Come visiting Khajjiar/Chamba this summer
Stressed out? Bored? Sick and tired of the rough and
tumble of this business of life? Or simply choked by the heat, dust, grime,
smog and particulate matter-saturated air of the plains? If that is so, why not
head to the salubrious, deodar-studded Khajjiar, some 25 kilometres from
Dalhousie in the beautiful Chamba district? My Wikipedia search reveals that
Khajjiar is one of the 160 locations in the world that bears topographical
resemblance with Switzerland, and it was one Mr Willy T. Blazer, Vice Counsellor
and Head of Chancery of Switzerland, who on July 7, 1992 gave Khajjiar an
international status by calling it a “mini Switzerland”.
Tucked away in a quiet corner on a sloping hill and providing a panoramic view of Khajjiar’s lush green meadow skirted by pure stands of stately deodars in the far distance, is a PWD rest house. If you have books to read, a diary to scribble your thoughts and binoculars to bird watch, well then you are on an unforgettable life-enriching journey. You will return with all your batteries recharged, I bet. Of course Khajjiar has other places for stay to offer. HP tourism’s cottages, for instance. Maybe with commerce having become the guiding mantra of our present-day lives, quite a good number of private lodges and resorts too might have come up now: it has been years since I visited it last. But nothing to beat the quiet charm and sensuous elegance of the PWD rest house built in the old, traditional Pahari architectural style.
Tucked away in a quiet corner on a sloping hill and providing a panoramic view of Khajjiar’s lush green meadow skirted by pure stands of stately deodars in the far distance, is a PWD rest house. If you have books to read, a diary to scribble your thoughts and binoculars to bird watch, well then you are on an unforgettable life-enriching journey. You will return with all your batteries recharged, I bet. Of course Khajjiar has other places for stay to offer. HP tourism’s cottages, for instance. Maybe with commerce having become the guiding mantra of our present-day lives, quite a good number of private lodges and resorts too might have come up now: it has been years since I visited it last. But nothing to beat the quiet charm and sensuous elegance of the PWD rest house built in the old, traditional Pahari architectural style.
Your couple
of nights’ stay at Khajjiar will include
relaxing walks all over the meadow, some quiet moments simply sitting in the
lap of nature, and watching children let loose themselves on its gentle slopes.
You could also enjoy going on treks. And the bird lovers would love moving
around the forested wildernesses for birdwatching. After the Khajjiar stint you
would of course not miss visiting Chamba 24 kilometres from Khajjiar by a
narrow, serpentine road. A small but bustling hill town, it is steeped in
history, art, legend and folklore. Chamba has the world famous Bhuri Singh
museum for you to feast on some finest artefacts. There is the sprawling Chowgan
to relax and loiter around. You could also visit various temples, including the
famous Laxmi Narayan temple. The Akhand Chandi palace, now a college, is another
attraction. And you could easily bump into craftsmen and women and marvel at the
fine, delicate embroidery of the ‘Chamba rumal’ and other kinds of art work. If you like you can buy some of these and make them a feature of special attraction in your drawing room. Likewise, you
can look for bronze, copper plaques with exquisite carvings mostly depicitng images from our
rich mythology to pick and buy for your wall decoration. Hand-made, pure
leather ‘Chamba chappal’ is yet another unique Chamba speciality which you will
not miss to own.
In a nutshell, a lot to see, do and buy, and return
home rewarded, relaxed and happy.
So, before the monsoon strikes these northern parts
of our motherland and outpaces you, do your own online research for more info, make
your bookings, pack your bags and hurry to Khajiiar and Chamba to detox.
Happy journey to this many-splendoured land!
 |
| The bewtiching Khajjiar meadow |
 |
| Isn't it charming? The PWD rest house |
 |
| Bird watching at Khajjiar |
 |
| The famous Laxmi Narayann temple at Chamba |
*
Quotes of the week
Never give up on dreams is what this win taught me: Rohan Bopanna after his first grand slam win (DH)
Send warmongers to the front: Salman Khan (DH)
Send warmongers to the front: Salman Khan (DH)
No meat, no sex, pure thoughts : Ayush ministry advice to would-be moms for healthy baby (HT: google news)
Note ban impact on economy to continue: SBI (google news)
*
Random news headlines
300000 year-old "early Homo sapiens" sparks debate over evolution
- Ars Technica (Google news)
Worm regenerates into rare 2-headed creature in space
- (DH)
Humans will find alien life in 2 decades:expert
- (DH)
Jupiter is the oldest planet in solar system:study
- (DH)
Woman cop (in Bihar) sacked for falling in love with most wanted criminal
- (DH)
Vit C and antibiotics 100 times powerful at killing cancer
- (DH)
High carb breakfast helps you make better decisions
- (DH)
Lonliness makes people more selfish:study
- (DH)
Snake venom may replace aspirin for heart disease patients
- (DH)
Home blood pressure monitors wrong 70 per cent of time
- (DH)
***
Our govt has failed to tab the wealth that the nature has bestowed on us in bounty. For that matter Barot Billing even Palampur....To name a few adjoining ones....In fact the people of this state are the privileged ones to be born here....to breathe the fresh air,to feast o n greenery.....Wish the things will remain the same in the coming times.An interesting one๐๐
ReplyDeleteYes, that' true. Mother nature has bestowed great many idyllic places and sites on our land. Some of them still remain unexplored and some of them have degenearted into ugly, polluted eyesores in the name of 'development'. It would need men and women of vision and imagination at the helm to preserve nature's beauty and strike a balance between development and conservation of naturral heritage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your views.
I have been to both Chamba and Khaziar; 5-6 times to former and twice to latter.But your ornamental and poetic description of the sights is more arresting and captivating than what I saw there.The stench of horse dung was repelling in both Chaugan in Chamba and in the vast expanse of the meadow in Khaziar.Of course,the grove of deodar trees was spectacular and enchanting to the eyes. Here lies the difference between our maintenance and that of the foreign countries. The Swiss dignitary might have likened Khaziar to Switzerland, but in hearts of hearts but stench must be rolling over in his mind.
ReplyDeleteHa,ha,ha... You have rightly hit at the darker side of the otherwise such a spectacular tourist spot. I too noticed horse dung at places in Khajjiar and the Chowgan was under renovation when I went to Chamba. Perhaps I had been too enchanted by the overall beauty to take any serious and critical note of these eyesores. All that you say goes to show the utter lack of will and vision to make our tremendous tourist potential a rewarding proposition.
DeleteThanks very much sir for adding this realistic dimension to my "ornamental and poetic description"!