The village of Bhanara grows on the rocky surface of a sloping hill that rises from the very edge of the old Kullu-Manali highway, not far from the road that leads up to the Nagar castle. A narrow mountain trail links the village to the hamlet of Jagatsuk, which occupies much of the lower portion of the hill and lines both sides of the highway with the type of one-storey shops one usually finds in this side of the Himalayas.
As one ascends the trail, the village becomes impossible to spot, as dense foliage of wild vegetation, rocky outcrops and trees heavy with summer leaves obscure it from view. In August, when the rains pelt down, the trail built of rough-cut stones turns slippery at intervals. But not for the residents of the village, who traverse up and down in haste and leisure, sure-footed as mountain goats.
Bhanara is thought by some to be an ancient Himalayan village, although there is practically zero evidence to suggest when it turned into a sizable cluster of homes to be called a village or who its founding fathers were.
The settlement is mentioned in several versions of Himalayan folklore associated with the rise of serpent worship in the Western Himalayas, particularly that of the serpent deity Shrigan Naga, and whose newly renovated temple, built in the Kath Kuni style of architecture, stands a little distance above the present-day village.
Inspite of alterations and additions to the original fabric of legends by generations of interpreters, Bharana has unfailingly found mention in each version and is stated to have existed before the arrival of its patron serpent deity.
As snake worship in India is known to have found roots even before the primary source of information on India’s obscure past, the Vedic scriptures were compiled, and epics such as the Mahabharata recount battles and wars with indigenous clans known as the Nagas (see Farbound.Net story: Behind the myth of the serpent people).
It is possible the area was once inhabited by one such tribe that worshipped the serpent and whose emblem was the hooded cobra – an iconography that still can be seen engraved in wood on temples, and as has been attested by historians who for some time now have claimed the hills of the region to have been home to ancient non-Vedic tribes.
Or perhaps was visited by early Vedic settlers, sages and hermits, who brought the legends of the Serpent into the hills after the practice of worshipping it had been assimilated into their own religion and actual events had transformed into legends, and which then, over the centuries, acquired a slight local touch.
Although it is also possible that both the village and the temple are of a much later date.
Present.
Whereas the ancient Bharana would have comprised of shoddily made homes of stone and wood, with its inhabitants even living in caves, in present times, the settlement is considered to be a mid-size village with a 2011 census indicating a total of 72 families living in the area, and which may have grown by a negligible margin in 2016.
Their occupation, mostly farming and cultivation. Their homes, a mixture of old Himachali-style village huts made out of slate, stone and wood, as well as more elegant architectural constructions that have come into fashion of late, equipped with modern amenities such as electricity and cable televisions. Their local affairs and issues, addressed by a village committee.
Owing to its location up in the mountain, the village as it was in the olden days, still had no motorable road in 2016 when I last visited, travelling alone and on foot. It was midday, raining, and the village was practically deserted.
Leaving the residents to transport everything from construction material to everyday provisions, including the ailing and sick, by foot on the narrow mountain path that links the village to the Kullu-Manali highway, or till the concrete road that wends up the mountain on the other side but stops some distance away from the village.
Much like their forefathers would have in days now gone by.
Albeit now, the path is reinforced with concrete and crudely made stone steps at intervals, and supplies can be availed close by in the hamlet of Jagatsuk that lies just below the village.
Yet, like several other small settlements located high up in the mountains, Bharana, too, throughout its history has remained a village. Its slow growth in size and population over the years suggesting even in ancient times, it may not have been of much importance.
I F I This is an independent story describing the village Bhanara in relation to its association with the Serpent Deity Shirgan Naga, and as described in legends. I
