It is divinity wafting into one’s senses, full of fragrance and colours of every level of imagination. This orchard of gods, for the gods and by the gods today is country’s best national orchard and one of the highest in the world. It is also known as Bhyundar valley or the Valley of Flowers drawing lakhs of pilgrims to take a look and have a brief stroll where their mighty lords had once enjoyed themselves. It almost a visit to the hinterlands of their mythological ancestry.
The legend has it, the orchard belonged to Lord Indra, King of Paradise in the sdatya Yuga. Nandan Kanan is also mentioned in scriptures in the Treta Yuga, when Great Hanuman collected Sanjeevani Booti (life-saving herbs) from here to heal deadly wounds of Lakshman. Lakshman is also known to have performed a harsh penance on the banks of the Lokpal Lake here.
This apart, there are a number of legends hang around the Nandan Kanan’. Once a huge a pair of flowers attracted Draupadi of Dwapar Yuga so much that she failed to prevent her lust for them. Goaded by her Bhim went to pluck flowers, but failed because a giant ape’s huge tail was lying their full stretched blocking his passage completely. Bhim tried to pull the tail aside to make passage for himself towards the flowers, but failed again even to stir it aside. Ashamed he wondered who must be the owner of the tail. Soon he found the giant ape, and instantly realised He was none other than Ram-Bhakta Hanuman of the Treta Yuga, lost in his meditation there. A British florist and lover of Nature Joan Margaret Lagae in 1930s was so much fond of this exquisite orchard in the Himalayas, that she spent all her life and even died here. Her grave would still be found in the vicinity.
WHY WAS IT CALLED ‘NANDAN KANAN’
As would be the divine ordain, the ‘Nandan Kanan’ has a very local atmospheric zone where climate differs from that in its surroundings. Generally such zones are available near wet lands, in the middle of left-out lands in heavily constructed areas or in valleys surrounded by mountain peaks or seas or rivers. The ambient air for such microclimatic zone develops after the surroundings suck up the extremity of the climate such as extreme heat, extreme wetness or extreme showers. Slopes of mountains or any highlands which get more sunlight and is warmer than those parts where the sunlight is scanty would naturally develop microclimate. Everything – the breeze, the wind, the drizzle, the sunshine, the shadow, the fragrance, the colours of plants, petals, flowers and fruits – all would be so pleasant that it would seem like enjoying a time in paradise. Hence the Sanskrit name, ‘Nadan Kanan’. The ‘Nandan Kanan’ or the Valley of Flowers is the country’s treasure trove, hence pilgrims have to be careful about trampling upon any of them. As Indians by nature embrace everything latest, especially if it is from foreigners, the mythological name of the garden, ‘Nandan Kanan’, was soon lost in the modern mind after 1931, when a British mountaineer Frank Smyth named it as ‘Valley of Flowers’. Smyth had lost his way and chanced upon this land of myriad flowers wherefrom waft fragrance variants all over. Smyth was returning after his successful expedition to the Mount Kammet.
FLORA: Almost all species of floers, plants, herbs, shrubs, grass can be found in the ‘Nandan Kanan’. If the nation today loses its plant species variants at forests in plains, the genes of these can now be retrieved from here to grow the same species and replenish losses. That is exactly the plan with which the scientists today are working in Indian laboratories. The rare species of asmanda ferns are in abundance here in many varieties. The Valley of Flowers is probably the only flower land of India, where rare orchids grow.
FAUNA: ‘Nandan Kanan’ is not devoid of fauna, well, if floora is there could fauna have been left behind? The heights are home to various species of musk deer, yellow-throated marten, Himalayan black bear, brown beer, Himalayan tahr, bharal (Pseudois nayaur), snow leopard, common langur, all species of pheasants including the rare Himalayan monal pheasant, Koklass pheasants. Though not often visible, there are reportedly rare species of reptiles in various folds in the mountain region near the garden which keep the garden ecologically balanced.
Rare species of birds flyover to this divine recluse such as Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Common Kestrel, Golden Eagle, Black Eagle. Himalayan Monal, Koklass Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Himalayan Snowcock, Snow Partridge, Hill Partridge, Chukar, Red-billed Chough, Yellow-billed Chough,
Common Raven, Grandala, Snow Pigeon, Spotted Laughingthrush, Variegated Laughingthrush, Plain-backed Thrush, Upland Pipit, Rosy Pipit, Rock Bunting, Whitecapped Bunting Brown Dipper, White-throated Dipper, Spotted Forktail, Little Forktail.
WHAT PILGRIMS MUST KNOW
● This Valley of Flowers has a mythological name as ‘Nandan Kanan’, where gods used to stroll around and naughty gods used to lurk to catch nymphs.
● Nandan Kanan’ is located just above Ghangaria, in the upper heights of the earth-bound Ganga, known as ‘Bhyundar Ganga’ in the Zanskar Mountain Range of the Garhwal region.
● Latitude is 33°44′ in the North; Longitude is 79°36′ in the East.
● Its area covers 87.5 square kilometres.
● Altitude is 3,250 to 6,7509 metre above the sea level.
● It catches rainfall about 1800.2 millimetre every year.
● Maximum Temperature goes upto 17° Celsius.
● Minimum temperature plummets to 7° Celsius.
● Best time to visit is from July to August.
● Geographical Location; District Chamoli, Garhwal, Uttarakhand State STD Code is : 01389
● Clothes should be according to climate.
● Heavy luggage should be avoided.
● One can stay at the base camp at Ghangaria or Joshimath, which is just below the valley.
