Shimla-“Queen of Himalayas”

Either the old gnarled trees,

Or aplomb breeze

Enthrall me every time, o thy!

Whenever I see #madeofgreat

Shimla is a beautiful place in the lap of Himalayas enclosed by mighty mountains which protects it by standing straight with their broader chest. Its natural beauty is carved by the God himself. I think a beautiful combination of flora and fauna is made in designing the queen of hills with such a care that no mark should remain to spoil its beauty and that’s why it has natural beauty in abundance. You can’t deny the cool breathtaking breeze of fresh air here.

Christ Chruch at Ridge,Shimla

It used to be the Summer Capital of India during British era in India. When it was built, seven hills were chosen to establish the town. Those hills were Bantony hill, Observatory hill, Prospect hill, Elysium hill, Inverarm hill, Summer hill, and Jakhoo hill. Jakhoo being highest among the seven possess a heritage of Jakhoo temple which has the largest statue of Hanuman ji, a Hindu deity which is of 108 feet. It offers the breathtaking view of Shivalik ranges.

Its construction reflects the great architecture of Britain. I recommend you to take a walk of entire stretch of 3 km from ridge up to Vice Regal Lodge (IIAS). On one side, there must be hustle and bustle in ridge and on the other when you start moving you will be mesmerized by the beautiful woods having deodar trees. You can easily see Tyndall effect of sunlight as it passes through the Shimla woods. You could either choose to stay at church which is at ridge or could enjoy stage shows or movies in gaiety theater. Vice Regal Lodge, also known as Rashtrapati Bhavan is a majestic palace which reminds the palaces which you have seen in movies and is situated on the observatory hill. It was formerly the residence of British Viceroy Lord Dufferin and was a venue for many important decisions. The decision of partition of India was also taken here.

It shares its boundary with Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Solan, Sirmour and Uttrakhand. You can easily connect yourself with other districts and can have a view of wonderful places around. Shimla is connected to Kufri with a stretch of 14 km. Manali is also connected to Shimla by road with the distance of 370 km. Kinnaur, however is not a much developed place but possess natural beauty in abundance. You can connect to Kinnaur via Shimla. Railway was also introduced in 1891 connecting Kalka and Shimla and this trip adds more charm to your travelling. The mesmerizing view of mountains will make your soul to dive in blissful sea of your inside heaven which will make you to forget all your worries as if nature is taking you in her lap and consoling you with her gift of natural beauty. Shimla is connected with Delhi by airways also as airport is located in Jabarhatti. It’s not a grand airport but yes if you don’t like the road rides and curves of hilly terrain, you could choose this way either.

It’s best for you to drive yourself to explore enchanting view of each and every place. You can start you drive from Delhi, the capital of India to Chandigarh first and then you could drive yourself and reach Shimla headquarters in 2 hours which is main area visited by tourists. Listen, but drive to Shimla doesn’t end here. Actually it’s the starting of your journey. You can take a drive to Chail, Naal Dehra, Mashobra or Chadwick fall if you don’t want to explore more adventures but yes these places will surely add charm to your journey. Its mesmerizing view undoubtedly takes away hearts of many people.

Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Observatory Hill

If you want to explore more of Shimla, you could choose to explore more mountain ranges or go to Rohru, surely a breathtaking place it is! If you love adventures, you can try activities like bungee jumping, snow-skewing, sky-diving and para gliding if you drive 14 km from Shimla to Kufri.

Surely, here’s no end of list. There are a lot more places to be explored which truly cast their shadows in hearts!