Bir-Billing, what is the word that comes to your brain when you hear ‘Bir-Billing’? It’s Paragliding right?. It's obvious too because this mesmerizing town is very famous for this adventure sport. Nestled in the beautiful Kangra Valley, Bir is the Paragliding capital of India. It is also Asia’s highest and world’s second-highest paragliding spot towering at a height of 8000ft. It has also hosted the Paragliding world cup in 2015.
But, apart from the paragliding, this enchanting has a lot more to offer and the same we are gonna tell you through this blog.
Crazy about Sunrise or Sunset?
If you love capturing sunrise or sunrise, this spot is for you. The Mata Maheshwari Temple. Reach there by climbing stairs that are surrounded by lush green pine trees and pin-drop silence. It is around 40-45. Take darshan and go to the terrace of the temple. The view is breathtaking. You are going to witness a full 360º view. One side the mighty Dhauladhar Ranges and the other side complete Bir town.
Cycle more, worry less!
Yes, you can go for an adventurous 7-8 km cycling trail in Bir. It starts near the Landing site and takes you to the huge Sherabling Monastery and stupas that are near to it. Surrounded by the big tall trees and the valley on another side, this complete route is full of twists and turns and stunning views.
Hike to Waterfall
You must not forget to visit this waterfall on your Bir trip. It is the Gunehar Waterfall in Gunehar Valley. It takes around 20-25 min to reach there from main Bir town through cab or two-wheeler and then it takes around 1 hour to explore the valley. With the excellent views, you also get a clear stream of water and a clean place to chill. Remember, do not litter, please!. Here you can also you’re your Adrenaline through Bungee Jumping. There is also a tiny village on the top of the mountains.
Visit Ancient Baijnath Temple
Just before you enter Bir, you get a town named Baijnath. It is very famous for the ancient Baijanth Temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Here he is celebrated as lord of Physician or Vaidyanath and established here in the form of Lingam. Lots of devotees come here to take the blessings of Lord Shiva. There are also inscriptions on the walls of the temple. As per the belief, the water of this temple is highly beneficial and has the capacity to treat most human sufferings and diseases.
Do Meditation and Participate in Workshops
Bir has this wonderful Deer Park Institute where many workshops like art workshop, writing workshop etc are conducted by the Tibetan monks. Also, every day in the morning one short meditation session of 45 min also happens. And yes it is absolutely free! People from different parts of the country come here and live for self-realization, self-actualization etc. Don’t forget to visit the cute library there. Truly, it’s a very peaceful place with all amenities.
What More?
After all this, you can visit other monasteries like Chokling Monastery, Nyingyang Monastery etc. Go to Dharmalaya Institute for amazing courses, volunteering etc
Let’s talk about food
It doesn’t matter if you are a foodie or not but you must go to the famous eating places in Bir. There are many good cafes in this small town that serve mouth-watering dishes with warm hospitality and soothing views.
Cafes such as Northern Café, Avva’s café, Silver Linings café, Musafir café, Himalayan Café should be on your to-do list. Apart from the cafes don’t forget to dive into local Tibetan food like Momos, Thukpa etc. Also, there is one special street food called Laphing. It’s delicious indeed! Now, if you are bored with all these and want to have ‘Ghar ka Khana’ ask anyone about the Vimala Aunty shop. She will give you the food that is surely going to make you remember your Home.
So, these are things that you can do in Bir apart from Paragliding. It takes around 2 days if you want to cover everything that is mentioned in the blog and you can add one more day just for Paragliding and taking a rest. We hope this blog will be useful for your trip. Then, When are you going to Bir?
