SHIMLA - The Queen Of Hill Stations

Hill of queen Shimla  is the  capital of Himachal Pradesh. By its natural beauty is one of the recocnized tourist spot in INDIA.... Last summer vacation I had been to visit the most famous and beautifull hill staion across India along with my family.

The hills of Shimla are covered by forests where deodars, pines, oaks, rhododendrons and willows appear and disappear amid the constant fog and rain in summer and snow in winter. The city was laid out in levels. At the highest, one can still glimpse, nearly lost in their extensive gardens, homes with big windows and sunrooms that once belonged to the British

Shimla is well connected by air, road and rail with all parts of Himachal Pradesh, and the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashimir and the Union territory of Chandigarh. Covering the area of 18 sq. km. at a height of 7,238 ft. Shimla is surrounded by pine, deodar, oak and rhododendron forests.

Following are the places which are the most famous and visited places in Shimla. I too was pleased and overwhelmed to witness beauty of these happening location.

CHRIST CHURCH

Christ Church One of the oldest churches in North India, Christ Church was built by the British in 1857 to serve the large Anglican British community in the area. Built in the Neo-Gothic style of architecture, Christ Church is one of the long lasting legacies of British rule in India and is one of Shimla's most recognized landmarks.

THE RIDGE OF SHIMLA

The Ridge of Shimla is a large open spacious platform from where you can have a panoramic view of the mountain peaks of Shimla. The snow capped mountain ranges engulfed in the beauty of the nature is a phenomenal view that the Ridge of Shimla offers to the crowd.

Shimla State Museum

Shimla State Museum is located at about 3 Kilometers Ancient Historical Sculptors and paintings of Himachal Pradesh. Visiting hours 10 AM to 5 PM. Closed on Monday and gazetted holidays.

The State Museum was opened in 1974 consisting of the art objects mostly related to art, archaeology and the cultural anthropology of the Himachal Region as well as from the other states of India. The Museum has about 9000 objects in te collection at present. At first the Museum started off with just 4 galleries but now more galleries have been added. These galleries pertain to Indian archeology, Himachal archaeology, Pre historic Objects, wood carvings, Monuments, Photographs, Bronzes, Arms Gallery, Gandhi Gallery, Philatelic, Anthropological, Pahari Miniature Paintings, Rajasthan paintings, Contemporary Art and Wall Paintings gallery.

Museum is open between 10 am to 1.30 pm and then from 2 to 5 pm. Mondays and second Saturday of every month are holidays.

Summer Hill

Summer Hill is located at about 5 kilometers and is placed at an altitude of about 1983 meters above sea level. Summer Hill is a beautiful township and a nice suburb on the Shimla-Kalka Railway line. The Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi had visited Shimla and lived in these quiet surroundings at the elegant Georgian House of Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur.

The temperature during winter is very cold and freezing that you cannot see people outside. At other times the place is pleasant, particularly during summers, even then you might need woolen clothes and accessories in the nights.

Tara Devi Temple

Tara Devi Temple is located on the top of a hill in Shimla and is a very famous tourist destination of the place. The Tara Devi temple is situated at about 11 kilometers from Shimla and can be seen while travelling on the Kalka Shimla National Highway. You can see the backdrop of the lofty Himalayas whenyou visit the tara Devi temple. The clean and fresh air works wonders on you helping you to relax from the day to day worries in life.

The origin of the temple can be traced back to 250 years back. It is said and believed that the Goddess Tara Devi came all the way from West Bengal to Himachal Pradesh. Kings from the Sen dynasty seem to have visited the place and built this temple according to the wish of their family deity. The picturesque temple and the view of the surroundings are breathtaking and captivationg to these days.

Daranghati Sanctuary

Daranghati Sanctuary is located at about 150 kilometers from Shimla, near Rampur Bushahr, in the upper area of the district of Shimla. This has been the hunting ground of the Rampur Bushahr royal family and was notified as a sanctuary in 1962. Daranghati has an undisturbed forest area with various kinds of wildlife namely, Tragopan, monal, Koklas and Khalij pheasants as well as Musk Deer, Ghoral and Thar. This is an ideal place for the trek lovers. There is a network of bridle paths and inspection paths in the sanctuary and the visitors are asked to take assistance from the frest personnel posted at Dofda and Sarahan. The Sanctuary has cool summers and severe winters. There is heavy monsoon precipitation in the monsoon months of July to September and frequent snowfall from January to March.

To reach Daranghati Sanctuary the nearest airport is Jubbarhatti airport which is about 23 kilometers from Shimla and about 150 kilometers from Rampur. There is a narrow gauge toy train which moves slowly through the mountains, valleys showing you the beautiful landscapes from Shimla to Kalka.

Wild Flower Hall

Wildflower Hall is a beautiful heritage building which was the resodence of Lord Kitchener. This whole building was renovated and refurbished in to a magnificent and striking architecture in to an awesome resort . The WildflowerHall is a resort spreading over 22 acres and is located at about 8250 feet above sea level. At present the hall is a 5 star resort of the Oberoi group placed amidst Virgin woods of cedar and pine. This Wildflower Hall is a masterpiece of the British Colonial heritage.