Shimla "Queen of Hills"

“Shimla” also known as “Queen of Hills” is the capital of the Indian state Himachal Pradesh.  In 1864 ,Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India.  Shimla today is one of the most visited hill station that attract tourists all over the world throughout the year. One can enjoy the sceneric beauty of that place and can rejuvenate in the lap of Himalayas.

Day 1

On the first day, firstly i  visited the Mall Road also called The Shimla Ridge. It is located in the Centre of the town. It is one of the most famous tourist destination . One can enjoy the view of mountains from the the Ridge. Christ Church can also be visited on the mall road.

Then I headed to Summer Hills in the local bus. Summers Hill  provides spectacular views of Shimla valley from the height. Himachal Pradesh University ,is also located on the Shimla Hills. When I visited the university the students were doing practice of some cultural programme. One group was singing Himachali songs, while the other was dancing on the songs. They were doing “Nati”. It is a Himachal form of dance. I loved the way in which they were singing and dancing, making me to sit there for a moment and enjoying the show.

Then I visited Viceregal Lodge, which is also a part of Institute of Advance Studies. It is a must visit place and depicts an excellent work of architecture. One can have spectacular views of the hills surrounding the estate.

In the Evening I enjoyed Coffee at the Indian Coffee House.  One must enjoy  coffee and local food experience here.

Day 2

Next day in the morning I went to Annadale. It is a beautiful place and is situated 5 kms from the Ridge.The Britishers used to play cricket , polo and  golf here.

After visiting Annadale, I went to Naldehra. It is 25 kms away from the Shimla. Local people told me it’s the must place to visit full of greenery in the surrounding. The atmosphere there was cold due to long deodar tress making the surrounding shady. Northern Himalayas can be seen from there covering with snow .One can do horse riding there in the dense forest.

Naldehra is also famous for its Golf Course.

 Later I went to Jakhu Temple. It is situated 2.5 km from Shimla on Jakhoo Hill at the height of 8000 feet.  This time I did trekking and went to height on myself. The temple is beautiful. 

Here a huge and tall statue of Hanuman is built, considered as world’s tallest statue of 108 feet at the height of 8000 feet. The temple is dedicated to god, Hanuman.  The temple is very nicely maintained and, a park is also available for the kids.

On the evening of my last stay at Shimla, I hang around in the Ridge visiting the Lakkar Bazaar. 

This place consists of shops that are famous for their wooden works. Youcan buy key rings, kitchen utility things, watches, interior decoration items, toys, bangles etc. made of wood. One must visit this place to do some shopping here.

The night view of the Shimla at the Ridge is very good. One can view Jakhoo hill and the tall Hanuman statue from the ridge. Shimla looks more beautiful at the night .It seems as if the sky full of stars has falled down in which the lights of the houses acts as a stars.

                           

Do visit Shimla and spend few days......