my favourite vegetable and I got most of my meals cooked with green peas in the entire 3 months. They tasted very sweet in the mountains and I would pluck and eat them straight from the farms.
Women plucking green peas from the fields in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Women plucking green peas from the fields in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The major crops are wheat, rice, barley and lentils. I had seen the wheat fields turn green to barren after the harvest during my stay in Bir.
Wheat harvest season in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Wheat harvest season in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Threshing machines come to the fields during the harvest season.
Threshing machine in fields for Wheat harvest season in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Threshing machine in fields for Wheat harvest season in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
As I entered Bir, I was welcomed with tea gardens on both the sides of the road. There is a tea factory in Bir. Women in Bir are often seen plucking green tea leaves for their livelihood.
Women working in tea gardens in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Women working in tea gardens in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Bir is a completely non-commercialised village. It had only small shops providing with the basic stuff. This place taught me how to live without the brands I was used to. I had to drive 15 kms to Jogindernagar to sometimes satisfy my craving for Pani-Puri (Golgappe)..
Small shops for basics in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Small shops for basics in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
The Tibetan colony had few shops selling clothes and other basic necessities. Most of the Tibetans were busy focussing in their devotion to Buddhism.
Shops in tibetan colony in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Shops in tibetan colony in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Women owned small stalls to sell Tibetan food. Some of them even sold momos on the road-side.
Tea and momo stalls in tibetan colony in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Tea and momo stalls in tibetan colony in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
There are tons of adventure shops selling paragliding, trekking, camping and cycling packages to the tourists, who come generally for a day trip to Bir from Mcleodganj for paragliding. The cars loaded with gliders on the roof frequented the roads in the mornings. They drive 16 kms uphill to Billing, the take-off site.
Paragliders in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Paragliders in Bir, Himachal Pradesh
I had lot of knowledge exchange sessions with the local people of Bir. I had a lot to learn from them.
By the end of three months, I had accepted and blended in Himachali culture. On my last day, the lady who provided me with domestic help at my home, invited me for lunch at her place. She surprised me with wrapping a 'Pattu' on me before serving me the lunch.

Related Posts:

Bir - ecotourism, spirituality and adventure
Guide to Mcleodganj
13 Comments
vivek Rana
3/9/2017 15:54:06

Very beautifully explored distt kangra of HP
Please visit some other distt of HP like chamba , lahul spiti kinnuar etc. For more adventurers

Reply
My Unfinished life link
3/9/2017 21:53:06

What a wonderful and detailed narrative.. Went back to Bir with this post

Reply
Manish patel
3/10/2017 22:30:03

Really gutsy move! But soul filling days you had, I presume.Himalays are best thing that can happen to anybody! Lovely! I envy u! Enjoy!

Reply
Agastya
3/11/2017 01:32:36

I really like your writings and love your posts.

Reply
mayuri patel link
3/14/2017 15:04:37

I loved the post and detailed narration by you
you settled in Himalayas that amazing and wonderful!! and everyone cannot do what you are doing, it requires lot of guts.
enjoy

Reply
Gautham Baliga B link
3/16/2017 06:59:27

Awesome pics and Inspiring! :)

Reply
Hema
4/24/2017 15:47:59

Hi Medhavi,
I love your posts. Keep up the good work.
Bdw, I am from Joginder nagar ;)

Reply
Yashpal kapoor
4/25/2017 18:52:23

I am from Himachal and living in small town named Mandi, you have narrated the beauty of Himachal particularly of Tirthan valley and of Bir in a very beautiful and simple way. There are so many good places in Mandi District like Barot,Janjehli etcIf you find some time do visit you will be thrilled to saw the unexplored beauty of Himachal.

Reply
Gracious Rodrigues link
7/10/2017 04:08:21

Wonderful blog with great photography. Simple and straight from the heart. Very Inspirational.

Reply
Linde
4/23/2018 13:30:58

Hello,
what a great blog! Exactly what I'm looking for. I am looking for a small simple house to rent in a place like this. Can you give me any recommendations on how to find a place like yours or how you find yours? Thank you!

Reply
Deepika Tiwari
4/23/2018 14:17:52

I am planning to explore tribal life in the hills. Can you please connect with me through email so that we can exchange ideas

Reply
JATIN PATEL
4/17/2021 15:07:49

very beautiful place , i like to visit
pl. mention postal address

Reply
Rajat Kumar link
1/27/2023 19:39:34

Yet several other reasons for me to visit Bir...

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Picture
    Namaste! I'm Medhavi Davda.
    I travel to Evolve..
    In Nature, I confide..
    I find my calling in the Himalayas..
    In the Oceans, I meditate..

    ​
    A High-Altitude Trekker & PADI certified SCUBA Diver, I love exploring the heights and depths of the planet with my regular doses of mountains and oceans.
    ​
    Discovering myself & life through nature, adventures, travels, sports and dance has been an addiction since my existence!

    Quite fond of the  natural & cultural diversity of India, I've travelled extensively in my own country before exploring international destinations.
    ​
    I had left my 9+ yrs of career in Software Industry in a quest to make a living out of my passions. I packed my basics in my car (gave away the rest) and lived in different parts of Himachal Pradesh for 16 months. This invaluable time taught me to experience life from a broader perspective.
    ​
    I'm currently living in Mumbai to work with an Adventure Travel company as a product manager for Scuba Diving. I continue living a minimalistic life.

    RavenousLegs on Instagram

    Powered by Curator.io

    RavenousLegs on FaceBook

    Ravenous Legs

    RavenousLegs on Twitter

    Follow @RavenousLegs

    Recent Posts

    Abu Dhabi's Renowned Liwa Date Festival

    Day trips you can take from Paracas​

    Is 7 Days in Bangkok Too Long?

    Top Cities in Croatia That You Cannot Miss

    5 Tips for Creating Engaging Solo Travel Videos for YouTube
    ​

    ​7 Days Active Travel Itinerary for Sri Lanka - from Sunrise on the East Coast to Sunset on the West Coast

    ​
    Annapurna Base Camp Trek from Ghandruk Village - the shortest route to ABC Trek
Subscribe to RavenousLegs
​   Socialise with me
​RavenousLegs © 2022. 
​All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • DESTINATIONS
    • INDIA >
      • ANDAMAN ISLANDS
      • GOA
      • GUJARAT
      • HIMACHAL PRADESH
      • KARNATAKA
      • KASHMIR
      • KERALA
      • LADAKH
      • LAKSHADWEEP
      • MADHYA PRADESH
      • MAHARASHTRA
      • PONDICHERRY
      • UTTARAKHAND
    • INDONESIA
    • MALDIVES
    • NEPAL
    • PERU
    • SRI LANKA
    • THAILAND
    • UAE
    • VIETNAM
  • EXPERIENCES
    • TREKKING
    • SCUBA DIVING
    • SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
    • BOUTIQUE
    • BACKPACKING
    • BEACHES
    • HIMALAYAS
    • WILDERNESS
    • HERITAGE
    • FESTIVALS
  • UnRaven
  • Reviews
    • BRANDS
    • APPS
    • PROPERTIES
    • PRODUCTS
    • GUEST POSTS
  • Contact
  • About Me