Larji Dam and the three rivers: where the Sainj, Tirthan and Beas meet

Searching for Larji Dam, or how far Larji is from Jibhi? We host guests in Chhet, a few minutes past Jibhi, and Larji is the place every guest passes on the way in: the spot where three rivers meet and the road splits for the Sainj and Tirthan valleys. Here is where Larji is, what the dam actually is (with the official figures), the 2023 flood, how to stay safe by the river, the weather by month, and how to fit Larji into a Jibhi trip.

Larji is a small village in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, low in the valley on NH-305, the road that climbs from the Mandi–Kullu highway through Banjar to Jibhi and Jalori Pass. The Great Himalayan National Park describes it as sitting "at the confluence of the Sainj, Tirthan, and Beas rivers" and as the gateway to the park's two big valleys, Sainj and Tirthan (GHNP: Larji). The park's road routes to its Tirthan and Sainj trek starting points both run through Larji (GHNP: accessing the park).

From Larji, NH-305 follows the Tirthan side up to Banjar and Jibhi, about 27 km in all (OpenStreetMap routing), while a separate road turns up the Sainj valley towards Sainj village, about 14 km away. Coming from Delhi, you pass Larji just after leaving the highway; our Aut to Jibhi guide covers that last stretch.

Kullu or Mandi? You will see both online. India Post lists a Larji branch post office under PIN code 175121 in Kullu district (India Post pincode directory (data.gov.in)), and the state electricity regulator and the state government describe the Larji project as being in Kullu district (HPERC order on Larji HEP (2011); HP Government press release, 18 May 2025). HPSEBL's own tender papers, though, give the power house address as Thalout, in Mandi district, a few kilometres down the same road, which is why some sites call it a Mandi dam.

Larji is a meeting point. The Tirthan rises at Hanskund Peak, joins the Palchan Nallah at Gushaini and runs down the valley to Larji (GHNP: Tirthan Valley). The Sainj comes down its own valley "past a series of interlocking spurs before merging with the River Beas at the village of Larji" (GHNP: Sainj Valley). And the Beas, the big river, carries all of it on downstream. This is the "Larji sangam" people search for.

For a guest from Jibhi, that means the stream that flows through Jibhi, the Pushpabhadra, ends up here too: it is a tributary of the Tirthan (see where is Jibhi), and the Tirthan reaches the Beas at Larji. If you want the upstream end of the story, read our Gushaini village guide, where the Tirthan meets the Palchan Nallah.

"Larji Dam" is the everyday name for the Larji Hydro Electric Project, a working power station run by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited. Strictly, it is not a big storage dam with a lake: the state electricity regulator describes it as "a run-of-river scheme on river Beas with pondage", with the original concrete dam design replaced by a gated diversion barrage and the power house built underground (HPERC order on Larji HEP (2011)). These are the official figures:

From the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission's orders on the project (HPERC order on Larji HEP (2011); HPERC order on Larji restoration (2023)). "Capacity" here means generating capacity. We did not find an official figure for how much water the barrage holds, so we do not quote one.

Two more things the official papers mention. First, HPSEBL told the regulator that the project also built a long traffic tunnel to keep the national highway (then NH-21) moving around the works (HPERC order on Larji HEP (2011)). Second, the project took many years to build: it was cleared by the Central Electricity Authority in 1986 and again in 2000, and its first unit came on line in 2006.

It is a working power station, not a park. View it from the public road, follow any signs, and do not walk into project areas or onto the barrage. We would also not fly a drone over the barrage or power house.

On 9 and 10 July 2023 the Beas flooded on a scale not seen before. HPSEBL told the regulator the flow reached about 5,600 cubic metres a second, far above the previous highest flood of 3 August 1953 (about 3,838), and that the water rose more than 5 m above the highest flood level at the power house, getting into the underground cavern through its access tunnels (HPERC order on Larji restoration (2023)). All three units were knocked out.

The state government says Unit I was restarted on 15 January 2024 (synchronised with the grid on 2 May 2024), Unit II on 9 August 2024 and Unit III on 17 January 2025, and that the project is now fully running again, with a flood gate added at the main access tunnel and rockfall barriers near the surge shaft (HP Government press release, 18 May 2025). For what the monsoon means for a trip, see Jibhi in the monsoon.

This matters more than anything else on this page. On 8 June 2014, 24 engineering students and a tour conductor lost their lives in the Beas near Thalout, below the Larji barrage, when the water rose suddenly after a release. The High Court of Himachal Pradesh, which took up the case on its own, later wrote that had the authorities "put boards, hoardings, sirens, signals and taken precautions at the relevant time, while discharging the water from the barrage/reservoir, the incident would have been avoided" (High Court of Himachal Pradesh, CWPIL No. 7 of 2014).

• Do not go down onto the riverbed below a dam or barrage, even when the river looks low and the rocks look dry. Water released upstream can arrive in minutes, with no rain where you are standing.
• Take every siren, hooter and warning board seriously, and move up and away from the water at once if you hear one.
• Photos from the road or a raised bank, not from the rocks. Keep children well back from the edge and dogs on a lead.
• No swimming or wading in the Beas, the Sainj or the Tirthan here. The water is fast and cold all year, and in July and August it is high and muddy.
• In the monsoon, do not stop along the river below the barrage at all; check the road first: in past monsoons NH-305 has been closed by slides between Larji and Targali (see the monsoon guide).

• A riverside stop on the way in or out. The park describes Larji as good for "short nature walks, picnics, and bird-watching" (GHNP: Larji). On a Jibhi trip it works best as a short stop to stretch your legs and look at the rivers from the road or a safe raised bank.
• Trout water, in season only. The park says the Beas around Larji is popular with trout anglers, and Himachal Tourism lists the Larji (Largi) to Nagni stretch of the Tirthan as trout water. You need a Himachal Fisheries licence, and trout fishing is closed from 1 November to the end of February. Read Tirthan Valley trout fishing first.
• Turn up the Sainj valley. From Larji a road climbs the Sainj valley to Sainj village and on towards Neuli and Shangarh. See Jibhi or Shangarh or Chakrata for the Shangarh drive.
• Or follow the Tirthan up. Back towards Banjar, the Banjar–Bathad road leads up the Tirthan to Sairopa and Gushaini, the road-head for the park's Tirthan treks.
• For more day trips by distance, see places near Jibhi within 50 km.

• Distance: about 27 km from Larji to Jibhi by road (OpenStreetMap routing), all on NH-305 through Banjar. Chhet is a few minutes further.
• Time: allow about an hour. The road is narrow in places and climbs about 800 m.
• Larji to Banjar: about 20 km, along the Tirthan side of the valley.
• From Delhi or Chandigarh: turn off the highway towards Larji and Banjar before the Aut Tunnel. The full drive and parking notes are in Delhi to Jibhi by car; see also how to reach.
• Without a car: if you are staying with us, tell us your plan and we will help arrange a local taxi (fares vary).

Drive the stretch in daylight, especially from November to January, when it gets dark early (sunrise and sunset times by month).

Larji sits about 800 m lower than Jibhi, so it is noticeably warmer: roughly 3 to 6°C on the same day. Approximate averages, worked out from 2016–2025 reanalysis data and rounded:

How we worked these out: daily ERA5 reanalysis data from Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5) for 2016–2025 at Larji's height (about 990 m). Larji and Jibhi fall in different cells of the data grid, so treat the comparison as approximate. Snowfall in the data is close to zero in every month. For a trip this week, check a live forecast.

• October and November are the pleasant months: dry, clear and mild.
• May and June can be hot in the afternoon down here, even when Jibhi is comfortable.
• July and August bring most of the year's rain; the river is high and muddy and the road can be hit by slides.
• Winter is mild by day at Larji; the cold, and any snow, is higher up at Jibhi and Jalori Pass (best time to visit Jibhi).

• On the way in: the easiest plan. Stop at Larji for a few minutes, look at the rivers from a safe spot, and carry on up to Banjar and Jibhi with daylight to spare.
• On the way out: leave after breakfast and make Larji your last river view before the highway.
• As a half day from Chhet: drive down after breakfast, add the Sainj valley road or the Tirthan side if you like, and be back by about 5 PM in winter.
• Evening: heater on, dinner from our local chefs, and an early night.

For a couple, the glass house in Jibhi is for up to 2 guests: the bed sits right beside the glass and the cottage has a glass roof, and it has its own private hot tub facing the mountains. Room decoration, a cake and a candlelight dinner are available on request with 1 day's advance notice.

For a family, the mud house cottages in Chhet take up to 3 guests each or 6 with both, side by side with a shared patio and garden, a fire pit and a loft in each. You can drive right up to the door, which helps with parents and small children after a long drive, and our local chefs cook home-style meals from a menu. For a bigger group, the whole property sleeps 10 comfortably, and when you book all three cottages there are no other guests on site.

All three have a room heater, hot water runs 24x7 and there is power backup. A bonfire can be arranged on request at an extra charge, pets are welcome, and we can help arrange a taxi for your Larji or Sainj valley day (fares vary). Send your dates on WhatsApp and we will tell you what is free.

Sources: GHNP: Larji; GHNP: Tirthan Valley; GHNP: Sainj Valley; GHNP: accessing the park; India Post pincode directory (data.gov.in) (Larji BO, 175121, Kullu); HPERC order on Larji HEP (2011); HPERC order on Larji restoration (2023); HP Government press release, 18 May 2025; High Court of Himachal Pradesh, CWPIL No. 7 of 2014; road distances from OpenStreetMap routing, rounded; altitude from Copernicus GLO-90 and SRTM elevation data; weather from Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5). Project details, river levels and road conditions change, so follow local signs and advice on the day.

Passing Larji on the way to Jibhi? Peaks N Valley Stays is in Chhet (PIN 175123), a few minutes past Jibhi. Every cottage has a room heater, hot water runs 24x7 and there is power backup if the valley supply drops. You can drive right up to the door and park free, our local chefs cook home-style meals, and pets are welcome.

Couples usually pick the glass house in Jibhi: the bed sits right beside the glass and the cottage has a glass roof, with a private hot tub and the valley beside you, for up to 2 guests. Families and friends take the mud house cottages in Chhet, up to 3 guests each or 6 with both, side by side with a shared patio. Room decoration, a cake and a candlelight dinner are available on request with 1 day's advance notice. A bonfire can be arranged on request at an extra charge.

Check dates on WhatsApp