Gemur village from the SE, Gemoor Khar left of centre, Gemur Gompa right of centre, seabuckthorn lower left, Lahaul, Himachal, India
This blog has a brief history of Gemoor Khar and our review of the Gemoor Khar homestay.
A brief history of Gemoor Khar
[Brief history text courtesy Thakur Ashok Chand]
Gemoor Khar (Khar means a palace or manor house) was the estate of Thakur Mangal Chand (1886 -1969), Rais and Ex Wazir of Lahaul. His father Thakur Hari Chand became the ruler of Lahaul in 1877 with his seat in Khangsar Khar (which is about 2 km from here as the crow flies). On Thakur Hari Chand's death in 1900 Mangal Chand's elder brother Rai Bahadur Thakur Amar Chand succeeded the Waziri who unfortunately died young. Thakur Mangal Chand acted as the Wazir of Lahaul till his nephew Thakur Pratap Chand came of age. Lahaul, being crucial to the British as it was en route to Leh and the silk Route, was administered directly by them through the Wazir.
Gemoor Khar was a grand 5-storey manor house with large stables . It had more than 40 rooms to accommodate visiting guests. The Khar was practically the last outpost on the inhospitable route between Lahaul and Ladakh. It hummed with activity during the summer months with traders, officials, European explorers and scholars enjoying the hospitality of Thakur Mangal Chand, his wife Shema Palmo and his daughter-in-law Shema Sonam Youngzin. The Thakur himself was a man of many parts - explorer, administrator, painter, linguist, amchi (practitioner of Tibetan medicine) and a progressive farmer. The family has been mentioned in various accounts of important travellers, the principal ones being Moorcraft who met Thakur Dharam Chand, the grand father of Thakur Mangal Chand in 1823. Some of the important visitors and writers to the Khar were Pandit Rahul Sanskritayan (Yatra ke Panne), Nicholas Reorich, Theodore Roosevelt Jr (East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon), Hugh Whistler (In the High Himalayas) , Tyacke R (In Quest of Game In Kullu), Wilson Andrew (The Abode of Snow), AP Harcourt (Himalayan District of Kooloo Lahoul and Spiti), GC Bruce (Twenty Years in Himalayas), GD Khosta (The Himalayan Circuit) and many more. Later in 1975 Mrs Indira Gandhi the then PM of India also visited the Khar.
The Thakurs of Lahaul (Kolong) are an old family with a lineage going 24 generations back. The founder was Rand Nil Pal, a Rajput prince who was driven out of his place in Bir in Mandi district by the Raja of Mandi across Bara Bangal into Lahaul in C 900. Here he fell in love with the daughter of the local chief who had no sons and married her thereby starting the lineage (Antiquities of Western Tibet by AH Franke). The family till today has both Buddhist as well as Hindu names.
Thakur Hari Chand made his fortune by trading in sapphire from Paddar in Jammu. His elder son Thakur Amar Chand fought the I World War in Mesopotamia along with his Lahauli troops. The members of this family were often the British Trade Agents in Gartok in Tibet, the prominent amongst them being Thakur Jai Chand a cousin of Thakur Mangal Chand.
Later in 1948 the family played a very crucial role in saving Ladakh when the raiders from across the border attacked and took it by surprise. Major Thakur Khushal Chand, the elder son of Thakur Mangal Chand along with his cousin Major Thakur Prithi Chand and another close relative Subedar Thakur Bhim Chand were specially selected by General Thimayya and sent to Ladakh to defend it. The Thakurs had strong bonds with Ladakh as they married into its royal family and shared a common language and culture. (Even today the Rani and Ex MP of Ladakh Diskit Wangmo is from this family and the Rimpoche incarnate of Rizong Gompa in Ladakh ie Tsultrim Nima is the eldest grandson of Thakur Mangal Chand). They trained and raised local militia (which later became Ladakh Scouts) and through guerrilla tactics kept the enemy at bay till the reinforcements reached Ladakh. For their acts of bravery both the cousins were decorated with Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest wartime gallantry award in the country, and Bhim Chand was awarded Bar to Vir Chakra. The Chorten in Khatatse in Ladakh built by the family with support from people of Ladakh is a testimonial to their bravery and sacrifice. There will indeed be few families in the country more decorated than the Thakurs of Lahaul!
Unfortunately the Khar was damaged due to earthquake and seepage from the hill side and had to be pulled down in 1986. The estate in its present form as a summer retreat was built in 2003 to carry on with its tradition of hospitality and warmth for visiting travellers. The house was consecrated by HH TriGalden Sres Rimpoche of Rizong in 2004.
The property is presently owned by Thakur Ashok Chand IAS the younger son of Col. Khushal Chand MC and grandson of Thakur Mangal Chand. He retired as Education Secretary of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2014.
Our experiences of Gemoor homestay
In Gemoor Khar Banjara, the Ashok and Sarojini Thakur have continued the tradition of hospitality to travellers. The service is efficient with the warmth one expects when staying with family or close friends. The rooms are tastefully furnished in the Lahauli style with low wooden tables and benches. Each bed has an electric blanket that keeps one warm through the coldest of nights, more effective than space heaters. Large windows afford breathtaking views of the Bhaga river valley and the Gephan range on the far side. On a clear night in July, we had a view of the full moon rising over the Gephan range.
Delicious and healthy buffet-style meals are served in the dining room. The main room has a wood stove and low tables arranged to encourage groups of travellers to swap tales of their day and their plans for tomorrow. If you want privacy, tables in the outer room are self-contained, and have a view of the Gephan range. In good weather, outdoor tables give a great Himalayan ambience.
Sarojini and Ashok Thakur divide their time between Gemur and Manali. If they are in Gemur when you visit, you will likely have them join you at the table, or on a hike or visit to a nearby Gompa. With his wide experience in all parts of Himachal and especially in the high-altitude district of Lahaul and Spiti, his rich family history and his extensive knowledge of Buddhism, Ashok Thakur can captivate his audience for hours. Sarojini also served in many roles during her civil services career and brings refreshing broad historical, environmental and sociological perspectives to the conversations.
Thakur's Chorten
The Thakur's Chorten below the Manali-Leh highway was built to honour their ancestors.
About the images
The images of Gemoor Khar and surroundings in this blog were taken by Timothy A Gonsalves (except for the group picture). The images are mostly from June 2024. A few were taken in July 2016, October 2020 and October 2022.
Click on this link to download large images (22 MB zip file) suitable for email and web pages.
Click here for hires images (very large 708 MB zip file) suitable for printing.
Note: In these links, click on "ZIP" in the top-right corner to download all the images in a zip file.
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