The trail from Indrunag to Khaniyara is a lesser known trail but packed with thrills. Indrunag is a temple devoted to Shiva and his sons (Ganesh and Karthik) and has a mish mosh of stories surrounding its dubious 'Babas' in charge. It has a road going to it now and any taxi guy can take you there.
Once at Indrunag, you can take the trail going West and North which now criss crosses with the new road coming up. This trail leads to Bhanglotu village where the trail splits. You can ask any local and take the one going to Thatharna, a huge slate mining centre in Khaniyara. The trail goes past a famous Temple, now walled in and has a big school. Past this point the trail is literally cut into the mountainside. The trail itself is precariously cut into the mountainside. It can be steep at times but all in all an excellent day out.
The Thatarna slate mines are old school quarries all done by hand. These mines were huge money makers in the '50s but due to the severe environmental degradation, the Government shut them down in 1997. There is a river at Thatarna where you can chill, eat some food and then descend into the village and catch a taxi or bus back home.
Note: Pack your food and water, there are no shops on the trail. You might want to book a taxi to pick you up at the Thatarna Hydro Project as phone signals are not good there. Take water, extra money, your first aid kit, tell at least two people where you are going and be safe!
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