When the ancestors of Bhagiratha attained moksha by the mighty Ganges flowing over them, the Ganges made its way down hill cleansing many parts of India. Just a few kilometers from Gangotri is Dharali, Harsil, Mukhawa (Mukhba) and the Bagori village. During the onset of winter all these villages become ghost towns as the residents move to lower ground to escape the harsh cold weather. The water lines are frozen with no easy access to water, even for daily use.

Bhotias

The Bhotia people, “Bhot” meaning “north”, hence they are the “people from the north”. There is an interesting history to these dwellers of Bagori village or the Bhotia people. They originally belonged to the settlement near the Indian border, the Nelong Valley. They were initially traders of the “Salt route” – do not confuse it with the famous “Silk road”. Before the closure of Indo-Tibet border in 1962, these people used to carry trade in Tibetan mandis across the Himalayas in exchange of goods taken from Indian mandis. From Tibet they would bring back wool, borax and salt. In 1962, the residents of the Nelong Valley migrates to Bagori village near Gangotri.

Bagori Village

Bagori, is a narrow village with close to 150 houses made of wood. As the days pass by, even they are victims to modern concrete structures. However, there is still a glimpse of the past that you can find in abundance. To access the village, one must pass through Harsil and walk through 3 small bridges and there is Bagori. During winters the entire village is empty, locked and all you hear is the bell from the Buddhist monastery and the winds hurling at high speeds through the narrow road. A 5-minute walk on the roads makes you feel ghostly as you see only locked houses, continuous ringing of bells and gusty winds.

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The Bhotias excel in hand woven woolen sweaters. During winters they move down to Dunda as that is their second home. Uniquely, this village has temples of Hindu and Buddhist origin, depicting the religious belief of the culture from India and Tibet. At the entrance of the village, is the temple of local deity – the Laal Devta, adjacent to it, is the Buddhist temple. The village is stunning, with no soul around, leaving you with an uncanny feeling with the gushing breeze playing with your imagination.

The beauty of this village are the people and their culture. The history of the people and their tradition is less heard of. The wooden carved houses with colorful walls and gates makes this village a must visit for anybody travelling towards Gangotri. On contrary, Bagori remains close to its historical importance and nature only with lesser interference of modernization and limited tourism.

I can help you plan your trip to the village and can personally accompany you while I share some interesting stories along the way about the village and the place itself. Hop on, contact me.