For atmospherics, cool climate and absolute seclusion, the quaint little hill town of Chail in the Himachal is a good bet, not to mention its proximity from the capital city. About 350 kilometes from Delhi, it is a breezy drive on the Ambala-Chandigarh expressway before entering the first Himalayan town Kalka, and proceeding further on to Solan - a lot of people stop by here to pick up chicken and mutton pickle from a nondescript shop on the main road - and finally into Chail via Kandaghat.
Chail, at 2226 meters, started off as the summer capital of Maharaja Adhiraj Bhupinder Singh of Patiala in 1891 when he was expelled from Simla by Lord Kitchener, and vowed to build himself a personal 'summer capital'. And eventually, the little town of Chail came to be around the massive Palace premise, which today is a sprawling heritage hotel maintained by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism.
To be one with nature, a stay at the Palace is highly recommended. Its eclectic accommodation options ranging from suites, cottages to log huts tucked away in the woods, and acres of green space that include the very alpine jungles, make it an ideal retreat for those seeking out some time alone. But just be prepared for one thing - long walks, and this will be the highpoint of your stay here.
And for the remainder of the day, there are endless treks through sun-dappled wilderness suddenly opening up to an ample blue sky with the dense valley stretching into distance. An occasional tourist finds his way into the Palace compounds on paying an entry fee of Rs 100, to soak up the tranquility at the centre of which is this exquisite piece of architecture, the erstwhile summer home of the king, dotted with antique furniture, chandeliers, a piano and a small smattering of paintings.
Everything in Chail is almost always 3-4 kilometers away from each other. A descend of a couple of kilometers from the Palace brings you to the Chail bazaar, a quintessential hill-town bazaar, untouched by time, where shopkeepers wear a warm smile for wayfarers and are more than obligatory to tourists trying to find their way through the endless mountain trails. Adding to the ambience is a ramshackle little post office with a bright red post box and a board reading 'CHAIL (in Hindi) , Pin code: 173217'.
Further on, wind down the road that stretches ahead of the bazaar past forests of rhododendrons in their bloom season, their scarlet mouths hanging open from the branches at every bend. The most breathtaking of sceneries come about at the end of a mountain trail and at the beginning of another. You are faced with lush pastures with cows grazing on them and a tiny hut inevitably in the clearing. A few more hills and you'll find yourself ascending a steep cliff atop which is an endless open terrace with a small Kaali temple in the centre. 'Kaali ka tibba' as it is aptly called lays open a panoramic view of the distant peaks of Chur Chandni, Karol Tibba and the surrounding towns of Sirmour, Solan and Simla. The temple door is kept shut when there is no visitor for the fear of monkeys. The monkey population simply thrives in Chail, you stumble upon them everywhere! Otherwise, this vantage point is a delight for photographers.
Chail's claim to fame is its cricket ground which is touted as the highest in the world at 2444 meters above sea level. About 3 kilometers from Chail bazaar, the grounds were built in 1893 and are used by the young kids of Rashtriya Military School, Chail. Though the site is out of bounds for visitors, you can always climb up the fleet of stairs and take a peep from the small gate. You'll find school kids playing basketball, cricket or generally walking about. A characteristic feature of the ground is a bare tree tagged 'historical' with a small dais mounted on it. However, there is no literature on why it is so.
Sidh Baba ka Mandir is another historical place; travellers on their way back from Simla stop by here to pay their respects. It is believed to be the site where Maharaja Bhupinder Singh originally began building his palace. Legend has it that a saint appeared in the king's dream and told him to shift his palace to another spot as he meditated there.
If bird watching interests you, do make a trip to the Chail Wildlife Sanctuary. On a safari you might spot endemic species such as ghoral, kakkar and sambhar, besides birds like red jungle fowl and cheer pheasants in abundance. Make use of the sighting posts built around the sanctuary at strategic points. The sanctuary is a steep climb up a narrow unpaved road from a turn-off at the bazaar, with the initial stretch passing through woods of cedar and oak, motorable.
April to June are the supposed summer months in Chail when the temperature swings between 25 and 5 degree centigrade. Through the day you'd need a layer of woolens, save for the warm late afternoon hours. The clouds are happy and on top of the sky, but can break into a drizzle without ceremony. But if you intend on a winter holiday, you will need great resilience from the harsh cold as the mercury dips to minus 9 degree C, enough for a bucket of water kept for few hours to develop a film of ice. But to see the hill resort turn into an enchanting white landscape is nothing short of a fairytale.
Either time of the year, Chail is pristine. And hope it stays that way. Amen.
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