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Shimla:
Popularly known as “Queen of Hills”, was the summer capital of India; during British Rule. You would hence find the old town as a real reflection of British town planning and architecture. On the contrary latest constructions are haphazard and crowded. The city is surrounded by lush green hills of deodar trees. Inside the city, most charming place is Mall Road with lots of shops and restaurants. Other places to visit are as follows:
1. The Ridge:
This flat piece of land has Christ Church at one end and the Municipal Corporation building at the other end. It has Lakkar Bazaar at Christ Church end with lots of small stores selling souvenirs and wooden carved artifacts. It is also famous for the view of the town and Ice cream stalls.
2. The Museum:
From Lakkar Bazaar you can walk down the ridge; all the way up to the museum. The walk is pretty long and it can take up to 40 minutes; but it is pretty pleasant. Alternatively take local taxi to reach museum. It has nice collection of miniature paintings in Pahari style. This style denotes great mixture of art form of Punjab and Rajasthan. As the style evolved here; you would see influence of mountain lifestyle with motifs of trees, flowers and bright colors. It also has interesting collection of sculptures in wood and stone again in Pahari Style. In addition there is collection of jewellery and costumes of Himachal. This can be very interesting experience for anybody involved in Fashion or History.
3. Indian Institute of Advanced Studies:
Earlier known as Viceregal Lodge or official residence of the Viceroy of India is fabulous in terms of its Architecture and surrounding gardens
4. Jakhoo Temple:
The most famous temple in this area can be reached by road as well as by trek. The trek starts at The Ridge and is pretty rigorous; unless you are health enthusiast don’t try it or keep lot of time for breaks in between. This is the highest point near Shimla and gives breathtaking view of the surroundings. The legend is that while Lord Hanuman was flying to Drona Parvat (mountain) in search of Sanjavani Herb to save Laxmana, he saw a Yakha Sage here. He stopped to ask him details about reaching Drona Parvat; he then moved ahead. While he landed here, his speed was so high that the mountain went inside earth almost by half due to impact. The place, where he is believed to have landed is still preserved here with his foot prints in stone. While Hanuman left for onwards journey his Vanar sena(force of monkeys) was in deep slumber due to travel fatigue. After they woke up they felt guilty and hence decided to stay here itself. You would therefore find lots of monkeys around. Hanuman had promised the Sage to see him again on his way back; but could not do so due to want of time. He however appeared later to meet the sage and disappeared; leaving behind his stone statue. The temple is named Jakhoo which came from word Yaksha(in Sanskrit) or Yakhoo in local accent.
Shoghi:
If, Shimla is the Queen of Hills, then at Shoghi you are sleeping in the lap of the queen mother. It is just 13 km from Shimla with buses plying every 10 minutes. You get benefit of staying closer to Shimla as well as staying in a quiet and serene place. The area is lush green and homestays here are off main road; so you can even plan for a romantic holiday of few days. Shimla is pretty crowded and if you are a nature enthusiast or a peace loving person; it can be painful to stay there. In such a case we highly recommend Shoghi as the finest replacement.
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