Page 119 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

HIM A CHAL PR ADESH  117

4 Kasauli
Festivals of
Solan district. 77 km (48 miles) Himachal Pradesh
SW of Shimla. * 5,000. @
Shivratri (Feb/Mar), Mandi.
The closest hill station to the Local deities are carried down
plains, Kasauli offers the charm from the surrounding hills on
of quiet walks shaded by chir elaborately decorated palanquins,
pine, oak and horse chestnut to pay homage to Lord Shiva at
trees. It is at its best just after the Bhootnath Temple.
the monsoon, when colourful
dahlias cover the hillsides. Summer Festival (May/Jun),
As an army canto nment, Shimla and Dharamsala. This
restrictions imposed by the festival coincides with the
A temple on Hatu Peak, a day’s hike authorities have prevented tourist season and attracts
from Narkanda the old town from being taken singers and dancers.
over by concrete modern
3 Narkanda structures. As a result, old-
fashioned buildings with Minjar (Jul/Aug), Chamba.
Shimla district. 64 km (40 miles) Maize shoots or minjars,
N of Shimla. @ gable roofs and wooden strung on silken threads,
balconies remain intact on are cast into the Ravi river
Narkanda, at a height of the Upper and Lower malls, at the start of this week-long
2,750 m (9,022 ft), stands on the two main streets that run festival to seek blessings for
the HT Road, as it winds along right through the town. a bountiful harvest.
the edges of the ridge-line Monkey Point, the highest
dividing the Satluj and spot in the town, is
Yamuna catchments. 4 km (2 miles) from the Manimahesh Yatra (Aug/Sep),
From here, the Himalayan bus station. From here Bharmour. The pilgrimage to
peaks are even closer, and there are clear views of the sacred Manimahesh Lake
draws thousands of Hindu
the walks through dense Shimla, the meandering devotees. Its waters are believed
temperate forests, where Satluj and Chandigarh. to cleanse the sins of a lifetime.
spruce, fir and high- A 5-km (3-mile) trail
altitude oak take over from Kasauli leads to
from the deodar and the Lawrence School at Dussehra (Sep/Oct), Kullu
blue pine, are quite Sanawar, a public school (see pp130–31).
spectacular. The best Postbox founded by Sir Henry
walk is the 6-km (4-mile) in Kasauli Lawrence (see p201) in 1847. Lavi Fair (Nov), Rampur.
hike to Hatu Peak (3,300 Products from remote
m/10,827 ft), which is crowned Environs Tibet and Ladakh were once
by a temple dedicated to About 60 km (37 miles) to bartered with those from the
Hateshwari Devi. The area the northeast of Kasauli is plains and lower hills at this
around Narkanda is lush with Nalagarh, the seat of the for mer fair. Today, woollen goods and
apple orchards. In winter, the princely state of Hindur. The pashmina from Tibet, chilgoza
slopes are ideal for skiing. You palace is now a heritage hotel nuts and shawls from Kinnaur
can also drive to the top. called the Nalagarh Fort Resort. and horses from Spiti are
briskly traded.
Hill Stations Renuka Fair (Nov), near Nahan.
By the late 19th century, when the British had consolidated their People from the surrounding
rule in India, families began to come over from Britain to join villages gather at the shores of
their menfolk. In the years that followed, more than 80 settlements the Renuka Lake to celebrate
were established in the lower hill ranges, as summer retreats for the completion of the harvest,
the burgeoning expatriate population, keen to escape the intense at this fair.
heat of the plains. Hill stations
endeavoured to recreate a way
of life reminiscent of the home
country, complete with half-
timbered houses, clubs, churches,
hospitals, parks with bandstands
and a main street invariably
known as The Mall. Boarding
schools, with excellent teaching
facilities, were also set up for
Kennedy’s Cottage, by Captain J Luard, children, who were unable to Colourful Kinnauri shawls on sale at
Shimla, 1822 go back to study in England. the Lavi Fair, Rampur

116-117_EW_India.indd 117 26/04/17 11:53 am