How Many Copies of My Prashar Lake Images?

Yesterday I did a google image search for Prashar Lake on a whim. And I am completely aghast. The number of times my pictures have been copied by others across the globe without any credit is depressing. So here I go. These are most of my Prashar Lake images (with the December images posted with permission from Anil).

Now look at the copycats, why so many? :( :( :( :( :(

(And don't worry all the links are nofollow.)

Indie-Reise in German, why in Germany would someone copy my Prashar Lake image?

Someone at a site called Wherein City copied my Prashar Lake image

Someone by the Name of Sachin at Merinews copied the Prashar Lake image

Another one by Sachin at Merinews He has copied so many of my images apart from the Prashar lake one. I have left a comment on each of the copied one.

Instablog copied my Prashar Lake Image

Another Copy

Would you blame me if I am hopping mad right now?

The Club Mahindra Blog and My Prashar Lake Piece

Prashar Lake and the Temple in December, Picture Courtsey Anil

I discovered Prashar Lake by surfing through the net and when I went there, I liked the place so much. I want others to go and enjoy the place before it gets too crowded. So, when I got an opportunity to contribute to CLAY (The Club Mahindra Blog) I wrote about Prashar Lake. Have a look at my about Prashar Lake article at CLAY.

PS. Finally a weekend trip looks in sight with my nephew this Saturday!

Some of the Most Beautiful Lakes I have Seen in India

Two things prompted this post. One, a beautiful post on water bodies by Arun. Then we were discussing Lansdowne at Indiamike. We started discussing Bhulla Tal (Lake), a man made lake.Shashank and I were of the view that this Tal is not out of the ordinary. That is when I started thinking of the really beautiful lakes (all high altitude) I have seen in India.

Bhulla Tal, Lansdowne, Uttrakhand

Prashar Lake, Himachal Pradesh

Obviously one such lake is Prashar Lake and you have seen better pictures of it taken by Anil on my blog.

Changu Lake with Yak in Sikkim

This is Changu Lake in Sikkim. I clicked this picture on the way to Nathu-La and while coming back the fog was so thick the lake was not at all visible.

Dhankar Lake, Spiti

I got lucky when I took this picture in Dhankar, Spiti. It was 9.30-10 in the morning and there were a lot of clouds in the sky. But for a moment the sun came out and I got this perfect reflection.

Pangong Lake, Ladakh

Pangong Lake is such a beauty. This is one place that is even more beautiful than this picture suggests and Ladakh remains one of my all time favorite destinations.

Prashar Lake in December

This is what Prashar Lake can look like in December! No, I didn't go there but Anil did. He gave permission to post these pictures on my blog. So these pictures are not taken by me, only posted here with permission.

Prashar Lake at Sunset in December

I was bugging Sesha that we too should visit Prashar Lake again in cold months (maybe Feb) but till now he has shown no inclination! He looks at the pictures with awe but tells me, "Let us go someplace new."

Sunset on the Cottage Side at the Prashar Lake

I of course know the place but not with so much snow! At the time I visited (May 2007) it was quite green.

Sunset at Prashar Lake in December- Another View

This is the picture I like most of the entire lot. How I would love to take pictures (OK spend time too around such a sunset) but the next travel plans to the hills are not before February and that too a very short visit.

Oh! and it is in honor of these Prashar Lake pictures that I made that in-flight magazine post un-sticky.

Should I Go?

Prashar Lake, Himachal Pradesh

There is a long weekend looming ahead at the end of August. I am wondering if I should go some place? When I look at the past pictures plus my unused camera, I am sorely tempted. When I look at the amount of unfinished work, sanity seems to prevail. Then, I have not even managed to finish writing about my Spiti account. Maybe, I will just procrastinate and try and settle this after a week. In case I just decide to go, any suggestion for weekend getaways nearby Delhi? I do not want to travel 15 hours plus that is required to reach the magical Himachal Pradesh this time.

Another Account of Prashar Lake

Prashar Lake, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India

I know I should be talking about Spiti, but just before going on vacation I had found this wonderful account of Prashar lake trek by Saroj and I have to share it with you. Have a look.

It must have been an hour of continuous ascent and nothing seemed in sight. There were no signs for direction as well. I could not sight any water spring flowing down the steep path and repented having left the water bottle at home. We sat down for 2 minutes and started waling again, up, up and up. The dense trees had made the entire place shady and dark and the only sign of the light was the rays peeping dimly from behind the trees. Looking down would make my head swirl and I preferred to walk and look up. But where was the Parashar Lake. We were seriously assailed with doubt that we might not have lost the way.

Thank You

A Cottage Behind the Prashar Lake Temple

I have to say a big thank you to Paras for all his help in planning my Prashar Lake trip. If you hop over to his blog you will find a picture of the same cottage above. Only he went there in October and the snow capped peaks are in clear view in his shot. In all my three days in May 2007, snow was not visible even once.

I found his pictures of the lake at webshots through a google search. I found his email there too. He answered all my queries with a lot of patience and before I head to the hills again, it is time to say thank you to him.

The Return Journey from Prashar Lake

The Guest House at Sunset, Prashar Lake, Himachal Pradesh

We used Mandi (Himachal Pradesh, India) as the base for our Prashar Lake trip. For our return journey Sesha booked two tickets in a private Volvo bus through Satluj Travels (located next to the Mandi Government Bus Stand). One can get the tickets in a Manali-Delhi Volvo passing via Mandi. Our past experience with private tour operators have not been too good. And this one too proved to be no exception.

We were given the starting time from Mandi as 9.30 at night and we were promptly there. The bus came up at 10.30, an hour late. But I guess this could be a standard practice by tour operators as they assume that passengers would turn up late according to the Indian sense of time.

The configuration of this Volvo was different from the government operated one, the latter is more spacious. Still, there was ample leg room even in this bus. The driver was a moron of the first order (but then, I think it is luck and you can get morons even on government buses) and would negotiate all the turns on the hill roads at a breakneck speed. I was almost always sliding off my seat and in spite of the good leg room it was very difficult to sleep.

Around 6.00 in the morning the AC of the bus broke down and with a Volvo you can't open the windows. They opened the roof ventilators and the morning weather was pleasant. I would not have given a damn whether the AC worked or not, I would have preferred to reach Delhi on time. But the moron driver wanted to get it repaired. At the first shop they tried, they were unsuccessful after wasting 45 minutes. A short time later, he tried to get it repaired at another shop and around 7.30 in the morning (by the time we should have been in Delhi but we were more than 250 kilometers away yet) we ditched the bus and hopped in an ordinary government bus at a traffic signal.

By 8.30 the day was getting hotter by the minute. We finally reached home around 12 in the noon and both of us had to miss the office that day. We are going to stay away from private bus operators as far as we can.

Himachal Pradesh Rural Tourism

Prashar Lake

Avnish of myHimachal forwarded this survey to me. They are interested in promoting rural tourism in Himachal Pradesh. I have filled it. If you have time, please do so. Doesn't take too much of time. After all, Shringi Vatika and Prashar Lake were really nice travel experiences for me.

My Prashar Lake Article at Gonomad

Prashar Lake near Mandi

My Prashar Lake article is up at Gonomad now. There were two surprises for us on this trek. One, the four and a half hour trek was quite steep and I did it with some stretch. This had never happened before.

Two, the caretaker of the guest house was reluctant to give us a room as I do not 'look' married.
That too has never happened before!

So, what do you think of the article?

Food at Prashar Lake

When we reached the forest guesthouse at the Prashar Lake after climbing for 4.5 hours (it took me 4.5 hours, you may take more or less) from Bagi (the starting point of the trek) food was the dominant thought. The trek route and the jeep route are different. At Bagi there are a fewDhabas but there is nothing on the way. So, if you like to munch in between 4.5 hours of climbing up and up and up, one has to carry stuff from below. The Dhaba gives good bun -omelette but little else. We carried chocolates and stuff from Mandi.

Once we reached the guesthouse and finally given a room food was the next logical question. TheChowkidaji (caretaker) who cooks the food does so on wood and buys ration only when someone is there, so nothing was immediately available.

Prashar Lake Near Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, India

The lake that is 1.5 (approx) kilometres away from the guesthouse and has two canteens or so we were told. We headed there next for a late lunch. One canteen is near the entrance and other close to the temple. At the canteen near the gate the only food available was Dal (curry) and rice with no vegetables or anything. But we were so hungry that the food tasted like one the best meals we ever had. The dinner was promised at the guesthouse and as cooking on wood is difficult again you get either Dal and rice or Chapatti and vegetables.

We got Maggi Finally at Prashar Lake

We asked for Maggi (noodles) at the canteen the next day and they were not available. It was a little disappointing. For us eating Maggi after a trek is almost a ritual. However, the day after there were mules and jeeps as the canteen near the gate was replenishing stocks and we finally got Maggi! Both the canteens make equally good tea but the one near the gate has the location advantage. We did not feel like walking down (and later climbing up) to the canteen behind the temple.

The Forest Guest House Kitchen at Prashar Lake- Where We Took Our Meals

We took all the major meals at the guesthouse. There was no breakfast available at the guesthouse on any of the days. The guesthouse room rent charges this season were Rupees 200 per day.

When we were finally settling our account on the last day, our room rent was Rs. 400 and when we were asked about the food charges to the gentleman who cooked food for us, his reply just stunned me. He said, (in Hindi and I am translating loosely) “Room rent is the government charge but give us whatever you wish for food, we are not going to quote any price!” Both my husband and I were floored by this completely unexpected reply. We gave what we thought was fair money and he seemed to be happy for it. But I mean in this day and age who says stuff like the above anymore?

PS. Now also cross posted at myHimachal, from where I saw the first picture of this place.

The Steep Climb

The Forest Guesthouse at Prashar Lake

You know what? We started from Mandi that is at an altitude of 780 meters, came by bus to Bagi (don't know the altitude but the nearest town Kataula is at 1380 meters) and from there we trekked up to the lake at a height of 2730 meters. No doubt I am still tired and catching a cold.

A Small Video from Prashar Lake

Well, the video is very grainy but you have to hear the sound. Sesha and I were on the opposite hill when the music started. And by the time I was any closer it had stopped. People from the nearby village had come with their deity to the Prashar Temple. All very beautiful till now, but they have this ritual of sacrificing a goat to the Gods. I didn't see it or I am sure I would take ill but they were chopping meat the next day on a stone and we changed our direction.

Anyway, the music sounded quaint in those surroundings.

Some Pictures from Prashar Lake and Mandi

The Temple at the Prashar Lake, Himanchal Pradesh

I have now uploaded some of the pictures from the trip to Prashar Lake. And this time I did not leave my cell phone behind. Though I wish I had! The small hitch was that unlike Shringi Vatika, the cell used to work here at many points and twice people borrowed it to make phone calls. I am planning to pitch this story to Gonomad first, so bear with me.

PS. Saw a picture of the Lake in winter and I thought I wanted to go to Diu this December! I should remember that I hate walking on snow and I slip and slip and slip ....

I am Back from Prashar Lake

Prashar Lake, Himanchal Pradesh

I am back after spending a few days at Prashar Lake. Looking at the picture above can you blame me if I talk only about this visit for the next few days on this blog?

May Seems to be so Far Away ...

I am going to miss these trails all through April

By my standards I have traveled a lot since December 2006. First there was this college trip to Khurpatal, then we went to Sikkim at the end of the month and were in a train on the new year eve (loved it!). Then in Feb we went to Shringi Vatika and then I went back to Shringi Vatika again in the beginning of March with my younger nephew to get my cell phone back.

Now there are no trips planned till mid May (hopefully we will go to Prashar Lake in May). And there is lot of work to be done in between. How am I going to survive in April? Well, maybe by taking it out while playing table tennis.

Looks Like Heaven!

Prashar Lake: Picture courtesy Yash Raj of My Himachal

I saw this picture first as the banner of My Himachal's tourism section. I am hooked, I am smitten, I am completely bowled over. I immediately wrote to Avnish (the anchor of My Himachal) and got a very encouraging reply from him. He put me in touch with Yash Raj and I am trying to figure out when can we go.

The lake is apparently 30km from the road-head (near Mandi in Himachal) and though vehicles ply, we will of course like to trek. Only, I don't think I can walk 30km in one day. But I am sure we will find a way around all this. So, I sincerely hope, sometime in May I will be there.

After looking at the picture can you blame me for being smitten?

PS. When I asked Yah Raj can I use his picture at my blog, this is what he said "yes its not a question to ask to fix any of my pic into ur webpage or into da blog...these pics anybody can use coz himachal is not only mine ..."