Trip to Shimla | The Most Popular Hill Stations in North India

Probably the most popular hill station in northern India, Shimla is the capital city Himachal Pradesh famous for its Mall road, the Ridge, toy train etc. among honeymooners and families alike. Shimla is located 7000 feet high above the sea level. Presently, Shimla is known as the ‘Queen of Hills’ as it is surrounded by pine and oak forests. Shimla is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country. Set amidst beautiful hills and mystical woods, Shimla is one of most aesthetically planned cities in India. An erstwhile summer capital of British India, this town’s captivating natural beauty, and the atmosphere are bound to leave any tourist overwhelmed.

I have been to Shimla many times, but here I will share about the trip with my friends, I went to Shimla with my friends during college time in a cab, While entering, we were able to see the beautiful mountains and slopes from far away. After few hours, we reached Shimla and went to our hotel, The rooms in this hotel were very spacious and there was a separate store for the luggage also. While entering the room, the hotel manager gave us two instructions – firstly, not to open the windows as the monkeys will enter the room and create havoc; and secondly, to use the water economically as there is a shortage of water in Shimla.

Jakhoo:

Jakhoo Temple Shimla, Image Source: TripAdvisor

Jakhoo Hill is just 2 kilometers away from Shimla which lies at an altitude of 8000 feet high above the sea level. It has the highest peak of the hill station which offers a magnificent view of Shimla and also the snow clad Himalayas. This place is also a home to the ancient temple of Lord Hanuman which is situated at the top of the hill and it is one of the most pious places in Shimla that attracts numerous travelers. At around 12 noon, we reached ‘Kamakhya Temple’ which was surrounded by agricultural fields like potato, cauliflower, rice fields, etc. It was a big surprise to all as such agricultural activity has been made successful at a high altitude by designing hills suitable for these corps.
According to the legend that surrounds this temple, Lord Hanuman stopped at this spot to take some rest before resuming his search for the Sanjeevani Booti to revive Lord Lakshman. Your visit to Shimla would be incomplete without visiting the scenic Jakhoo Temple!

Christ Church:

Christ Church Shimla, Image Source: Wikipedia

The beautiful church is the second largest church in Northern India built in the year 1857 in neo-gothic style to serve the Anglican British Community of the ancient times. It is located on the ridge which is in the heart of Shimla. The church holds the stained glass windows depicting faith, hope, charity, fortitude, patience, and humility in it with a splendid appearance. The church is one of the most sacred places in Shimla and thus it attracts numerous tourists. The church is truly an architectural legacy of the British that still outshines in the hill station. So I went inside to seek blessings from the almighty. I was feeling so calm that for a while I felt like sitting in heaven.

Mall Road:

Mall Road Shimla, Image Source: Google Images

The famous location of Shimla is the main shopping hub of the town, which offers a number of restaurants, clubs, banks, bars post offices and tourist offices. It also houses the famous Gaiety Theatre which is the famous ancient theatre in Shimla. The mall road has two main meeting points that are the ridge and the scandal points. This place was built by the British which is the hosting place for several cultural activities nowadays. People can meet numerous visitors and tourists who visit these places to enjoy lightened talks and share emotional feeling amidst the most beautiful environs of Shimla. The mall road runs parallel to the ridge and it bends at the Lakkar Bazaar which is the famous market for wood crafts and furniture. The mall road is the best place to grab some excellent souvenirs such as embroidered shawls, caps, Pahari paintings and so on. We also saw the statues of Lala Lajpat Rai, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and also of Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar, the founder of the state of Himachal Pradesh. We also had an excellent experience of using a special type of hoist while moving from low land to top in Shimla. It was told the specially designed hoist was built by British to suit their requirements. One should avail the opportunity to ride.

Next day in the morning, we took our cab to Chandigarh and bid bye to the wonderful place.

How to Reach Shimla:

Shimla is well connected by road, rail, and air. If you want to go by air then Shimla has its own airport (SLV) which is located around 20km away from the main city. After reaching the airport you can easily get a cab for the main city. Shimla can also be reached by train. The nearest major railway station is Kalka (96 km from Shimla), from Kalka Shimla is connected by narrow gauge line. You can enjoy the toy train journey from Kalka to reach Shimla. If you want to go by bus then Shimla is well connected by road from the all the major cities such as New Delhi, Chandigarh and so on.

Wish you a nice trip to Shimla.

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