The Driveway
The Driveway
 Apple Orchards
Apple Orchards
 Hidden House
Hidden House
 The Market Street
The Market Street
 St. Mary Church
St. Mary Church
Fall colors
Fall colors
 Kotgarh
Kotgarh
 A beautiful Sunset
A beautiful Sunset
 Lighting up the night
Lighting up the night
 A breathtaking dawn
A breathtaking dawn
 Good Morning
Good Morning
 A doorway to a hidden place?
A doorway to a hidden place?
 Framed
Framed
 Morning walk
Morning walk
 Walk in the woods
Walk in the woods
 Reaching out
Reaching out
 A trail leads up through the forest towards the Hatu peak.
Up Up and Away
Up Up and Away
 Spotlight
Spotlight
 Spotlight -2
Spotlight -2
 Of Twists & Turns
Of Twists & Turns
 There at last!
There at last!
 Hatu Temple
Hatu Temple
 Hatu Goddess
Hatu Goddess
 Wall of shadows
Wall of shadows
 A clearing in the forest
A clearing in the forest
 Another view of the Hatu Temple
Another view of the Hatu Temple
 Blue skies and the blue mountains behold!
Blue skies and the blue mountains behold!
 A hop skip and jump across from the temple!
A hop skip and jump across from the temple!
 Enter the Dragon
Enter the Dragon
 A panel for Gods
A panel for Gods
 Another one for a different set of Gods
Another one for a different set of Gods
 I stand alone
I stand alone
 Krishna Tea Stall
Krishna Tea Stall
 A hot cuppa in the making
A hot cuppa in the making
 Ready to go wherever the road takes me
Ready to go wherever the road takes me
The Driveway
The DrivewayThis is the driveway that greeted me while i was walking towards my destination. Well I had half a mind to just barge in unannounced and lay claim to one of the rooms in the house that was settled in this beautiful orchard. Someday ... Amen! 
Apple Orchards
Apple OrchardsSo what if the apple season is not there, a walk amongst the orchard still revives your senses. A beautiful blend of brown, red, yellow, green and blue! 
Hidden House
Hidden HouseLeaves cover the driveway to this beautiful house overlooking the valley. Not a soul to disturb the peace. A perfect place to relax, unwind and probably read a book! 
The Market Street
The Market StreetNotice how the elevation of the road automatically decides who gets which shop. The barber gets the one with maximum height, the jeweler gets the middle one and the electronics guy who is going to be poring over small wires and capacitors all day long gets the one with the smallest height. 
St. Mary Church
St. Mary Church The small church built in 1872, is probably the only monument in the entire village that will be there on places to see map of a tourist! http://kotgarh-blog.blogspot.in/2010/04/legacy-to-cherish.html
Fall colors
Fall colorsFall colors everywhere - this small street leads to the oldest church in the village. A beautiful walk amongst from the town center 
Kotgarh
KotgarhQuaint cozy cottages nestled amongst apple orchards and pine trees dot the mountainside and form this lazy village Kotgarh
A beautiful Sunset
A beautiful SunsetThe sun sets over the valley, turning the skies crimson red, while there is still light in the sky, the valley below colors itself in shades of blue with a hint of oncoming fog. The village settled on the National highway opposite to apple valley is lost in the darkness... well only till its lights turn on - but that is another picture altogether! 
Lighting up the night
Lighting up the nightHimalayas are not as remote as you would think! The hills are lighted along the national highway. These are the same blue hills lighted up after the sunset! 
A breathtaking dawn
A breathtaking dawnA dawn that took my breath away... although this was the same shot which frustrated me enough as I missed out on a perfect start trail capture around this scene! Waking up at 5 am to capture this in the chilly morning was totally worth it! 
Good Morning
Good Morning"Good Morning" - A rose bush peeks over the compound wall to say hello to the passerby's 
A doorway to a hidden place?
A doorway to a hidden place?Wherever I go, I always bump into interesting doors
Framed
FramedA frame enhances a picture to some extent - in certain cases like these - it defines a picture. The hills, the apple orchards and the quaint little cottages in them -the essence of apple valley
Morning walk
Morning walkA father walks his little girl from the village bus stop to their home early in the morning. The sun rays filter through the trees and the smoke of the bidi mixes with the early morning mist in the air.
Walk in the woods
Walk in the woodsA walk in the woods - well yes there's a tar road here but nevertheless walking in the himalayas in the middle of a Pine forest with no vehicles at all and climbing all the way to 11,000 ft is always a fun experience. 
Reaching out
Reaching outPine trees reach out to the sky on a cold November afternoon.
A trail leads up through the forest towards the Hatu peak.
A trail leads up through the forest towards the Hatu peak.
Up Up and Away
Up Up and AwayThe climb towards the peak gets steeper and steeper and the trail gives way to lose rocks and grass
Spotlight
SpotlightThe afternoon sun filters through the forest and the hay to form this beautiful image. 
Spotlight -2
Spotlight -2Another image formed due to the afternoon sun peeking through the woods
Of Twists & Turns
Of Twists & TurnsAs you climb higher, the road starts twisting and turning, the air becomes chilly, trees start thinning out a bit and the grass turns a nice reddish color. For someone like me who has never experienced fall colors before, this was like a dream come true 
There at last!
There at last!after the grueling climb  - well not so grueling - this flight of stairs to the Hatu temple looks like a blessing in disguise! There atlas!
Hatu Temple
Hatu TempleThe temple of Hatu Goddess is believed to be there since the era of Pandavas. However the wooden structure around it has been recently built!
Hatu Goddess
Hatu GoddessThe deity of the Hatu Peak. The temple was opened just for us, so that we could get the blessings of the deity :) Talk about special service. 
Wall of shadows
Wall of shadowsThe temple borders cast beautiful shadows on the temple walls which are made of a combination of gray slate and wood. 
A clearing in the forest
A clearing in the forest
Another view of the Hatu Temple
Another view of the Hatu Temple
Blue skies and the blue mountains behold!
Blue skies and the blue mountains behold!Views of the Himalayas and blue skies as far as you can see.
A hop skip and jump across from the temple!
A hop skip and jump across from the temple!
Enter the Dragon
Enter the DragonIntricate dragon carvings on the mandap of the temple columns
A panel for Gods
A panel for GodsThe Hatu temple walls are carved with various Hindu gods.
Another one for a different set of Gods
Another one for a different set of GodsThe Hatu temple walls are carved with various Hindu gods.
I stand alone
I stand aloneA withered dry tree in the middle of a pine forest reaches out to the sky, probably in search of some precipitation to revive and rejuvenate itself.
Krishna Tea Stall
Krishna Tea StallThis man. part owner of the Krishan tea stall at Kotgarh is in the process of making some of the most yummiest samosas in the world. In a place where, restaurants are few and whose owners go missing, tea stalls like these are a life savior :) These samosas were my Lunch, breakfast and evening snacks for all the time i stayed there.
A hot cuppa in the making
A hot cuppa in the makingWhile I was waiting for my bus to Narkanda the next day, Krishan tea stall was busy brewing it's first cup of hot tea.  I was not the only one waiting in line to hold that cup  in hand and drink the warm liquid to brave the cold .
Ready to go wherever the road takes me
Ready to go wherever the road takes mewhere there are such lovely roads, who cares where they lead to - as they say...the journey is more important than the destination!
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