Had Ki Dun Trek,Har Ki Dun

Har ki Dun, is a valley that is situated in Govind Wildlife sanctuary, Uttarkashi district in north-west Uttarakhand. It was a cradle shaped valley that can only be reached by trekking to the valley. The distance to the Har ki Dun valley is 25 KM from the road head. Thus the total trek distance is 50 KM. It takes 2 to 3 days to reach the valley and return in another 2 days. In 1937, Doon school master Jack Gibson along with Tenzing Norgay and his colleague John Martyn climbed Bandarpunch peak. Jack Gibson made several expeditions in the region and trained young Indian mountaineers. The flora, fauna and Garhwali culture of Har ki Dun region thus became known to the outside world. The name "Har Ki Dun" is interpreted in two different ways. First is the literal translation, i.e. Valley of Gods - Har is the name for Shiva, one of the trinity gods as per Hinduism. Dun means a valley. The other name has more resemblance with the local culture and traditions. The second translation is "The sound of Shiva or the Sound of God". Every year to welcome Lord Someshwara (a form of Shiva) a festival is held in the valley, where a Dhaki (drummer) plays the drum. It is said that ages ago a Dhaki had disappeared in the Valley above and every year during the festival month one can still occasionally hear the Dhaki playing drums far up in the valley in the early hours of the day. Many village elders mention of several accounts throughout their lives about hearing these drums.