Jibhi Himachal Pradesh Jalori Pass
Jibhi is a scenic hamlet in Banjar Valley of Himachal Pradesh. Jibhi can be approached from Chandigarh-Manali Highway. There is a small detour in right just before the tunnel at AUT. You need to take that road following the river and head further till Bajnar. Banjar is some 27 km from AUT and well connected with private busses. Jibhi is another 8 km from Banjar town towards Jalori Pass.
Chaini Village is popular for some ancient structures those are inspired from Chinese art and archeology. Chaini Village can be reached as a 3-4 hour trek from Jibhi. The trek starts from a point called Chiladhar which is some 4 km from Jibhi on the way to Banjar. There is a little diversion to Sharingi Bagi temple from Chiladhar so you can easily notice that. Sharingi Bagi temple is another major attraction which lies on the mid way. There is a well outlined trail till the temple so I could easily make it to the temple without inquiring to anyone. The trail passes through small villages, cedar forest, apple plantations, and thin waterfalls etc. After spending an hour at temple, I started to trek further towards Chaini Village. Despite of the priest's directions, I followed the wrong trail uphill and reached to another hill. However I got the first glimpse of Chaini village from that neighboring hill….. Declined back and then hiked again…. Finally after passing through apple gardens and wheat fields, I made it to Chaini Village.
Though Jalori (3120 meter) is not among high passes of Himachal Pradesh still it is quite significant as it connects Shimla to Manali via Banjar Valley. Jalori does not witness heavy snow fall so it is generally open through-out the year. To be honest, Jalori was the only attraction of my visit to Jibhi but later I got to know about so many hidden treasures of Banjar Valley. From Jibhi, the first bus to Jalori departs at around 9:00 AM in the morning and takes around 2 hour to reach Jalori pass. Traveling in a bus carrying passengers double to its capacity and plying on such a steep road was indeed an exciting and profound experience.
Sarehul Lake is some 6 km from Jalori Pass. Sarehul Lake and temple are highly revered among locals of Banjar Valley. Hundreds of pilgrims follow this trail to offer their prayers to the main deity. Pilgrims circle around the lake and drops Pure Desi Ghee on its periphery. Trek to Sarehul Lake is majorly flat with some steep patches in between. It takes around 2 hour to make it to Lake from Jalori Pass. I never anticipated this number of trekkers along the route. Most of those were from neighboring villages and were visiting the temple to celebrate a festival.