Larji Dam

Larji Dam sits in a narrow limestone gorge where three rivers come together: the Beas flowing down from Kullu, the Sainj arriving from the east, and the Tirthan from the southeast. The location is near the border of Mandi and Kullu districts, close to the town of Aut on the Delhi to Manali highway. If you have driven through the 3 km Aut tunnel and wondered why it exists, the dam is the answer. The reservoir behind it drowned the original valley road decades ago, and the tunnel was carved through rock to keep traffic moving to the upper Kullu valley and Manali.

The dam is a 126 MW run-of-the-river project managed by HPSEBL (Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited). It uses three Francis turbines of 42 MW each, housed in an underground powerhouse blasted into the gorge wall. The powerhouse is closed to the general public for security reasons. From the road, what you see is the concrete gravity diversion structure, the gorge walls rising steeply on either side, and the reservoir lake stretching behind it. It is a genuinely dramatic piece of geography and engineering, even if you have no interest in hydropower.

For most travellers, the real significance of Larji is the junction it creates. Just past the dam, the road forks. Left follows the Sainj Valley upstream toward Sainj town, Shangarh, and the GHNP treks. Right heads toward Banjar, Jibhi, Gushaini, and the Tirthan Valley. Every vehicle heading into either valley passes through this point. There is a petrol pump at Larji, and it is the last reliable fuel stop before the deeper reaches of both valleys. Fill up here. There is also a GHNP Information Centre with brochures and basic park orientation.

A critical safety note. The gorge below the dam and the turquoise water pooling among the exposed rocks look inviting, and people are drawn to climb down for photographs. Do not do this. The Larji project operates controlled spillway releases that can cause water levels to surge rapidly and without warning. In 2014, a sudden release killed 14 students who had walked down to the riverbed downstream. This is not a scenic river bank. It is an active hydroelectric discharge zone. Photograph the gorge from the road or designated viewpoints only. Do not step onto the rocks near the water, do not picnic on the riverbed, and do not let children near the edge. The water can rise from ankle depth to chest depth in minutes.

The reservoir lake behind the dam is calmer and more accessible visually from the road. In winter (roughly November through February), migratory birds settle on this lake, though it is not a formal birdwatching site. The state government has proposed development plans under the 'Nai Raahein Nai Manzilein' initiative, including potential houseboat and shikara operations on the reservoir. As of now, these remain proposed government development plans and are not currently active commercial operations. Check locally for any updates if this interests you.

In July 2023, catastrophic floods on the Beas deposited massive volumes of silt and debris into the turbine chambers, knocking all three generating units offline. Restoration cost over 245 crore rupees and took nearly two years. All three units were reportedly back in operation by January 2025, with additional slope stabilization and rockfall barriers installed around the project site.