Adventure Sports in Kullu Region

Kullu terrain is almost mountainous. To popularise the mountaineering and allied sports the Mountaineering Institute second of its kind in the country was established at Chadhiari near the hot springs of Vashist Village in September, 1961. The first training course conducted by the Institute was in Nov-Dev, 1961 and the Institute was known as Western Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (WHMI), with the coming up of its own complex in the year 1976. The Institute was shifted to present location, Aleo Bihal, Manali and since then it is know as the Department of Mountaineering and Allied Sports.

Training in snow skiing was started in early 1970 at Solang Nala Ski-slopes. High Altitude Trekking was also started in 1970 and thereafter in order to conduct adventure and rock-climbing, specific courses were introduced. The Institute also imparts mountaineering and rescue training to the people living in the tribal area. For this us pose two mountaineering sub-centres were established at Jispa in Lahaul & Spiti district and Bharmaur in Chamba district in the year 1979. In order to help people to cross over Rohtang Pass to Lahaul & Spiti or Manali during winter months, the Directorate sets-up rescue posts at Marhi and Koksar from 15th November to 31st December and 1st March to 15ht May.

For trainees arrangement of boarding and lodging is made by the institution. The trekkers can also hire the needed equipments or articles from the institution.


Angling
Trout fish is found in large quantity in river Beas and its tributaries Parvati, Sainj, Trithan, Manikaran and Katrain areas. So fishing in Kullu district is an anglers paradise and this sport is catching up day by day. Tirthan river is particularly rich in brown trout fish where natural breeding of the fish takes place. The license for angling can be obtained from Fisheries Office, Kullu, Patlikulh, Larji & Banjar or from Tourist Office, Kullu and Manali. The Department of Fisheries are also organising angling tournament every year in April and in Sept-October.



Ideal trout beasts: River Beas (Katrain to Manali, 18 Km), Trithan Stream (Larji to Nagani, 20 Km), Sainj Stream (Larji to Ropa, 22 Km), Lambadug Stream (Barot to Lahoradi, 6 Km), Uhi Stream (Barot to Kothikad, 10 Km) and Sangla Bridge to Farm (5 Km).

Fishing Rates: Trout Waters - Rod & Lines: Rs.100/- per day. General Waters - Rod & Lines: Rs.40/- per day.
Close Season: Trout Water: From November to Las day of February each year. General Waters: From 1st June to 31 July each year.


Trekking
Kullu valley provides easiest as well as adventurous trekking paths to trekking lovers. Most of the routes pass though rugged and unspoiled beautiful valleys with aws inspiring glens, mossy meadows, deep forests inter woven by rushing streams and running brooks. Kullu-Manali valleys are full of real mountains and give comparatively easy access to them.



April to mid June and mid September to mid October is the best season for trekking. Tourist Development Corporation of Himachal Pradesh in collaboration with Department of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali and some other agencies arrange trekking expeditions. The charges include hiring of equipment, porters, transportations, meals and medical facilities and optionally, the approved high altitude guides and porters can also be hired. The accommodation in HPPWD-Rest Houses or Forest Rest House can be arranged through XEN or SE, PWD and Divisional Forest Office (DFO) of that area.


White Water Rafting
White water rafting is a thrilling as well as adventurous sports. In Kullu, Badah to Jhiri is a nine kilometer long down stream journey path. It takes rafters four hours to reach the destination. The water of river Beas is fast and water waves are dancing, giving the rafters an exciting experience. Rafting is available only in the period of May to July, that is summer only. Professional companies from private sectors make the necessary equipments & gears available to rafters. Each rafter is provided with a life jacket and a helmet. They are expected to wear a specific dress. An experienced guide and helper is also provided to the rafters.



Skiing
Skiing is possible in winter season (mid Dec to end of June) only when there is a thick layer of snow on the hills. It this view, the Solang Nala is the best consideration for skiing. The Mountaineering Institute, Manali is imparting training in skiing along with its other activities and training courses. Some professional skiers are also conducting the skiing courses. Skiing tournaments are also organised at national and international level. Bhrigu peaks and slopes near Hamta are perhaps the best slopes in the world for skiing. Winter skiing is organised at Solang whereas in summer, skiing is organised at Rohtang slopes.


Heli-Skiing
It is a new sport in India but is picking up in Manali. The helli skiers are dropped on mountains and ridges as high as 5500 mt by a helicopter. The skiers are in group of three equipped with a guide for safety. It also removes the pressure on less experienced or learners. This sport requires enough snow hence it is possible in the peak winter season. Private companies provide packages for heli-skiing.



Para Gliding
This sport too is in its initial stage but gaining popularity in Kullu. It is very thrilling sport. The high hills are natural launching sites for para gliding. Bhaikhali (9 km from Kullu, easily approachable by vehicle), Bijli Mahadev and Slang slopes are ideal locations for para-gliding. The best season for this sport is May-June and Sept-Oct. At Manali, the facility of seven days training course is available. Bijli Mahadev is approachable by own vehicle via Naggar or upto Chansari on vehical and three km on foot, with landing sites are both Dhalpur ground and Bhunter Airport.

History of Indian Railways

Indian Railways has a total state monopoly on India's rail transport. It is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, transporting sixteen million passengers and more than one million tonnes of freight daily. IR is the world's largest commercial or utility employer, with more than 1.6 million employees. The railways traverse the length and breadth of the country; the routes cover a total length of 63,140 km (39,233 miles). As of 2002, IR owned a total of 216,717 wagons, 39,263 coaches and 7,739 locomotives and ran a total of 14,444 trains daily, including about 8,702 passenger trains. Railways were first introduced to India in 1853. By 1947, the year of India's independence, there were forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems were nationalized as one unit, becoming one of the largest networks in the world. Indian Railways operates both long distance and suburban rail systems.

A plan for a rail system in India was first put forward in 1832, but no further steps were taken for more than a decade. In 1844, the Governor-General of India Lord Hardinge allowed private entrepreneurs to set up a rail system in India. Two new railway companies were created and the East India Company was asked to assist them. Interest from investors in the UK led to the rapid creation of a rail system over the next few years. The first train in India became operational on 22 December 1851, and was used for the hauling of construction material in Roorkee. A year and a half later, on 16 April 1853, the first passenger train service was inaugurated between Bori Bunder, Bombay and Thane. Covering a distance of 34 km (21 miles), it was hauled by three locomotives, Sahib, Sindh and Sultan. This was the formal birth of railways in India.

The British government encouraged new railway companies backed by private investors under a scheme that would guarantee an annual return of five percent during the initial years of operation. Once established, the company would be transferred to the government, with the original company retaining operational control. The route mileage of this network was about 14,500 km (9,000 miles) by 1880, mostly radiating inward from the three major port cities of Bombay (Mumbai), Madras (Chennai) and Calcutta ( Kolkata). By 1895, India had started building its own locomotives, and in 1896 sent engineers and locomotives to help build the Uganda Railway.

Soon various independent kingdoms built their own rail systems and the network spread to the regions that became the modern-day states of Assam, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. A Railway Board was constituted in 1901, but decision-making power was retained by the Viceroy, Lord Curzon. The Railway Board operated under aegis of the Department of Commerce and Industry and had three members: a government railway official serving as chairman, a railway manager from England and an agent of one of the company railways. For the first time in its history, the Railways began to make a tidy profit. In 1907, almost all the rail companies were taken over by the government.



The following year, the first electric locomotive appeared. With the arrival of the First World War, the railways were used to meet the needs of the British outside India. By the end of the First World War, the railways had suffered immensely and were in a poor state. The government took over the management of the Railways and removed the link between the financing of the Railways and other governmental revenues in 1920, a practice that continues to date with a separate railway budget.

The Second World War severely crippled the railways as trains were diverted to the Middle East, and the railway workshops were converted into munitions workshops. At the time of independence in 1947, a large portion of the railways went to the then newly formed Pakistan. A total of forty-two separate railway systems, including thirty-two lines owned by the former Indian princely states, were amalgamated as a single unit which was christened as the Indian Railways.

The existing rail networks were abandoned in favour of zones in 1951 and a total of six zones came into being in 1952. As the economy of India improved, almost all railway production units were indigenised. By 1985, steam locomotives were phased out in favour of diesel and electric locomotives. The entire railway reservation system was streamlined with computerisation in 1995.

source: wikipedia