The Himalayas are home to many a mighty rivers. The Ganges, the Sindh, or the Brahmaputra – rivers that are laced with myths, legends, and the ebbs and flows of thousands of years of human history through the course of their long journeys from the mountains to the seas.
Nested high in the upper realms of Himachal Pradesh, the Parvati River does not have such claims to fame. Neither is its journey so long. It originates in the higher echelons of Mantalai Lake and then merges with the larger Beas River at Bhuntar near Kullu. In all it is a journey spanning less than two hundred kilometers.
Still, it is a mountain river and a mighty one at that. This is the story of a trek that was intertwined with the unfolding of Parvati river during a very long and unforgettable descent from the Parvati base camp after crossing the glacier at Pin Parvati pass.

The birth of the river. The Parvati river is said to have originated from the Mantalai lake, but I believe that her actual originating point was a little higher up, from a cluster of glacial lakes. © Apratim Kundu

Riot of colors towards Mantalai The thin streams wander from the glacial lakes, to join each other later and for the Parvati river. © Apratim Kundu

Near Oldi Thatch. A days trek from here, and the river starts to show the first signs of widening up. © Apratim Kundu

Changing course. A few thousand feet downstream, at a certain point, Parvati suddenly decided to change its course. © Apratim Kundu

And a little down it starts to become a ferocious river. At that time it was crossable only by a precariously hanging bridge. As I heard from a trekker friend later on, even this was not there a few months later. © Apratim Kundu

The green darkness. After crossing the bridge, you enter the forested slopes that lead towards Tundabhuj. © Apratim Kundu

Finally, we reached Tundabhuj. The penultimate day’s camping site. Blue smoke rolled up from a shepherd hutment as the mighty Parvati river kept on rolling at full might. © Apratim Kundu
And thus the trek ended. But the memories are still as fresh as yesterday.
Originally published at this LINK
Photo Credits
All Photographs Are © Apratim Kundu
Apratim Kundu Photographer Bio
A senior digital marketing professional in an IT company by profession, Apratim’s passion is traveling and trekking to the Himalayas and documenting them through writing and photography. His travels in the Himalayas has taken him to quite a few places – from the enchanting living root bridges of Meghalaya to Stok Kangri world’s highest trekking summit in the superlative and surreal mountainscape of Ladakh. The writing and photographs by Apratim aims to capture the essences of these great mountains.
That aside Apratim takes the time out to wander along off-the-beaten track destinations whenever possible. The idea is to portray these places and glean out the stories, as and when possible.
Website: Spacing Places
Apratim can be contacted at kundu.apratim@gmail.com or 810-653-4063
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