Location:
Himachal Pradesh
Altitude: 2,250m
Places Of Interest: Cricket Ground, Chail
Wildlife Sanctuary, Sadhupul
Best Time To Visit: May-July & September
- November
The former
'summer capital' of Patiala, Chail is 43-km from Shimla and dwelling in
the midst of a lush green setting. At 2,250m, it has the world's highest
cricket pitch and a polo ground, the old palace, now a hotel and the
possibility of some angling are added attractions.
Chail is hiker's
paradise. The area is very peaceful away from the hustle and bustle of
Shimla. 3-kms from the hotel is the worlds highest Cricket ground. Close
by is a National Park, which has limited number of birds and deers.
In 1891, Maharaja
Bhupinder Singh of Patiala incurred the wrath of Lord Kitchener, the
then Commander-in-Chief. As a result, he was banned entry into the
summer capital of the Raj, Shimla. This enraged the Maharaja and he
vowed to build a new and better summer capital for himself. He looked
around and after quite some time realized it had all the while been in
his possession. Chail, a little village close to Shimla, was a 'slice of
heaven' surrounded by lush forests with a commanding view of the
snow-capped Himalayas. He rebuilt the city according to his requirements
and built himself a wonderful palace.
The picturesque
resort located amidst scented forests of chir pine and gigantic deodars.
Chail is built on three hills, the palace is on Rajgarh Hill, the
Residency Snow View once occupied by British resident is on Pandhewa
Hill and on the third hill Sadh Tiba where Chail is situated.
Overlooking Satluj Valley, Shimla and Kasauli are also visible at night
from here. Chail has also the highest cricket ground in the world. Well
kept and well maintained the ground is surrounded by huge trees of
deodar and pine. On the other side of the town are situated the massive
Himalayan ranges spectacularly gleaming in the sun and snow-covered
every thing under it.
PRIME ATTRACTION
WILDLIFE
Chail Wildlife Sanctuary: Ghoral, Kakkar, Sambhar, Red Jungle Fowl, and
Khalij, Cheer Pheasants are some of the inhabitants of the Chail
wildlife sanctuary.
TEMPLES
Sidh Baba Ka
Mandir: Maharaja Bhupinder Singh had originally intended this to be the
site of his palace, and had even started building it, but as is
believed, a 'sidh', saintly person appeared in the Maharaja's dream, and
declared that this was the place where he had meditated. Consequently,
Bhupinder Singh shifted his venue and built a temple on the spot.
OTHERS
Sadhupul: 14-km
from Kandaghat a beautiful tiny village of Sadhupul, and the bridge over
the Ashwani stream, a popular picnic-spot.
Cricket Ground:
Surrounded by gigantic deodar and well maintained Chail Cricket ground
is the highest cricket ground in the world. Built in 1893, this cricket
pitch located at the height of 2,144m is also used as polo ground.
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