Nicholas Roerich Museum

After our visit to Simla, we dutifully, and on right time, decided to take our journey to the most coveted destination of our Himachal Pradesh tour and that was, Manali. As you come closer to Manali, you are greeted by the river, Beas, and it actually runs beside the road winding through the hills, as if escorting you to Manali. From every corner of Manali, when you lift your head up, you cannot miss the snow capped mountain peaks even during summer. The first spot that the tourists want to visit is the Rohathang pass and the Rahala falls which we can see  at just 16 kms of our climb to the Rohathang pass.The Rohathang pass is located 3979 mts above the sea level.
After taking in the breathtaking views of the climb to the Rohathang pass, which had opened, just on the day prior to our visit, but was closed due to a land slide, that are pretty common there. We had one full day at our disposal and so we decided to visit Naggar, which is a small town on the western banks of the Beas River. It was the capital of Kullu until 1460.  There is a castle here, that was built by Raja Sidh Singh of Kullu and it has now been converted to a Heritage Hotel since last 100 years. The heritage hotel has the western Himalayan architecture and it is absolutely an art lover's and an architect's delight. As you stand on one of the balconies of the castle, you can get the panoramic view of the Kullu valley and the snow capped mountain peaks, as well as the Beas river.
The artistic attraction of the town of Naggar is the NICHOLAS ROERICH ART GALLERY.The day we went to Naggar, the weather was at its best. There was a cool breeze and a drizzle off and on.  The rain was not enough to drench us and welcome, as it made the climb up to the Roreich art gallery pleasant and less tiring. Our taxi driver left us at the foot of the hill where the art gallery is located. The narrow road goes up, first steep, and later winding gently. The little snack joints selling tea and tit- bits line the road on the right side and when we feel cold, having tea at the stalls is a heart warming and a tranquilizing experience. We were in a hurry as we were eager to visit the art gallery, so while climbing up, we did not allow us to be lured by the tea and the snacks and steadily walked up.  The first hall that we came across was actually rented by  some foreign national who had taken photographs of Ladakh. The photos were nice but the masks that were collected from all the parts of the world caught my fancy and I could not help taking the photo of the collection.( we lost the sd card of our camera while coming back and so now all this comes only from my memory. Only photos that remain with us are the random and impulsive clicks on the mobile phone camera).
Well , then came the hall specially for the paintings of Late Nicholus Roerich. The art gallery is well maintained with plants of  colourful flowers which brighten you up, even before you enter the art gallery. The art gallery displays amazing paintings of the Russian painter, Nicholus Roerich, which he had painted while he stayed in Manali and made it his home.The paintings are of the  Himalayas in myriad moods and really make an art lover's day. My day was made here.I could not take my eyes off  each and every painting that presented the Himalayas in a unique mood.

The Nicholus Roerich art gallery.

Devika Rani's Portrait

                                                 From here, we took a  took a small road down to his residence.The road is lined with Deodars and pines and the sides of the roads, all full of grassy slopes and some lovely flower beds. There were also small benches, in case, you want to just relax and enjoy nature.The house was a lovely wooden structure, painted white. We went up the stairs of the house and stood on the balcony and again the view of the valley from here was bewitching. I imagined Nicholus Roerich, painting in his balcony and was suddenly  filled with envy for the great man and smiled. They have closed the house with glass windows in such a way that you can get a nice view of the rooms in the house. We saw their rooms, neatly arranged. One attraction that an Indian cannot miss, is the room and the portrait of the first lady of Indian cinema, Devila Rani who was Nicholus Roerich's son's wife.
Sir Nicholus Roerich was a multifaceted personality with keen interest in archaeology and the person who brought about the Roerich Pact, which is a pact signed by multiple countries, and agrees upon the safety of art and the archaeological sights of every country, during wars, and gives every piece of art and archaeology  in every country, that has signed the pact, a non aligned status, and so immune from attacks.He was a poet, a prolific write and a person inclined to scientific thinking,  particularly chemistry. He had a lab set up over there in the place, where now, is a museum. He was a deeply philosophical and a spiritual person and had a unique perspective, where the subjective and the objective united and the cultures too, merged in one single truth.  Here are a few lines that caught my fancy
.
                                                 Only yesterday I knew much,
                                                  but it became obscured in the course
                                                                                              of the night.
                                                  Indeed, the day had been long.                                                  Long and dark was the night
                                                  Then came the fragrant morning.
                                                  Fresh and marvelous it was.
                                                  And, illumined by the new sun,
                                                  I forgot and was deprived of that
                                                  which I had accumulated.

Paintings of Sir Nicholus Roerich

 The last part of the Roerich museum is a cultural gallery, that is situated at the top and again you have to walk up, and yet again there was that mild drizzle, steps lined with grassy slopes, the pines and Deodars , with benches for resting and a hike up that did not tire, but rejuvenated. The museum had art work and antiques from other artists and cultural display of Himachal pradesh.

  I did not want to leave this place and desperately wanted to stay longer. This time, while climbing down, we did take a tea break at the stall on the side of the road. It was refreshing and I thought to myself that the next time I visit, I would find a place close to the Roerich  Art Gallery , visit the place every day, watch the paintings, ruminate about them, try to see them through  Nicholus Roerich's eyes and also search my own vision of the Himalayas in various moods. I promised  myself that and on my way back, lost the SD card of my camera, giving me a reason to visit back, for all practical purposes.( most of the photos from this write up are from the internet, since the internet is replete with images of the gallery).    

It was an unforgettable visit for me.