Doon valley is beautiful in its own ways. For the famous writer, Ruskin Bond, Dehradun has been the backdrop for many of his novels. He was enamoured by the valley’s natural beauty, precisely the reason why it continues to attract people from everywhere.
Last Sunday, I decided to do a quick hike to Bhadraj temple. One needs to drive till a certain point from where the trek starts. The drive on the stretch between Dehradun and Vikasnagar is a joy ride . The habitation is less, and you get to see more of the green patches with the upper Himalayas defining the boundary at the northern side.
Bhadraj temple sits on top of a hill and is very clearly visible from the Dehradun – Vikasnagar highway. Infact, I could clearly see the temple from Kalsi (further away from vikasnagar) as well. It sits on top of the highest peak in that area. I really enjoyed the drive from Dehradun to a village called Matogi, the last point where I had to park the vehicle and commence the climb.
The route followed is as below ;
The total distance from Dehradun to Matogi is about 60 kms and it takes 2 hours to reach. While the road from Dehradun till Langha is good, one needs to be careful on the stretch between Langha and Matogi. The road is not proper, and the entire stretch is up-hill. Even if you don’t plan to do a trek but are looking for a nice place near Dehradun to drive around , I highly recommend this area. Its peaceful, the road is good (till Langha) and the mighty hills, the green forests makes the landscape look very different. I parked the scooty at Matogi Village. One need not worry about the theft etc. The trek to Bhadraj starts from here and the total distance from the village to the temple is about 4.5 kms. The climb is steep and through the dense forests. The path is not properly laid out but one can still (for the most part) figure out the way-up. After about 2 kms into the trek, you will get the first glimpse of the temple.
The view of the valley from here is also breath-taking. On the other side of the hill you see the mighty Yamuna getting into the plains at Kalsi. The entire town of Vikasnagar is also clearly visible from here.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Balram, the brother of Lord Krishna. The temple is said to have been constructed in 1814 while the recently done renovation has given a fresh touch to the temple’s architecture. The views of the doon valley is stunning from here. A big fair takes place in the temple premises between 15th and 17th August every year. The temple holds a lot of respect amongst the people in this area.
The entire trip from Dehradun to Matogi on bike, followed by hiking and then drive back to Dehradun easily takes about 10 hours. I highly recommend starting early from Dehradun.
Some other points for consideration.
| Trek starting point | Matogi Village |
| Trek distance | 4.5 kms + 4.5 kms (total – 9 kms) |
| Total time | 3-4 hours (return trip) |
| any village/ shop on the route | no |
| any water body on the trek route | no |
| suggestion | carry a bag of eatables/water for the trek |
| travel trips from dehradun | rent a bike / car from dehradun, drive till matogi village |
| Distance btw dehraduna and matogi | 60 kms |
Travel diaries from Uttarakhand 