Osla Village Uttarakhand : A Hidden Gem of Culture in Har Ki Dun

An isolated village of Uttarakhand in a Uttarkashi district of Garhwal Himalayas situated at an altitude of 2600 meter approximately where the village  still has no electricity, no network, and no road they still have to trek 4 km to reach the Osla village, In winter temperature drops to -15c and the place also surrounded with wild animals like snow leopard, black bear osla village located in Govind pashu vihar national park people of Osla village.

The people of Osla are very simple and live self sustained lifestyle.

The livelihood depends on the farming of apples, Aalo, Rajma, and rice because the terrain is mountainous, so they use terraced fields. In animal Husbandry, many families depend on the rearing of sheep and goats, which provide them with wool for clothes, milk, and meat. Because this is a trekking route, some people from Osla village raise mules to carry goods and supplies for the trek, and nowadays, homestays are also part of their earning source because of the trekking route.

Someshwar Devta Temple 

There are temples of gods and goddesses in Osla. Still, they mainly believe more in Someshwar Devta, which is a form of God Shiva. Someshwar Devta is the local God of many villages. Each village has its own temple, which is dedicated to Someshwar Devta, but there is only one sacred idol ( murti ) that is not stationary. it moves village to village based on traditional calendar and specific months on each locations  and the temple of Osla village is situated at the centre of the village and its built of ancient wooden architecture  along with ancient carving of Ramayana ( Shree Ram, Seetaji Laxmanji and Hanumanji), Mahabharat ( Shree Krishna), leaf's, birds ( Monal ), animals ( lion, goat )  and also  there is a ritual performed by a perticular family or cast ( the Bajgi also known as Auji or Dholi)  which live near the temple to play a drum twicw a day  infront of temple and its been played over years and years everyday.

Clothes made from wool with local tradition 

Women of Osla use old traditions for making clothes by hand with sheep wool. it's all starts with process of wool collection where first they sheared the sheep (they do generally in summer) so they can collect the raw wool, this wool  have dust and other impurities so in the next process they clean the wool with the help of cold water and dried it in sun. after drying it they combed and spun into yarn using traditional spindle  after this process the wool turns into long treads which will be that basic material of weaving, further process of weaving the cloth with the help of traditional handloom, Now the fabric is ready to stitch to make clothes like shawl, Ghagri (long skirt), Kameez and the clothes are finally ready to keep them warm in -15c.

My experience 

I have visited osla village 3 to 4 times this month of may 2025 and i don't know why there is attraction towards this place where people of osla you find hardworking, kind, loving and welcoming when you saw the older once you experience their experience of living that isolated village of over 70 years and the younger one where there innocence will love you and the culture of over years of years you  experience their roots till now their love towards their place and people where the whole village live like a family when they celebrate festivals together and dancetogether on local traditional songs and shares happiness.

Joy spread among the children faced by the trekkers

Our trekkers from Himalaya shelter Anil Chandan sir and his family came from Har ki dun trek, the trek Har ki dun was amazing for them their family enjoyed a lot that trek and after completed their trek they have pre-planned to stay on last day in homestay of Osla village they already had planned to gift the color kit and coloring book for children of Osla,  the day we reached the osla village we visited the school and anganwadi so we can arrange this programme next day, we managed with the help of local teacher and people of Osla to make an event, so everyone gathered together near the temple of Someshwar Devata Temple, as per the planned next day all the children among with their parents reached the temple and Anil sir and his family had some fun games and exercise for the kids. The children were happy and full energetic while playing  Anil sir and his Family also motivated them and gave guidance to children, this 1 hour of moment when Anil Sir and his  family spread the joy and happiness in the form of their love towards the children of Osla village as well as people of Osla enjoyed a lot these special moments.

It was a moment of togetherness, kindness, and beautiful connection. From the team of Himalaya Shelter, we are thankful to the family of Anil Chandan Sir for bringing joy along with them. When I went to the village next time with my trekkers, the children were coloring the drawing together with their brother and sister, and at some homes, their mother also teaches them how to fill properly. At this moment, i just feel this is what anil sir wanted to do, their motive is to put a smile on those pretty faces.

How to reach Osla Village in Uttarakhand 

To reach Osla village, first you need to reach Sankri village. If you are starting your journey from Dehradun, then the Dehradun to Sankri village distance is approximately 190 km. There are two options to reach Sankri from Dehradun. 

if you want to travel budget-friendly, then you can take a bus from Dehradun (the bus leaves early in the morning) to Purola, then from Purola you can take a shared jeep to reach Sankri, and it will take approximately 12 hours by public transport.

The second option you have is to take a private taxi, which is available from Dehradun Railway Station and from Dehradun Airport directly to Sankri, and from a private taxi, it will take around 7 to 8 Hours. 

By reaching Sankri you have only one option to reach Gangad ( this is the village where you have to start your trek to reach Osla Village ), which is a Bolero Pick-up 4x4 for public transport, and for a private taxi you can arrange one because of the condition of the road, any  4x4 vehicle. it takes 2 Hours from Sankri to reach Gangad Village, then you can start your trek from Gangad to reach Osla, which is approximately 3.5km to 4km.

Osla Village Har Ki Dun Valley 

From Osla Village, there are many treks, and one of the popular treks of Uttarakhand is Har Ki Dun Valley, which is also called as Valley of God. Along with Har Ki Dun Valley, there are several treks, passes, and expeditions near from village of Osla, like Ruinsara lake, Bali pass trek.

FAQ,s of Osla Village

Q1. What is Osla known for?

Ans: Osla Village is an Isolated village  known for its rich culture and ancient village, and also known for the Har Ki Doon Valley trek.

Q2. What is the history of Osla village?

Ans: It is said that the Pandavas from the Mahabharat passed through this place during their journey to Swargarohan, and some people say that the temple of Osla, which is dedicated to Someshwar Devta, was dedicated to Duryodhana.

Q3. How to reach Oslo?

Ans: First, you have to reach Sankri village, then from Sankri it takes 2 Hours to reach Gangad Village, and from Gangad trek 4km to Osla village.

Q4. How do people in Oslo make a living?

Ans: People of Osla village live self-sufficiently and are deeply to Nature and tradition. and for earning, they do farming, Animal Husbandry, Weaving and Handicrafts, Use of mules carrying trekking luggage, and homestays.

Q5. Is it possible to find shops in Osla?

Ans: Yes! You will get the shops in Osla Village.

Q6. Is there anything to see in Osla?

Ans: The view from Osla village is amazing, with its old wooden houses and the temple of Someshwar Devta.

Q7. What should I keep in mind when visiting Osla?

Ans: Be kind and Curious, respect the Culture, and follow Leave No Trace principles.

Read more: Villages of Har ki Dun