An midst blaze of saffron trees and cold snow melt lies a valley of breathtaking beauty. From the hills of adjoining Uttrakhand, the river Baspa flows west to meet the churning torrent of the Satlut at Karcham. Baspa River rises near the Indo-Tibetan border and forms the Baspa Valley (also known as the Sangla Valley) - one of the most scenic in Himalayas. The Chung Sakhago Pass lies at the head of the valley. It is fed by the perennial glaciers and shares the catchment area with the Ganges. Along its sides rise snow clad mountains, thick forests of deodar trees, and orchards in bloom or laden with a variety of fruit. A kilometer or so above Sangla valley stands the towerlike fort of Kamru – a silent sentinel which has, through long centuries, stood guard over all this beauty.
The ever stunning Kamru Fort stands at an altitude of 2600 meters above sea level and is only 2 km from the beautiful Sangla Valley. The fort is set at a picturesque location and offers tourists beautiful views of the Sangla valley, streams, apple gardens and many more. The entry to the fort is through a series of gates and at the main gate, a stunning image of Lord Buddha is kept to greet the guests. The Kamru Fort is a popular tourist attraction in the region, which is visited by a large number of tourists every day.
At a height of 2,600 m and a distance of 299 km from Shimla, Kamru was the original seat of the rulers of Bushahar. With a population of about a thousand, the village of Kamru is a dense luster of houses and is surrounded by fields and orchards. The main gate of Kamru has an image of the Buddha whose blessings must be sought before entering the village confines. A series of gates through the village lead to the fort – another low gaate, and we are at the towerlike core. Placed over a packing of dressed stone that acts like a pedestal for an exalted piece of art, the towerlike fort of Kamru rises five storeys high. Here is an exemplary piece belonging to an architectural genre unique to this part of the world. A series of thick sleepers of deodarwood are horizontally placed, one atop the other. The mesh thus created has infill of finely-dressed stone neatly slotted in without the use of mortar. Kamru Fort is a glorious example of how local craftsmen, using local materials, created a highly evolved style of traditional architecture.
Serving to heighten the character of the visage, an elegant wooden balcony provides ingress to the tower. The stronghold has an image of Kamakhya (Kamakshi) Devi installed on the third floor. This is said to have been brought here centuries ago from assam. Kamru also has a 15th century temple of Lord Badrinath. Badrinath or Badrinarayan Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu which is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple and town form one of the four Char Dham and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. Once every three years, amidst great fanfare, the image is carried to Gangotri, the source of the Ganga in Uttrakhand. As for today, it would be appropriate to say that Kamru is a microcosm of Himachal Pradesh. Here is a wealth of architecture, aeons of lore that now holds attractions for every traveller with something tangible to link the past with the future.