Bir Billing
District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh
Position – N32 02.633 E76 43.537 and N32 03.518 E76 44.652
Altitude – 1525 metres and 2364 metres
Part of Treks:
If you are wondering at 2 sets of co-ordinates and altitudes for one place, stop wondering. Bir and Billing are two different places but are often referred to together for multiple reasons. Bir is a village; Billing is not, Billing is the take off point for paragliding and Bir the landing place. Hence, the case of confused identities. It may be worth mentioning that I spent a large part of my childhood in Bir, from 1983-1990. So, I have some wonderful memories and a disproportionately large bias as well.
For a village I spent 7 years in, I know very little about Bir. In fact, I know nothing at all except that it has been a village for as long as I can remember, has hosted gliding competitions for years now, is fairly well connected, just 4 km off the NH 20, is very close to Chaugan and Bhattu, both of which are Tibetan centres, complete with their share of Tibetan monasteries and the cottage industry of Tibetan carpets.
If you are not the came-saw-conquered type of tourist and like taking things slow, Bir and around can take 3-4 days to see. The list of things to see, in addition to the Tibetan monasteries includes tea gardens, a co-operative tea factory, the paragliding site at Billing and the landing sites at Bir and Chaugan. If you are a lover of green tea, there are not many which can compete with the Kangra valley green tea and you can buy some at the tea factory. A night at the Forest Rest House, another in the long list of British legacy is also a good experience with the quiet of the surrounding pine jungle.
Reaching Bir is not a big deal. On the NH between Mandi and Pathankot, 10 km from Baijnath towards Mandi, there is a set of shops and a small taxi stand. This place is known as Bir Road, a very simple and literal name. Take the road towards Bir from Bir Road, drive slowly for 4 km, look around, savour the views of the tea gardens and the rustic atmosphere and you reach Bir.
Billing on the other hand is not much of a place. Much like Plachek, Billing has derived its importance from being an overnight stop on the trail to Barot and Bada Bhangal via Rajgundha. Billing was also on the Kullu mule trail before the road took over. A forest rest house (yet again!) and a seasonal makeshift stall comprise the habitation at Billing. In recent times, Billing's vantage location on an elevated ridge just overlooking the Bir valley has been a source of popularity with the paragliding hosted a couple of times. The state government, only in its inimitable style has done almost nothing whatsoever to promote tourism. The road is under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (Prime Minister's Village Road Scheme), there is small 'Tourist Information Centre' which I have always seen shutter down and therefore information-less, the road to Billing is in shambles, there are not many places to stay and the worst part is, there is absolutely no information available. Like all coins, the other side of this coin means unspoilt environment, not many of the human race spoiling the place and that is good enough.
If you can spare time between early October and mid November and are game for a holiday comprising watching paragliding, maybe buying a para glider ride as well, visiting some Tibetan monasteries and have a quiet, good time in general, Bir Billing is the place for you.
After having written the above piece, I realized Bir and the Tiebtan settlment are already on Wikipedia and the article is fairly detailed. You can read more about Bir here and about the Tibetan settlement, here.
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