Shimla is a beautiful hill station in India, the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh State. Shimla was the summer capital of India during the British rule. The Government offices and schools moved from Delhi to Shimla every summer. Besides being a great hill station, several historical meetings were held at this place - the Shimla Accord which outlined the boundary between inner and outer Tibet during the British rule and the Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan in 1972. There are seven hills in this region, I was able to visit only one of them - the Jakhoo Hill which is the highest hill with elevation of approx. 8000 feet famous for the Hanuman Mandir. We stayed at the Wildflower Hall which used to be the Viceroy's residence. This stunning property is currently managed by Oberoi Hotels.
Lanscape Photos
The Wildflower Hall is surrounded by manmade forest of Cedar pines and has many challenging hiking trails. We went on a 7 Km hike covering steep and narrow trails. It took 6 hours to complete the hike. We spotted Morel mushrooms and several Himachali people collecting mushrooms from the steep slopes. We were able to capture several photographs during the hike, some of which are shown here. The first picture shows the layers of 7 hills and the farther hills to create a painting like effect. The Government of India has done a great job of maintaining these trails and all the trees in the forest are tagged. Some of the photographs were taken during sunset hours and the orange hues rendered a fall like look of the area.
Jakhoo Mountain Hanuman Mandir
Jakhoo mountain is the highest point in Shimla and the drive to the temple is quite adventurous with winding narrow roads and one side with a steep fall. Thanks to our good driver, we managed to reach the top of the mountain and visit this temple. Legend says Lord Hanuman rested here while looking for Sanjivni herb to save Lakshmana. The red-faced monkeys here are very naughty and aggressive. Visitors are advised to remove spectacles before they enter the temple. The best way to calm these monkeys is to get some snacks like channa or fruits as see in the picture below. They love shiny objects including iPhones!!!. A monkey tried to grab my daughter's iPhone while taking a picture and jumped on her back. He was very unhappy when she walked away and scolded her.
I want to share another highlight of this trip. We started our journey from the temple and there is a sharp U turn just outside the temple with uneven road. The car was stuck at the sharp turn with the rear wheel off the ground and hanging. There were several cars waiting behind us, trying to pass. The drivers got out and decided to help us get out of the jam. Couple of guys opened the back seat door and stood on the edge so that wheel could touch the ground and allowed the driver to complete the turn and move forward. The lesson is just in time collaboration, thinking out of the box and the kindness and willingness to help with no strings attached.
Street Photos
I am not a street photographer by any stretch of imagination. Having said, not developing an interest in street photography in India would be missing out our experiences. This is probably one of the best countries in the world for street photography. Here I have captured our visit to Shimla Mall which is a great place to hang out, 3 women picking Morel mushrooms during our hike, couple of college girls enjoying desert and having a serious conversation, shops along the Shimla mall with spices, fruits, sweets, shoes etc., picture of Wildflower Hall and couple of family photos while we were hiking.
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