Tuesday 10 May 2011

Shimla: The Summer Capital

Shimla is a small hill station, the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh (India). I did my schooling from there. Till the age of 17 I kept shuttling between New Delhi and Shimla and that was the time when I liked New delhi more than Shimla. The irony today is that even though now I live in New Delhi I would trade anything in the world to get back to that place! During my school days it was hard to understand why it had caught the eye of The Britishers as I always thought that this place has nothing more to offer other than some good weather and that, I thought, they could have enjoyed in their good old country as well!

Today as I look back at all the pictures that I have, remember all the seasons I spent there and cherish many precious moments I realise that I could not have had a better and a more comfortable childhood. Here are some of the pictures from my personal collection to give you a hint of all that I miss.


The Ridge.
 I remember myself taking one of those horse rides, Asking the man, leading the horse through the crowd, the name of his horse. It had turned out to be Basanti, Badal and Champa on three different occasions.

The Ridge also offers an amazing view of the mountains surrounding the small town and of far away clouds gliding towards the sky that covers Shimla.



The famous and the second oldest church in North India i.e. The Christ Church, is also located near the Ridge. Designed in the typical Elizabethan style, it is one of the prettiest churches I have ever seen.


Ah! This was right after sunset!

In my opinion Shimla looks fabulous during sunset. The sky changes its colour to hues of red, orange and blue. Such a spectacular display of colour is sure a treat to the eyes specially prepared by mother nature for all of us!


Autumn

I do not know what had inspired John Keats to write Ode to Autumn but if I were a poet I would have written a thousand of them for every Autumn I spent there! The autumn in Shimla is simply amazing. Its like even nature is teaching the lesson of shedding the past, letting it go and getting ready for what's to come.



A forest of these trees is a spectacle too much for one man to see.
- David Douglas
The objects that add ultimate beauty to the hills of Shimla are their trees. The hills are covered with forests mostly of pine which look spectacular during the snowy winters.


The Rainbow

This is what the sky looked like after some rain. I feel lucky to have actually witnessed it though I wish a had a better camera!

The Toy Train : A UNESCO Heritage Site.

You must experience a memorable journey through 103 tunnels. Does take a couple of hours but its totally worth it!.










1 comment:

  1. Shimla is beautiful place to visit during the time of summer. The place is giving you an exciting time spend with the natural beauty that you can cover during your holiday with your family. The place is full of nature and greenery and provide you an exciting time spend with their adventurous activities.

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