Lamgara – Moving to the Himalayas

(My Personal Perspective on Relocating in the Uttarakhand Himalayas)

By: Subhasish Chakraborty, Travel Writer

Lamgara – Moving to the Himalayas

(My Personal Perspective on Relocating in the Uttarakhand Himalayas)

As a metropolitan travel writer for the past three decades, a lot of times I would have that fleeting desire to disappear from the hurly-burly city life and relocate to an idyllic Himalayan hamlet – 360 degree snowy Himalayan views, slow-paced life, organic food and surrounded by kind and compassionate people.

However, ever since I lost my Dad in 2023, the urge to move to the Himalayas grew stronger than ever before. My Dubai-based younger brother and I had endless discussions on the best locations; BTW, the Indian Himalaya is so vast and stupendous that to arrive at a decision seemed overwhelming. From Darjeeling to Dharamshala and Sikkim to Srinagar, the process seemed to be one endless quest!

In hindsight, from 2023, we decided to zero in on Uttarakhand; both my brother and I thought it wise to depend upon our longtime family friend from Kumaon, Chandan Singh Koranga’s advice. He was one guy who knew us inside out – our mentality, our priorities, our dreams.

Himalayas – Figuring Out?

I consider myself fortunate to have had a prior childhood experience of living in the Himalayas -Tawang to be precise, in India’s North Eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh and my teenage years living in the foothills of India’s North East.

May I say that a prior exposure to the stupendous dimensions of the Himalayas – geographical and cultural does make your task of relocation a lot easier!

Being a Himalayan aficionado, I am often flooded with questions about relocating to the Himalayas by people whom I know. And, it is exactly for this reason that I am penning down this personal narrative on Himalayan relocation, hoping that people across the world will be able to find pathways in the process of navigating the daunting Himalayas.

Romance Vs Reality:

Very often, I find people who have returned from a trip to the Himalayas become romantic and harbour the desire to live the mountain life in the Himalayas. The Himalayas have attracted humankind since ancient times, but it isn’t that easy. The sooner you decipher between dreams and reality, the better it is.

Ask yourself the questions – how committed are you to your relocation bid? Are you physically and mentally stable to take on the Himalayas? Are you financially stable? Can you sacrifice urban comforts over mountain hardships?

Life in the Himalayas can be pretty daunting at times. To come on a holiday, spending a week in a luxury resort where all your basic needs are taken care of can’t be a basis for relocation; you come home from a mountain vacation and go absolutely Ga Ga over what a great holiday you have had in the Himalayas, isn’t really a reliable relocation index.

Most people I have come across want to live in the Himalayas for peace, quietude, the slow life and be closer to nature. Bear in mind that up in the Himalayas, employment is limited, the healthcare system isn’t all that developed and business-wise, you face tough competition if you are thinking of Homestay/Villa Rentals/Boutique Stays……

I suggest, think and examine all the pros and cons carefully. A good idea is to come on an extended stay in the Himalayas to test your adaptability and endurance levels before you actually take the plunge.

I have seen many who end up discarding their dreams of settling in the Himalayas when faced with the unique challenges that the Himalayas throw.

The Search for Land:

It took us more than two years to select our land from a maze of options. Having a trusted native Kumaoni friend like Chandan was a boon. More so, because he himself belongs to a family whose forefathers have left behind land parcels in some of the most vantage locations of Uttarakhand – Almora, Champawat, Lohaghat, etc.

Bear in mind that for outsiders, there are restrictions when it comes to purchasing land in Uttarakhand. Outsiders are allowed to purchase up to 250 sq meters of land for residential use, and all transactions are tracked online through a dedicated portal.

After months of navigating through the Kumaon region, we decided to opt for a secluded Himalayan hamlet called Lamgara – a serene, offbeat village in Almora district, just 93 Kms from Haldwani, the nearest urban town in the foothills.

Why Lamgara?

We were focused as well as committed to our long-term vision – prioritizing slow life, community-centric experience, spiritual vibes and a Yoga-friendly atmosphere.

Lamgara fit the bill perfectly. Apart from its scenic Himalayan views, quiet atmosphere, and nature-centric community vibes, what attracted us most was great connectivity – single lane black road, 5G Internet, electricity and water supply.

Like other business ventures, buying land in the Himalayas is also all about narrowing down on the focus to only the most crucial and high-impact options that ensure the process culminates gracefully.

Out here in the Himalayas, you don’t just conquer the physical dimensions of mountains, but also the mountains of your mind. The Himalayas throw unexpected challenges at you, and you need to be sporting enough to overcome those.

Divinity Personified:

I have been a Travel Writer for the past three decades, and being a Yoga practitioner, I have had opportunities galore of hearing stories of ancient India, the epics, folklore and legends that have shaped the Himalayas culturally.

Away from the humdrum of city life, Lamgara has its own intrinsic spiritual vibe. Dol Ashram, Kalika Temple, Nanda Devi Temple, Chitai Golu Devta Temple, and Kasar Devi Temple are within close proximity to Lamgara.

From our table-top land, the Dol Ashram is just 5 Kms. away. The focus here is on meditation, yoga, and promoting Sanatan Dharma. The Ashram acts as a stimulant for inner transformation and preaches the tenets of India’s ancient Vedantic philosophy.

First-time visitors to the ashram are bewildered by the massive-sized Shree Yantra, the largest of its kind and a cluster of temples dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon.

I have already booked my slot for a long-term guided meditation retreat that would allow me to dive deep spiritually as well as take periodic stock of the ongoing construction of my cozy Himalayan cottage.

Writer’s Village in Lamgara:

The aura of the Almora district is so magnetic that, since ancient times, this place has attracted people seeking peace and tranquillity. Leaving aside the Rishis of yore, the list of contemporary persons who have spent quality time here in search of spiritual solace is a veritable treasure trove – Bob Dylan, D.H.Lawerence, George Harrison, Allen Ginsberg, Uma Thurman, Sunyata Baba aka Alfred Soresen, Steve Jobs.

Being a Travel Writer, I craved for a place that would offer me a sustainable habitat and the presence of an exclusive Writer’s Village at Lamgara was just what the doctor ordered!

Writer’s Village is the exclusive domain for people with creative sparks – customized Himalayan cottages ideal for high-altitude creative co-living with all modern amenities.

This one-of-a-kind Architecture & Design project was conceptualized by Studio Bardo, where the residences are a harmonious fusion of purposeful contemporary luxury that blends seamlessly with the local vernacular architecture – a mix of stone, wood and large window panes that elevates the indoor-outdoor dialogue to another level.

Here is a shoutout to all my writing folks and “work from mountains” aficionados – come and experience the Himalayas you never knew existed!

Wrapping Up:

The key to living in the Himalayas is how much of minimalism you can embrace. Along with it, you need to cultivate the slow-living mindset, a transition not so easy, given the plethora of modern-day comforts and amenities that you might be surrounded by.

The “Himalayan life” can be financially challenging, and there will come about stages where gaps in income could surface, so a stable source of remote income must be ensured.

The Cost of Living for a decent life could be anywhere in the range of INR 15,000 – INR 20,000–25,000+.

Remember always that you are considering a paradigm shift, and so it is always advisable to do a test run before you make the decision of your lifetime.

I, for one, believe that spiritual growth is dependent and proportional to the height of a place above sea level. This is my personal conviction from years of living in metro cities, where, no matter how hard you try to blossom spiritually, the actual flowering seems elusive due to the distractions, cacophony and the chaos.

Osho, the Indian mystic, philosopher, and the founder of the Rajneesh movement, widely considered to be one of the sharpest minds of the 20th century, regarded the Himalayas as a spiritual sanctuary. For him, the Himalayas were “a repository of heritage that has produced more enlightened beings than anywhere else. They represent a sacred, non-physical space ideal for meditation, stillness, and connecting with the essence of existence”.

Let your move to the Himalayas be one of deep involvement with Indian spirituality. The true essence of the Himalayas, in Osho’s own words, is that of a “Buddhafield”—a space so sacred that it allows deep inner transformation.