Har-Ki-Dun Valley The Har-Ki-Dun valley in Garhwal is located close to the Tons. It is filled with beautiful alpine flowers of different hues. It is well known for its beauty and luxuriant flowers.

Bandarpunch (6,320m) from South. Bandarpunch (pronounced bander-pooch), means 'monkey tail' in Hindi. This name is apt because the sky line of the mountain resembles the line of the tail of monkeys common in the area. Credit: Hugo Velthuijsen

The Har-Ki-Dun Valley drains out the Swargarohini. From the valley, Bandarpunch and Swargarohini peaks are prominent.

The approach to the Har-Ki-Dun valley takes one through the Tons Valley and the villages of Taluka, Panwali and Osla. From a distance, the blood-red Ramdana fields contrast with the greenery of the area and make the landscape colorful.

People
The inhabitants of this valley are known as Parwati, and although they are similar to their counterparts in Jaunsar and Rawain, they claim their descent from the Kauravas of Mahabharata. In fact, they are the only people who worship Duryodhan of the Mahabharata and there are a number of temples dedicated to Duryodhan. Each year, Duryodhan's one-legged idol is taken out in a procession in a palanquin from village to village where, on its arrival, a lot of merry-making ensues.

Another god who is assiduously worshipped is Pokhu, or sheep god, for he inspires them to steal sheep and goats from the nearby herds and feast on them! These people still believe in a polyandrous society and are superstitious and orthodox.

The houses in this valley are built with fine architecture, having conical, sharp sloped roofs covered with sleeper joints. They are 3-4 floors high and have covered verandahs with beautiful wood carvings. The lower floor is used for housing cows. The second and third floors are used for storage and accommodation. The top floors are generally used for residential purposes.