Walk to the Mandhana Cliff-top

Mornee Tramp • September 21, 2013

If you are not in a mood for adventure yet would like to spend some time alone with your maker, the short walk to the Mandhana cliff-top is an ideal choice. While driving towards Mandhana along the major district road to Nahan you cannot possibly miss the prominent sign post of the Green Park Resort some 18 KM from the tri-junction on NH-72 (Morni T-Point). The road curves along the hill that overlooks the Mandhana valley from the west and that forms an impressive mud-cliff to the South offering a clear view of the narrow valley below with its thick forests and the numerous seasonal nallahs that flow to the south west.

The walk to Mandhana cliff top

View of Mandhana cliff from East

A small clearing by the road-side serves as the parking lot for the ‘resort’ and a kutcha track rises from the road by the side of a large banyan tree and a small water-harvesting pond and leads to the gate of the modest garden-restaurant.

The track by the banyan

Pond by the banyan

The path continues southwards and one can see beautiful landscape to the north-east. There are a variety of shrubs and trees all along the eastern-slope and the entire area is very rich in bird life. The tramp has photographed the Flame-back, the Tree-pie, the Fan-tail, the Indian Robin, the Magpie-Robin and the Common Kestrel while walking along this track.

Tree Pie feeding on Banyan fig

Lesser Flameback excavating a banyan at mandana

White-browed Fantail Flycatcher at Mandhana

Indian Robin

Common Kestrel in flight, Mandana

The view of Sireh-ka-Vas with the rolling plains and northern hills in the backdrop looks spectacular.

View of Sire-ka-Vas, Mandhna, Bhoj Matour

The picturesque walk

The Squirrel-tail bush is one of the exotic Himalayan bushes to be seen along the track.

The path rises to climb onto the raised Southern rim of the hill that ends abruptly in a sheer drop of several hundred feet. One can see the wooded valley below and the picturesque Kadiyani village with its beautiful terraced fields.

View of forested valley and terraced fields from Mandhana cliff-top

Kadiyani from the cliff top at Mandhna

A small white temple atop the hill adds to the calm of the place.

Temple on Mandhana hill-top

The southern edge of the cliff is covered with grass that turns a colourful red in winters.

The red grass

There were ‘Chhatris’ or Cement Gazebos built at the spot by the Government to mark the ‘view-point’ but were rightly removed some years back.

Panormic view of the landscape from Mandhana cliff-top

The spot is generally breezy and if you are all alone the solitude and the end-of-the-world feel can spook you out at times.

Solitude of the cliff-top

Grey-Francolins nest in the thorny beri bushes that cover the hill top. The Tramp spotted leopard pugmarks leading to the small water harvesting pond, though the ‘find’ has been disputed by an informed reader!