Kareri Lake

Continued from Here: Triund Trek

Kareri Lake Trek

Highest Altitude: 2,934 m (9,626 ft)

Location: Kangra District

State/Country: Himachal Pradesh/ India

Base Village: Kareri 

Total Distance: 20km (Return)

Number of Days: 2 Days

Difficulty Level: Easy - Moderate

Kamadenu - Story of a lost cow

29-Sep-2025 - I woke up early and walked to Bhagsu taxi stand. The tea stall was not yet open. By 6:30AM the shopkeeper arrived and served hot tea to all those who were waiting. Most Indians like me, do not want to get the day started without a hot cup of tea. I went back to the hotel, got ready and packed my bag. As informed, Divyesh and I were ready to leave by 8AM. The taxi arrived at 8:30 AM and took us to Kareri village. 

Our taxi driver took a shortcut from McLeod Ganj to Dharamshala. The road was so narrow that only one car could comfortably pass on it. When there was another vehicle in front of us, we had to drive back to a bend so that the it could pass. It was a scary drive because on one side you would fall off the cliff and on the other side, there was a ditch left open. 

 

We reached Kareri village at around 9:50AM. Vijay’s brother Ravi Thakur organises treks here (CampingKAR). The two brothers work together and share bookings as per the region the trek is in. Ravi has done a mountaineering course. He has a small office at the entrance of the village and some rooms for trekkers to rest. The office wall has photos and certificates of some of his accomplishments as mountain climber.

There is a hostel and a cafe very close to the office. Apart from that there are many home stay options in the village. I fell in love with the village as soon as we got there. Divyesh and I planned to visit the village some time in future, just to relax. 

Ravi took all the details he needed for the declaration form and then we waited for two other trekkers who were riding on a scooter from McLeod Ganj. They were late. Ravi told us that apart from us there was a group of 60 people who had already gone ahead. This was a batch of Grade 12 students from a school in Rajasthan. However, they were camping midway and planning to do the trek in 3 days. The guide who was supposed to take us had to help the bigger group so, a new guide was called for.

 

Rishav is a 25 year old young boy and has been a trek lead with some popular trek organisers. Along the way, I spoke to Rishav to understand more about the village of Kareri. He told me that the people there spoke Gaddi language. The language has no script. There is a school in the village but for college the youth would go to Dharamshala. Rishav has an undergraduate degree in Tourism. 

When I was surprised why the houses built there had no plaster to hold the rocks together, Rishav explained that they are built using a local stone called Jan. The edges of this stone are rough and hold the rock above firmly without requiring any kind of external bonding. 

This trail was part of many other popular treks in the region. The trail would further lead to several mountain passes like Mankiyani pass, Gaj pass, Kundli pass and Lam dal. The 7 lakes trek is also a popular 6-day trek in this region.

Rishav told me that villagers leave their cows in the meadows before the rains. When the winter sets in, they bring it back to the village. He too had left his cow there and seemed excited about bringing it back on this trek. In him, I saw a young man taking up the responsibility of a cow for the first time and being proud of his work. A thing perhaps he has seen his ancestors do and had aspired to do it himself someday. What has struck me the most on this trip is the kindness of people in the villages. As a city-dweller and a relatively experienced man who has dealt with enough deceitful people in life, I am conditioned to doubt everyone and everything. I feel guilty of that sometimes as I take time to trust the intentions of these innocent villagers. 

All along the trail there were Bichoo booti shrubs. If the leaves would rub against your body it would result in a severe burning sensation. This would also lead to continuous itching. But nature has introduced a cure growing right next to it - Albar leaves which when rubbed on to the bite would reduce the itching. 

All along the trail, we followed the Nyund stream which originates from the high-altitude Kareri lake. 

On our way, we crossed the Grade 12 students of APS Allawar. I noticed that the children were well-behaved and enjoying the trek. One boy shared peanuts with me. Manan, a student who was overweight was a slow. But a lady teacher was cooperative and encouraged him at every step. I remembered Nithin from my Kedarkantha trek. The joy he had felt when he reached Kedarkantha base camp was a pleasure to watch. I was however disappointed that not one student was with Manan. Everyone had moved ahead in their sub-groups. Moreover, the male teacher accompanying them kept asking Manan to hurry up and thus building extra pressure on him. Thanks to the lady teacher, Manan did not feel deserted and demotivated. I explained to Divyesh that schools are not only meant to teach subjects and prepare children for the professional courses. The most important part of schooling is to inculcate in children the sense of empathy for each other. In school, they learn to work as a team, deal with the disagreements and differences among them and build strong friendships. There is so much to learn in a school beyond those 5 or 6 subjects that make their way into a report card. 

 

The students were camping midway along the trail. Their tents were setup next to a beautiful waterfall. Along the trail, there were a few shops setup by locals. We took enough stops and in one shop, we had salted lime juice. For lunch, I had some tasty Bhakri Divyesh had got from his house for me. 

The entire area was populated by domestic animals. There were a lot of sheep and some cows grazing in the hills. There were dogs to take care of them. Shepherds stayed in the stone houses and looked after the herd. Rishav told me that some of these shepherds do this all year. They start high up in the mountains and as the winter sets in, they move south towards Punjab border. Then move up again. They visit their home when needed but are mostly on the trail. 

A lamb, separated from its mother, kept crying and calling her. The mother responded occasionally but seemed lazy to go looking for the lamb. I was told later by the shepherd that the lamb was only 2 days old and that it was intentionally separated by the shepherds to prevent attacks from predators. I wonder who is protected here - The lamb or the herd? 

At one point on the trail there is a small shrine built by the river. In the shrine, there was a bust of a young boy, a Shiva idol and a Shiva linga. There was also a photo of the boy. A board on the wall informed me that his name was Sonu Kumar and he had died in the year 2016, at the age of 20. Rishav told me later that Sonu had some health issue. Rishav does not exactly remember what the ailment was but he doubts if it was something related to heart. Sonu was advised by the doctors not to strain his body. Once a year, the villagers take a spiritual journey to the Shiva temple near Kareri lake and further. Sonu, being a devotee of lord Shiva, insisted on taking part in this annual affair. While he was up there, he fell sick and began to vomit. He had to be carried back but he breathed his last at this same location. In his memory, his parents built this small shrine for lord Shiva. 

Though I am sad that the boy lost his life, this story also made me angry. I am surrounded by people who despite realising the advancement in science, still believe in superstition and religious rituals and in the process risk their mental well-being, their health and lose a lot of money. When will we be free of these blind beliefs? And now, this shrine, instead of being a reminder of why we must not ignore our health and the instructions we receive from the learned, is probably on its way to become another place of blind belief. 

Our campsite was by the Nyund stream and very close to Kareri lake. There was a shelter which acted as a kitchen and our tents were pitched on the flat area near it. We left our bags in the tent and had some tea, while sitting at the campsite, enjoying the view. Around that time Anuj and Vikas, two trekkers who were delayed arrived. Anuj teaches Hindi and Vikas teaches Computers in a school in Sonipat. 

Rishav led us all to Kareri lake. The views were mesmerising. There was not much water in the lake though. There is a small Shiva temple next to the lake. The temple reminded me again of Sonu. 

The cows and mules left to be graze wandered around the lake. Rishav and his friend went in search of the cow he had left 3 months ago. We had enough time to sit and relax by the lake. It was so peaceful out there. We were too lazy to walk to the west end of the lake to watch the sunset, so, we stayed there and soaked in the beauty of the place as it began to loose light and change colours due to the setting sun. 

Rishav returned disappointed. He had not found his cow while his friend had found two of his. A deep sadness showed on Rishav's face. It was then that I realised how young he was - Only 25 years old - a young man deeply saddened by the disappearance of the cow. "Has it killed by a predator?" we wondered. There were bones of many animals, mostly cows and bulls lying around there. Rishav had told me that some die, some get killed but most are of old cows or bulls that are abandoned by the villagers. 

I asked Rishav if he had named his cow to which the answer was negative. I wondered how the cow would respond to the calling. We always had names for our cows. My grandmother or mother would name them all. There was Poonyakoti and her daughter whom I remember well - Kamadhenu. In Puranas, Kamadhenu is considered sacred. She is said to have emerged during the Samudra mathana. She would give anything wished for. She is a symbol of abundance and prosperity. There is also the story of King Kashyapa (who later became sage Vishwamitra) trying to forcefully capture her from sage Vashishta. 

So, I asked Rishav to name her Kamadhenu. He smiled despite his sadness. He told me that he would go back and search for her again in the morning. I wondered what bothered him the most - Loosing the cow or failing on his first mission of being a cowherd like his ancestors? No matter which, his pain was genuine and I hoped that he would find his cow soon. 

Dinner was served - Roti-Sabji-Rice-Dal. Since the weather was pleasant and not too cold, I slept on a rock looking up at the night sky, packed with twinkling stars. The reflection of the moon on the flowing river looked like a dancing light. 

Next morning, I got up early, freshened-up and went to the lake. Rishav had left before me. I had the place all for myself. I went to the west end of the lake and explored the area a bit before returning. At a distance, I saw Rishav happily walking back with his cow. I was happy for him. 

 

Rishav told me that he had found the cow in the jungle adjacent to the meadows. "They find their group and stick to it", he said. "Cows do not wander around alone", he assured me. Along with his cow, there was a bull too. He told me that they had sold the bull to a man from a neighbouring village. He would take it back and direct it to the village. "It would be easy to take her back if she had a company", he added. He also hoped that his cow would be impregnated. I was glad that at least they allowed natural breeding. Back in our place, cows are impregnated using artificial insemination. 

Smile on Rishav's face had returned. Along with it was a sense of pride too. He was now a bona fide Cowherd. Parathas were served for breakfast. It was so thick that even one felt like a lot. Anuj and Vikas got ready too. Anuj is a year older than me. He is a fun guy who likes making reels while acting like a Bollywood star in a song sequence. I shot a few videos for him. He is also jovial and a conversationalist. Both Vikas and Anuj kept asking me if I were from Hyderabad. They were impressed by my Hindi and wondered how I could speak so well. I told them that I must thank my Kendriya Vidayala education for that. 

The trek back was enjoyable. We took enough stops and relaxed well. Anuj even took a dip in the stream. 

However, our ordeal with the cows was not over. Rishav would let the cow and the bull go ahead on the trail. The cows however would take shortcuts. Rishav would worry again and he would enquire about them with the shop owners. They having seen so many cows walk around could no tell which one was his. He would then trace the path generally taken by animals and look for footprints. So that happened a few times during the return journey. "They know the route sir, they will come back on their own, they have the memory of this trail.", he would assure me after having found them again. 

When we reached the main road, Rishav directed the bull towards its village and his cow towards Kareri. However, we lost the cow again. While driving back from the trek start point to Kareri village, we could not find the cow. He guessed that she would have taken the jungle route. "I must have asked you to drive the car and taken her back to the village.", He regretted. The happiness on his face slowly disappeared. He planned to take the jungle route and trace her later that evening. Somehow this entire trek at the end seemed like a cow hunt. However, I enjoyed it. 

Anuj and Vikas stopped at the only cafe in the village to have lunch before proceeding, while Divyesh and I, drove with Ravi and Rishav on latter's car. We paid Rishav a tip for his service. A smile resurfaced on his face as he slipped the money into his pocket. However that stayed only until he was once again reminded of his lost cow. 

On our way Rishav and Ravi told us about life in the villages during landslides. Villages get cut off for days. They spoke to us about a young boy who was hit and killed by a falling rock. Close to Dharamshala, we changed cars and headed back to Bhagsu. That ended our amazing trek to Kareri lake. I returned back with so many memories and stories to tell. The beauty of nature has left a profound feeling in me that I fail to describe in words. 

PS: I called Rishav after returning to Bangalore and learnt that the cow had reached home through the jungle route. His message ended with a emoji of a smiling face, indicating his mood. 

To Be Continued...