Barot Valley

Barot Valley - Beautiful place in Himachal Pradesh, India

Barot Valley is a very beautiful place, it is a beautiful place, this valley is known for its natural beauty and the trout fish found here and for tracking. The fish farm here is a very good place and the trout fish is very beautiful and cute, people also come to see the trout fish. Coming here creates a very good atmosphere.

Other information about Barot Valley

Barot Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India

Where is Barot Valley located?

Barot Valley is located in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh state. Himachal Pradesh state is in India. At the end of this post, you will be told how to reach here.

The Broad Valley, surrounded by beautiful pine forests and beautiful hills, looks very beautiful; its natural beauty captivates the mind.

Barot Valley, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India

        The Uhal river flows in the Barot valley which adds to its beauty. People also call it Switzerland. There are other places in India which are very beautiful like Darjeeling, Nainital, Shimla but there is a lot of crowd here but Barot Valley is in a homogeneous environment and the crowd is less here.

       Barot Valley is in Himachal Pradesh, Himachali people are very helpful, simple and kind.

       There is a very beautiful place near here, where you can stay comfortably and from there you can see the natural beauty of this place. This place keeps changing its color in the evening, morning and night.

     This valley is spread over an area of approximately 12 kilometers; you can walk on foot within 2 kilometers of it, the rest of the place you can go by car. Apart from this there are unique villages nearby which are very old villages, where you will get to see very old houses which are more than a hundred years old.

    Daily use items are available in local shops here, if you need bigger items then the nearest towns are Joginder Nagar and Padhar town which is approximately 35 to 40 kilometers away from here.

          There are homestays here and a lot of eco-tourism is stationary here and I stayed in this hotel (Hotel Krishna Barot Valley) which is near the dam, which is a very good hotel, the hotel rooms are very clean and you can stay here with your family.

Barot Valley Map

Trekking

  Barot Valley is considered a very important place for trekking enthusiasts. There are beautiful places like Billing and Rajgundha for trekking here. If you are a devotee of Hanuman ji, you can also visit Hanuman Tibba, which is about 20 to 25 kilometers away from Barot valley.

Winch Camp Trekking

Winch camp is a place which is situated high above Barot valley in the mountains. There is a railway track which passes through the heights of the mountains. This railway track is at an inclination of approximately 20 to 60 degrees which gives it a distinct identity.   

Apart from this, Winch Camp is also a good option, where you can see the haulage trolley. The haulage trolley was built by the Britishers to carry the goods of the dam here.

Historical Significance

          Barot Valley was developed around 1925 for the construction of dam for Sanan Hydel Project. Electricity for Shanan Hydel Projects is generated in Joginder Nagar but water for bring in electricity is brought through pipes from Barot Valley Dam.

     The Shanan Hydel Project was built and designed by British engineer Colonel B. C. Betty. At that time the king of Joginder Nagar was Sh. Karan Sen. The British constructed this project by collaborating with Raja Karan Sen.

     This project was India's first Hydroelectric Power Project, whose capacity was to generate electricity in megawatts. This almost 100 years old dam is still working as it was built. The water of this dam is brought to Joginder Nagar through a tunnel and electricity is generated in a Shanan place in Joginder Nagar. You can also reach Barot by trekking from Shanan near Joginder Nagar.

Nearby Attractions Place

Barot Dam

The Barot valley dam was built for the Shanan Power Project. Due to this dam, Barot village was constructed and this dam adds to the beauty of Barot.

Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary

Barot Valley is situated in Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary. Nargu is a wild animal and it is found in the forests here, hence the name Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary was named after this animal.

    A lot of animals are found in this forest. There are a lot of Devdaru trees in this forest. Apart from this, there are Buransh trees and Baan trees too.

Winch Camp

To go to this place, people need to be strong as one can reach here only by trekking. To go here you will also need a local guide because the route here passes through dense forest. Here the British have prepared a track in the mountains for the Haulage Trolley which is amazing. This track is like a railway line but it is a hilly track with an inclination of about 20 to 60 degrees, it is an amazing track.

                     I have gone to this trek myself, you can see my video on Ram Himachali Vlogs Facebook page.

Fula ri Dhar Village

Fula Ri Dhar is a village situated on a high hill, 20 kms behind Barot. When you are going to Barot, there is a Jhatingari place in the middle from where you can go to Fula Ri Dhar village. If there are no clouds in the sky, then you can see the beautiful view of the surrounding hills from here. 

• From Fula ri Dhar one can see the beautiful view of Dhauladhar mountain. 
• It snows almost the whole year in the Dhauladhar mountain range. 
• Fula ri Dhar is in Mandi district and Dhauladhar mountain district is in Kangra.

Jhatingari Village

   This village surrounded by Devdaru trees is very beautiful. You will find this village on Barot Road. You will find this village on the way to Barot. Be sure to stop here and see the views.

Luhardi Village 

Lohardi is a lovely village located at a distance of about 8 km from Barot Valley. This village is in a remote area and is a quiet village. There is a road till Lohardi, beyond that is a polling village till where the last road goes. There are other small villages around Lohardi Village. 

• Polling Village

   There are many high lakes and trekking places around Lohardi Village. Polling Village is 2 km away from Lohardi. Trekking can be done beyond Polling Village. This village is located in the Himalayas. There are dense deodar and Baan trees around Lohardi village. 

• Swar Village

   Barot Valley is situated in District Mandi and Lohardi Village is situated in District Kangra. There is a village 3 km near Lohardi named Swar Village. To reach Swar Village you have to go trekking.

• 100 Year Old Forest Rest House 

  Swar Village is a beautiful village. There is a Forest Rest House built by the Britishers which is almost 100 years old. Booking of this Rest House can be done from Palampur Forest Department.

Home Stay and Hotel

    Now home stays and hotels are also available in Lohardi. Online booking of all homestays and hotels is available.

Baragran Village

Baragran Village is located in District Kangra while Barot Valley is located in District Mandi. Bargran Village is one of the highest villages of Himachal Pradesh. Baragran Village falls on Barot to Billing Road. 

Baragran Village near Barot Valley

 Baragran Village is situated on the banks of Uhl River. Rajgundha Village is a beautiful place opposite Baragran.     

• Old Houses in Baragran

Baragraon is a traditional wood and stone house. These wooden and stone houses are more than 100 years old. Potato is mostly cultivated in this village. People here rear sheep and goats and also keep cows.

Paragliding tak-off point Billing

If you are coming to Barot Valley from Pathankot and Kangra, then you can also reach Barot Valley from Billing Place via Bir. Billing is famous for the take-off of paragliding. Billing is also famous for World Paragliding Games. These games are organized in Billing every year in November. 

  Paraglide take-off is at Billing and the landing site is at Bir. Here paragliders look like birds in the sky, which look very beautiful.

Hanumangarh

Hanumangarh is situated on a high hill. If you are a great devotee of Hanuman ji then you can go here by trekking. There is Rajgundha place on the Bir-Billing road from Barot Valley along which there is a way to go to Hanumangarh.

Rajgundha

Rajgundha is a very beautiful place. There are dense trees all around. This place is also situated on Bir-Billing road. Rajgundha place is approximately 28 km away from Barot Valley.

Lapas Waterfall 

Lapas Waterfall is near Lapas village. This village is a beautiful village located approximately 6 km away from Barot Valley. It is very nice to visit here during summer. To reach Lapas Waterfall you have to first go to Boching village. There is a rough road from Boching village to Lapas village. You can get the amazing view of Lapas Waterfall by trekking approximately 500 meters from Lapas village. 

Trout Fish Farms

The Britishers used to live here and they liked cold places more. The cold water of the Uhl river here was very good for Trout Fish, so the Britishers put Trout Fish in the river here. The Britishers mostly liked to live in the forest and there is also a 100 year old house above the Barot Valley, which you can visit.

    Trout fish was not found here more than 100 years ago. Trout fish was brought and reared by the British. Even after independence there was no road here. Till then one had to travel by carriage trolley and local people used to come by foot. The British left but the Trout fish remained in the river here. Around 1975 a road was built here. After that development took place slowly and people started coming here to visit. Now the local people have opened Trout Fish Farms where people come to see and buy Trout Fish.  Himachal Government also has its own Trout Fish Farm here.

Forest Rest House

Barot Valley is divided into two districts, one part is of Mandi district and the other part is of Kangra district. That is why there are 2 forest houses here. These forest houses are very amazing. They are made of wood and look beautiful from outside, but if you go inside it looks like a palace.

100 Year old Betty's House

Shanan Jalvidyut project was designed and constructed by British engineer Colonel B. C. Betty. He used to live in his house named Betty's House. This house is almost 100 years old, Betty's house is about 2 km away from Barot Dam, you can reach here by trekking.