Bedni Bugyal is a Himalayan

Alpine meadow Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...

situated at an elevation of in the

Chamoli district Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by China's Xizang Autonomous Region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh district, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar district, Bageshwar to the eas ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

state of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Bedni Bugyal falls on the way to Roopkund near Wan village.

Trisul Trisul is a group of three Himalayan mountain peaks of western Kumaun, Uttarakhand, with the highest (Trisul I) reaching 7120m. The three peaks resemble a trident - in Sanskrit, Trishula, trident, is the weapon of Shiva. The Trishul group f ...

and

Nanda Ghunti Nanda Ghunti is a {{convert, 6309, m, ft, adj=mid, -high mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ ...

are clearly visible from here. This lush green meadow is adorned with blooms in a wide range of varieties. There is a small lake named ''Vaitarani'' (Bedni Kund) situated amidst the meadow. The rich flora of the area includes 'Brahm Kamal' or '' Saussurea obvallata''.

Cultural & Religious Significance

Bedni Bugyal is an important stop on the famous

Nanda Devi Raj Jat Nanda Devi Raj Jat (lit: ''Nanda Devi Royal Pilgrimage'', hindi: ''नंदा देवी राज जात''), is a three-week-long hindu festival and Kurur to Homkund yatra (pilgrimage) organised once every 12 years in Chamoli District ...

. It comes just before the last stop, Homkund, a sacred pond near Roopkund. The mysterious glacial lake of Roopkund is near Bedni Bugyal and is about 12 km away. One of the most revered places in Bedni Bugyal is Bedni Kund, which is a holy lake also known as Baitarni Kund. Near this pond, there is an ancient temple dedicated to Goddess Nanda Devi, a small temple of local deity Latu and other small carved shrines. Every year, a smaller pilgrimage of Nanda Devi Raj Jat concludes at the temples near Bedni Kund, while the grand twelve-yearly

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

continues towards Homkund. During the pilgrimage, Bedni Kund becomes the center of important

ritual A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...

s. Devotees offer Pindas to their

ancestor An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from ...

s here. Many believe that taking a dip in this holy lake purifies the

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and brings

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

's blessings. A grand fair is held around the lake during the pilgrimage, where

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

s and devotees pray, sing hymns, and offer flowers and food to the deities.

Accessibility

Getting to Bedni Bugyal requires a hike of about 20 km (12.4 mi) from the village of Lohajung. A shorter but steeper route to Bedni Kund starts from Wan village, which is accessible from Lohajung village via a motorable road of about 15 km. Starting from Lohajung, the trail crosses the small Neel Ganga River and passes through Didna village and Ali Bugyal. To reach the nearest locations of Wan or Lohajung,

Rishikesh Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in the Indian state Uttarakhand. The northern part of Rishikesh is in the Dehradun district while the southern part is in the Tehri Garhwal district. It is situated on the right bank ...

is the closest city, accessible only by road (about 250 km). From Rishikesh, the route passes through Karnprayag, Tharali, and Deval before finally reaching Lohajung. The nearest airport to Lohajung is

Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun Airport , also known as Jolly Grant Airport, is a domestic airport serving Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, India. It is located in Jauligrant, south of the city, from Rishikesh and from Haridwar. Commercial operations began ...

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

, and the nearest railway station is

Yog Nagari Rishikesh Railway Station Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station (station code: YNRK) is a railway station serving the city of Rishikesh in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It lies in the Northern railway network zone of Indian Railways. History The train station opene ...

(YNRK).

Conservation

Bedni Bugyal is classified as a high-altitude Himalayan region, and according to

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

, plucking flowers, singing songs, playing

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...

s like the

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

shouting A scream is a loud/hard vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including humans. A scream i ...

dancing Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...

, and engaging in disrespectful behavior are prohibited here. According to local beliefs, the Himalayan highlands are the abode of deities, who are thought to be sensitive to human actions. It is possible that these restrictions were made to maintain the sanctity of these holy places, conservation of wildlife system and to avoid natural disasters like

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

s, heavy

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

fall, etc. However, scientific explanations do not support prohibitions affecting the risk of heavy snowfall, avalanches, and other

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

s. Coincidental timing (such as someone shouting before an avalanche) might have strengthened this belief as scientific evidence over time. Bedni Bugyal is under the reserve forest. The

Allahabad High Court Allahabad High Court, officially known as High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, is the high court based in the city of Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad, that has jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was established o ...

(1997) ruled that Bedni Bugyal is a fragile

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

meant for

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...

and must remain undisturbed. It ordered the removal of tourist camps, citing environmental harm from

plastic waste Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are cate ...

. The court emphasized

sustainable tourism Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for Impacts of tourism, economic, social, and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs o ...

to preserve the meadow’s natural balance. In August 2018, the Uttarakhand High Court recognized the ecological significance of high-altitude meadows, known as bugyals, and implemented measures to protect them. The court banned overnight stays in these areas, citing threats to their fragile ecosystems, and ordered the removal of permanent structures, including fiber huts constructed for tourists.

References

{{Reflist Geography of Chamoli district Hiking trails in Uttarakhand