Char Dham Camp

(Barkot Altitude: 2118 mtrs) is located on slightly raised land along the banks of the Yamuna in the area that is known as the Rawain – essentially the valley of the River Yamuna. The most striking aspect of Barkot is its natural setting – a backdrop of the magnificent Banderpunch range and verdant hills and terraced fields in the foreground. Nature was preserved here in its pristine glory as it was only in the 1940s that outsiders in the form of trekkers and adventurers finally managed to make their way to this remote region. The people of Rawain trace their genealogy down from the Pandavs and the Kauravs of the Mahabharat fame. As a result, this is one of the few areas in India where fraternal polyandry, the marriage of multiple brothers to a single woman, is practiced. For most people in Barkot, polyandry is a natural way of life. In the generation before the present one, polyandry was practiced as a matter of fact; and many of the present generation find it natural that they have several fathers and one mother. The practice is now dying out in the more urbanised area such as Barkot but continues to be prevalent in the surrounding villages.