Amidst the snow-capped peaks and uninterrupted curvy roads of the Kumaon region lie some of Uttarakhand’s hidden gems. These are tiny villages where self-sustained communities have managed to keep traditions intact.

Almost an hour’s drive from Bhowali town, with nothing in sight except the mountains and a few orchards until the Ranikhet-Nainital junction is one such village. Hundred-year-old Bardho, like most other villages here, has a malligaon (the upper village) and talligaon (the lower settlements). All the houses are structured alike: white walls, blue doors with a partition separating one row of homes from the other. The locals are shy, but being a Kumaoni myself, and speaking in their language did not just break the ice but also fetched a wedding invitation.

Our host Nannan Singh showed us around, explaining how the ancestors of many residing here had migrated from as far as Maharashtra to create a settlement in the mountain caves. Over time, they have managed to build a self-sustaining community wherein everything, right from the basic grain to fruit, is grown locally and shared amongst all the families. Only tea, sugar and milk are generally bought from the market.

Young school-going girls, while returning from their morning classes, carry produce from the garlic, onion and spinach farms along the way to their homes every day. A lot of the residents also work in the apple and peach orchards in the vicinity. These, however, face a constant threat from monkeys during the fruiting season.

Finger-licking food

Interested in the local cuisine and eager to see the wedding preparations, I entered the mud-walled kitchen where our host’s wife, Savitri, was cooking a typical pahadi (belonging to the hills) meal for us, which included pulses, rice, potatoes and the most important accompaniment, bhaang (cannabis). And before you flinch, let me tell you cannabis is grown locally and women strain and then roast it slowly, removing its psychoactive properties. What’s left behind is used to make a delicious, finger-licking, chutney.

I was also shown the 100-year-old iron and copper vessels still used to cook the meals. It was hard to tell what was more amazing — the fact that the utensils were remarkably unscratched after so many years of use or that it was indeed a century of continuous use that had actually preserved them.

What makes the village so special is its simple and serene beauty. As far as the eye can see there are farms laden with onion, garlic, ginger, wheat and rice, with a river flowing beside.

Bardho has been preserved by its people. The first signs of this are evident in the dress worn by newly married women comprising the traditional Pahadigalabandh, anklets and huge, round, nose-rings, called Nathulithat, that go all the way down to their neck and is a symbol of their prosperity.

The Kumaoni tradition is further restored in the houses that are built of stone and mud with wooden doors, very intricately carved in Likhai craft. High-resistant wood carved from Deodar trees is typically used to create this art. The designs are echoes of the surroundings and mainly comprise parrots, swans, lotuses, and are an indication of the owner of the house and his social status.

Vagaries of weather

Unfortunately, not all is rosy in this tiny village. Bardho experiences extreme weather, heavy rainfall, danger of flooding, little accessibility from the main towns, animal destruction in the farms and more. However, despite all the hardships, the residents here are always willing to travel all the way down from the hills to fetch a small packet of milk just so that they can make that one extra cup of tea for their visitors. And in return, all they hope is that you have been touched by their affection and experienced rustic bliss.

The writer specialises in travel and hospitality and is based in Mumbai