Short trip out of Kolkata - Digha

Going to Digha was not in our plan, but we needed a break from the daily chores .. even if it was for a day or two and so we planned a sudden trip to Digha. Though its rainy season and the weather at Digha stays quite suffocating and murky, we took the chance of visiting there.

Boarding the Hwh Digha Duronto express leaving Howrah at 11:15 AM, we reached Digha at by 2: 15 PM.

As we had not booked any hotels prior to our trip, so first and foremost we went Hotel hopping. Old Digha or New? I voted for New. So it such happened that  we got on a cycle van and reached New Digha banks which is also nearer to the station than Old Digha. 

In between the two years since I had been at Digha, many hotels have mushroomed up and there are many still under construction. Closest to the beach we saw Hotel Sagarpriya, Hotel New Sagarpriya, Hotel Sea Bird, Hotel Sukh sagar, Hotel Larica etc etc etc. and there was The Roofers Pearl, Hotel Suman, Hotel M , Hotel X  etcccccc there are so many .. I need an elephants memory to remember them all.  :)

We chose Hotel Sea Bird, top floor, sea view room.

As you go higher up on the floors, the price escalates.

The room was small but comfortable with all other regular amenities alongwith a minifridge where we kept our cold drinks 

We got a good weather .. cloudy but not murky ... and it was not so hot either. The view from the balcony was nice and relaxing. 

View from the Hotel Balcony

We spent the first day lazing at the hotel itself, going out in the evening for the beach to stroll. The clouds were overcast and dark and suddenly it started raining at the beach. People started walking back towards the banks and funnily the clouds seemed in a mood to shower the people as it was also flowing in the same direction, in the same speed.

Clouds gathering 

Clouds coming towards the beach

The Clouds grumbled and went towards land after other people

The Beach in the late evening

 I stood back at the beach getting lightly wet in the drizzle -  not enough to drench me, as the clouds passed over me and went grumbling after the others    We strolled at the beach for a while, went around the small shops and shot baloons over the parapet, took a few pics and came back early. We were too lazy and sleepy to stroll in the beach

The Shops as seen from our Hotel at Night 

Same Area Day Time

Sea Bird Lobby

Next day morning too the weather was cloudy but there was a light breeze from the sea. We woke up quite late and spent the morning watching TV. Mid-afternoon was sight seeing time at the nearby Chandaneshwar temple, Taalsaari, Udaipur Beach and Mohona. The cab we hired for sight seeing charged us a wholesome of 800Rs for the 2-3 hrs we had to spend on the roads. Costly .. but that's their charges or maybe we didn't bargain enough. 

Chandaneshwar temple, Taalsaari, Udaipur Beach are in the adjoining state of Orissa. It is closer to New Digha area.  

Chandaneshwar temple is dedicated to the Lord Shiva. I could not get the mythology of the temple as we were buzy trying to dodge the pandas(prients) of the temple who forced the puja thali and prasad in our hands on some pretext or the other. A few people posing as the temple committee members took donation in the name of maintaining the temple complex which did not seemed maintained at all. 

The panda who forcefully started a puja for us said that the actual lings is 20 meter deep inside the square pit where all the other priests were putting water, milk and flowers in the name of god. God only knows why he (GOD) has gone deep inside there ... hiding from the pandas ?? Eh??!! 

Taalsari is a lagoon where the small fishermen bring in their boats loaded with fisehes and tie their boats when the tide is low.  Last time when I had visited Taalsaari, it was in the evening and it was low tide with the fishermen in the sea with their boats and some boats tied in the sand. This time it was in high tide. The areas which we had walked last time was full of chest height water and the boats were in with their haul, planning to go back again to the sea. The sand here is very soft and I buzy making my feet impression on the sand. 

Udaipur beach has become far more populated than before and getting polluted too. Earlier only local visitors or a few tourists used to falunt the place, but now the number of people visiting this silent and calm beach has increased since WB Govt have opened the Digha Tent facility near the beach. There is a hotel which was still under construction but work has stopped there due to the company's chit fund scam. 

Mohona is totally at the opposite end of Digha, crossing Old Digha. "Mohona" means the mouth of the river, the place where the river meets the sea. The Champa river is meeting the sea at this point. The Mohona at Digha is also the Fishermens' hub. It has the wholesale fish market where the fishes and the men buzz together from morning. We reached in the late afternoon so the market was over , but beware of the stench that comes from the place. Its pathetic until you get used to it. Reaching by the sea side the stench subsided a little, yet there was a funnt smell in the air. Initially I thought it was coming from the sea until I went closer at the beach to find curtains of something drying in the sun. A closer look confirmed my thoughts - they were fishes being dried in sun. And the situation was so hilarious when my husband refused to go near those fishes evern to take a pic. Dry fishes are loved by bengalis .. not all though (some would fall sick even at the mention of them, God forbd eating them!!!) But there are people who would do anything to eat a preparation of these dreid fishes. 

After spending some time around this place, we returned back to the hotel for lunch. 

Hotel Sagarpriya - as seen from our Hotel balcony

Evening time we went for a stroll towards Old Digha. We took a rikshaw who took us to Old Digha beach for Rs 40. Old Digha is more ..  than New Digha. People who love this .........(chehel pehel) prefer booking their rooms in this part of the area. There are more eateries and shops around here and one can shop anything related to the sea here, but dont't forget to bargain. 

Fried Praws - at Old Digha

To be Fried Crabs - at Old Digha

Types of Fishes

KAJU (Cashwenuts)

Showpieces made from Sea Shells

Showpieces made from Sea Shells

Showpieces made from Sea Shells

Showpieces made from Sea Shells

While returning from Digha we saw the Rainbow peeping through the clouds, trying to wish us good luck for the future and marking the end of a Beautiful trip.

Poush Mela - Shantiniketan

Shantiniketan, meaning the home of peace resonates its meaning in full. Going there from the chaos of the city rejenuvates one’s being. Shantiniketan has been made famous for Rabindranath Tagore, as this was his abode for literary pursuits. His home has been converted into a museum and the Vishwa Bharti vishwavidyala where he used to teach the tribal children under the mango trees has now become a huge complex.

I have been there before and to the surrounding areas, but this time I was there for the Pous Mela. This is a festive time for the people at Shantiniketan and the tribes in that area. Poush Mela brings alive the traditional folk culture of Birbhum. Talented bauls from the nearby villages sing the popular religious and folk numbers and strum the melodious tunes on their ektaras. Lively folk songs, dances, drama and other soirees keep the large crowds glued to the fairgrounds until the wee hours of the morning. Visitors from all over the country and abroad, flock to Shantiniketan to participate in the annual festival. 

Though we didn’t stay there for long, the trip was amusing and enchanting as ever. It was the month of December. We had booked our train tickets in the ... express for reaching Bardhaman, and from there we had arranged a paid taxi to stay with us for two days. 

We woke up early in the morning to catch the train from Howrah station at 8:00 A.M. On a cold winter morning when the city was still trying to wake up, we were out on the roads of Kolkata. The cold air hitting our faces though the car window. There was not much traffic on the road and we reached the station just on time to catch the train. Our train no. was blinking on the board happily but Lo! Behold!!!!!!!  . It was cancelled!!! EARLY IN THE COLD MOIRNING WE WERE STANDING AT THE STATION LOOKING AT THE RED LETTERS ON THE ELECTRONIC BOARD TELLING US OUR TRAIN WAS CANCELLED??!! . NOW WHAT WOULD WE DO?!? We asked around to people, the station master, the ticket checker for any other way as to what could be done and so got an alternative. The famous LOCAL trains of West Bengal - to Bardhaman. So, there we went. we took the ticket for the local trains which cost us only Rs 20.00 per head compared to the Rs 400+ of the express train that was cancelled. (What a Difference!!) and boarded the Bardhaman local, which was standing (as if for us). Luckily it was a weekend and there was not much rush in the train, which is usually present on regular days, people clambering over each other jostling for space. Although we were four people sitting on a three seater, it was comfortable enough. We spent the 5 hours sitting like that (it hurts sitting so long like that) and ultimately we reached Bardhaman by 1:00 PM. The car was waiting for us outside the station. We packed our things in the car and there we go!!!!!. towards the Abode of peace. 

The scenery around from Bardhaman to Shantiniketan was fabulous in the winter sun. Fields and trees meet the eyes, with the winter sun trying to warm the earth as much as it could. The small rice mills stand like gaurds in the middle of the fields. Crossing the fields, meadows and small towns in between, we reached Shantiniketan after an hour and half. 

Chuti Resort in day time

We had booked our rooms at "Chuti Resort" at Jamboni area of Shantiniketan. The resort is built up like small cottages for rooms and each cottage has its own name, dedicated to the poems of Rabindranath Tagore. This area is on the outskirt of the town and therefore provides the ambience of a peaceful village. We freshened ourselves and went for lunch. Food at the resort is good and is a remix of Bengali and other Indian cuisine. 

After lunch we went to "Kankali tala" 9 km from Shantiniketan. The area has changed a bit from what I had visited previously. The temple has been barricaded now and the pond is being cleared of the mud and grime and is being dug out to remake it. It is believed that when the furious lord Shiva was dancing with goddess sati's charred body on his shoulder, lord Vishnu with his chakra had to piece goddess sati's body. The skeleton or the rib cage of goddess sati fell in this place.

Ma Kankali Debi

From there we went for a long ride through Prantik, looking for an old Neel bari, which is supposed to be haunted, but we couldn’t find it, so we returned back as it was getting dark and we were quite tired also. After reaching the resort, I remembered that we have missed the Khowai Haat, when we came by the Sonar Jhuri (golden basket) forest. The Khowai haat (market) is held every Saturday from 3:00 Pm till dusk and it was already 5:30 p.m nearing darkness, so we decided to take off for the day and rest at the resort. 

Sonar Jhuri forest

The cold night at the silent resort was a welcome change from the daily rush of the city and office life. I wandered in the garden of the resort at night. This was after a long long time that I could come in contact with such serene and calm environment. I was with nature. I felt free and serene .... to talk to myself, to think about things and to muse on life. The silence was beautiful. The sky was clear. The trees seemed to be singing their own song as the cold wind blew through them rustling their leaves. Even the insects seemed to have gone silent to listen to them. I spent a long time between nature, rejenuvating myself , drinking in the silence as much as I could. No doubt Guru Rabindranath Tagore could write such world acclaimed poetry. 

The night fell deeper and we had dinner at the resort restaurant. The good food made our moods better.

Chuti Resort at night

Ma Tara Debi

Next day morning we went out early for "Tarapeeth". Tarapeeth is 65 km from Shantiniketan. Lined with many shops for flowers, prasad and sweets we stopped at one of the shops and bought flowers, sweets, inscese sticks etc. and moved forward towards the temple. We paid our due respect to the goddess, prayed and conducted our puja as far as it could be conducted in that rush of people and then went on towards our next stop "Bakreshwar". The road towards Bakreshwar was sooooo pathetic and bumpy, it caused us to choke. We were not able to run the Ac of the car due to the pathetic dust on the road and the filthy smoke bellowing trucks and yet we were not able to sit with the windows closed and it was becoming stuffy. 

Queue to pay homage at Tarapeeth

In between the driver took us to a Mazar through a shortcut for Bakreshwar. I don’t remember the name of the Mazar. It seemed like a lonely planet, but the driver told us that during some festival hundreds and thousands of people visit the Mazar and there are fair and festivities around, and from there the road to Bakreshwar was far better.

"Bakreshwar" is devoted to Lord Shiva and also to Adi Shakti Sati. It is said that the forehead of the goddess fell here when her charred body was dismembered with Lord Vishnu's chakra. Bakreshwar is also famous for its hot water springs beside the temple area. People bath in these hot springs as they are known for their mineral water which is said to cure many skin aliments. 

Returning from Bakreshwar, we went for a search for the Kopai River. We went round and round in Shantiniketan asking directions from people, some of whom could direct us and some misdirected us till dusk, when ultimately an old man could tell us which way to go with a comment that reflected his surprise "Why you people want to go there at this time of the day?" 

Hmmm ... we mused on his comment on the way towards the rivers which was still 4 - 5 kms away (maybe more). And it was quite dark when we ultimately reached there. Thanks God!! But it was to see a stream but not a river any more now. The banks were full with people who were arranging their things to go back home from their winter picnic. Yups.. It is a picnic spot for the winters, with few trees and plain ground. Now that was why the old man was surprised. Maybe he thought we wanted to go for picnic in the dead of night, which we would never plan. It would be quite scary after all. 

Hot water pond at Bakreshwar

We returned back to the hotel to refresh and rest but I jumped up again to go to the "Pous Mela". That's what we have come here for. Isn't it ?!! 

Baul

We had released the car and so took a rickshaw from the gate of the resort. They ideally should take Rs 30 to take you to the fair grounds, though they may ask for more if you dont bargain well. It was biting cold outside at 8:00PM and the ground is at least 3 km from the resort, but its a ride worthwhile. The fair ground was full of people from so many places. It’s a BIG BIG fair and it reminded me of the "Ramlila Ground fair" of my childhood days. In that biting cold we took hot jalebis and filled them in our mouth. Mmmmmmm ....... We roamed around the grounds looking at wares and shops installed from different parts of India. On a stage few "Bauls" were singing local songs.We stayed there for nearly two hours going round and round and in the end losing out way out. We planned for second trip again .. in the morning the next day. 

We had to catch a train in the afternoon. We had to pack our bags. But I HAD to go to the fair grounds again. I became a pest till I was taken there. :-) So, in the cold and cloudy morning, at 8:00 AM after breakfast, we left for the grounds again. The ride towards the grounds was also very exciting. The rickshaw took us through lanes and short cuts, in between lanes of beautiful houses, through the university grounds and to the fair. Many stalls had opened, many were still arranging their wares, there was sound of songs of Guru Rabindranath Tagore and there were people idly roaming around enjoying the weather and the sound. We hopped and shopped for articles for family and friends in that cold weather enjoying our tea along with it. 

Alas !! We had to return. I didn’t want to go back. I wish we could have stayed one more day, but tickets were not available for the next many days. Ans So we had to leave....  but ..... 

this trip remains in my mind not only for the places we have visited, the resort and the Pous Mela but also because of the bone chilling weather we got to enjoy. 

Katha stitch shawl from Shantiniketan

Pous Mela

  

Shimla - 2 Days to run down the Memory Lane

Though the trip was short, going back to Shimla after more than 8 years now has left me feeling wanting for more of it. :)

Up on the mountains, away from the plains between the pine trees and the sky , this place has always charmed me with its nealry peaceful existence.

Eight years is a long time and yet I feel as if all the time I had spent there before, has happened just a few days back.

My first visit at Shimla in the summer of  July 2001, was an experience untold.  Staying back at the HPU hostel at a friend's room , with her room mates, was so much fun.
My joining HPU and my first day at Gargi Hostel.
I remember every detail still.

Rain drops on the window of Rajdhani Express

All those sweet memories came back flooding to me.



I and my spouse had boarded The Rajdhani express from Kolkata for Delhi in the month if August. When we left Kolkata, the weather was cloudy and it had rained while we were travelling.
We reached Delhi the enxt day evening as the train was 6 hours late. We had planned for a sight seeing at Delhi had we reached there on time, but since we reached in the evening we went directly to a Hotel.


We booked one auto and it took us to Hotel MEM International, not too far from the station. Its a good budget hotel.  The deluxe room on the third floor was nice and cozy and the service was not that bad.

The room at Hotel MEM

For dinner, we had chicken corn soup,sandwiches and chicken pakoras. The food at the hotel is good.

Next day morning we had to catch the Kalka satabdi to reach Kalka and from there towards Shimla .. yooohoooo !!    
 We got up early next morning to catch the Kalka satabdi. I was jumping with joy.

The train was on time and we had our breakfast on the train.

I made it a point to click the pics of breakfast served .. he he he

The view of greenery was mesmerising. Green fields and clear blue sky.
We could imagine the cool air blowing through the fields. Slowly the landscape started changing and we could see small hills on the horizon.

It was in the afternoon that we reached Kalka. I remember time when I had been here before."A car had come to pick us up to take us to the Guest House at Barmana and I spent the whole way puking and feeling dizzy because of the terrains"

This time I had brought the medicine, but I took the risk of enjoying the journey from Kalka to Shimla without any medicines. A car had been arranged to pick us up. We found the car. The driver was a nice lean man. He put our luggage in the back of the car and there we went UPPPPPPPPP on the Hills...

The mountains start from the Kalka belt itself. The scenery the whole way upto Shimla was so enticing .. one would only keep staring at it. The clouds playing hide and seek with the sun, hiding behind and mountians and sometimes covering the whole mountains.  
 


 The weather was spikingly clean, but pollution is increasing daily up there too, with the trucks going uphill, smoking diesel and tar all the way. These polluting trucks are a big concern to the environement. I dont know why such trucks are allowed, and why are they not checked for No Pollution certificate.




Shimla , has become too much populated now, to me it seemed more populated than 8 yrs back and more polluted too. I wish people would be able to keep the Queen of Hills as beautiful aws it was before, but industrialisation and modern development are leaving its ugly mark on the hills as well.

Day 1 at Shimla - The driver dropped us at the Lakkar Bazaar bus stand saying that it would be nearer to The Mall  than going from the Lift side. Stayi ng away from a place makes you forget things and the same happed to me for so many years in between had made me forget that the way from Lakkar Bazaar bus stand to The Mall goes through the Tibetian market, which is a STEEEEEEEEEEEEP climb UP. And with the bags and luggage we were huffing and puffing to reach the mall.  I got a grumling husband with me, who kept on bickering about the callousness of the driver and my forgetfulness. Anyhow, after a long journey of walking UPPPPP from the bus stand we reached the Mall after half an hour.   Now we had another challange of reaching our hotel at the Ridge. Since we got tired from the mounting, that seemed like a challange, but Thanks God to Himachal Pradesh Corporation that they have still maintained the Mall and the Ridge, and we could pull our luggage towards the Ridge easily.

We had booked the Hotel Mayur, right at the Ridge, just behind The Ridge Church. We got the room which overlooked the Mall and the Ridge. So, i could click pictures from the back of the Church.

View from our hotel window

The weather was COLD and CLOUDY, and you cannot see too far but we were enjoying the weather. After freshing up, we went down to meet a friend. We spent the evening at The Devicos , now turned as Cafe Coffee Day,  remembering old times. After the friends left, we walked up and down the Mall, clicked pictures and enjoyed the weather. I had never stayed late at the Mall ever, maximum being 7:00 p.m as  8:00 pm was the curfew time at our hostel and the last bus from Shimla for Summer Hill left  at 7:30 p.m. So, I was enjoying the scenery around. The hanuman statue at  jakhoo temple could be seen from the Mall, and looked awe inspiring.
 

Jakhoo Temple - The Hanuman Ji statue

At dinner we had invitied my ex-room mate and her beau for dinner at Ashianaa, our dream spot during the university days, when,  Ashianaa was out of our budget, a costly affiar for us, and we used to look inside at the tourists and mused that there will be a day, when we will have a good job in hand and we will be on the other side of the window enjoying the ambience inside.
It was really a very nice feeling meeting friends after such a long time. We gossipped on varoius matters and various things. How time flies by and yet when you meet a friend, time seems to go back to those years when we were so much different, so much naive, and yet so much carefree, had so much time. Didn't feel like going away, yet, the night was falling and we had to go back to our quarters.

After they left we walked up towards the Mall. It was 10:30 P.M. Shops were closing down, but few were open. Tourists were still walking down the place, though very few now.

The temperature had dropped quite drastically but.... who can be kept away from enjoying an ice-creme at the Mall at 10:00 in the night??

Ah !!!! the ice-creme never melts except inside your mouth  :)

Day 2 at Shimla - Next day morning, the weather was quite musty, wet and foggy. The driver picked us up from the Lakkar Bazaar bus stand. Our legs were becoming used to with the terrain now, and the climb down was much easier.

The University Library

First on the agenda - I wanted to visit the University. The university campus has changed a lot. New buildigns are coming up, there's a lot of security around, some ATM's have mushroomed, admission windows have come up below the library. The area behing the Library have been converted into parking space. The area near the SBI Bank has become the dumping ground for old furniture. Its really very sad to see the serenity and beauty of the University Campus going for a toss.

Second -  my Hostel - I wanted to go down till the door of my room , but somehow felt uncomfertable with so  much security around. A female security guard has been placed at the hostel gate, where she was asking details to some students who wanted to go down

IIAS - Indian Institute of Advanced Studies

Third on the list was Advanced Studies - This place has retained its beauty in all these years and becoming beautiful daily with some renovations going around it. I wished the day was not as cloudy as it was, as on a lear day the views from the back garden of the IIAS is breathtaking. We roamed around the garden and then took the tickets for the museum inside. 

 

Holding on to my old memories of the University days and adding many new in my memory album we moved towards "Kufri".

We stopped the car at the Kufri China Guest House. Many people hop on the mules and go to "Faggu" at a higher point at Kufri. Though I have never been at Faggu and wanted to, but I dont like getiing on the mules on such bad roads and such bad weather, so I opted out and instead went for the Kufri zoo. The zoo was a nice tour in that weather. Cold, creepy, No pollution, No noise except the ones of the insects on the trees.

 It's a forest area, barricaded by nets on both sides of the stair cases running through the whole zoo. We saw the Barking deers (but since they were not barking we actually dont know if they are the barking deers, but they were not the spotted deers so we believed that they ARE the Barking Deers), the BROWN Bear (Balloo), the snow leapord, the cheetah,  and some birds. The BIG CATS were magnificient and posing for us, but we being ameture photographers coudnt catch up with thier timings :) .. Oh!! even Balloo posed for us and we could click him.

 

"BALLOO"

After the zoo, we decided to explore "Chail". We went to see the cricket ground which is the highest cricket ground being used by the Chail Military school. While returning, we were quitrte hungry and planned have lunch at "The Palace" of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. (Built in 1891, the Maharaja's palace is set in approximately 75 acres and has a truly regal setting with spectacular views.)

 

The Palace is as beautiful inside as outside. As it was raining we were not able to see the beautiful mountains surrounding Chail, but yet the ambience of the place is so wonderful, one wouldn't want to return from that place

 . The royal rooms are open for booking by the people who want to spend their holidays surrounded by the mountains, clouds and the pine trees, only the chirping of the birds disturbing the peace of the land.

The lunch was awesome and delicious. The menu has Indian as well as Continental stuffs.

Returning from Chail was quite a dangerous ....  Going down the mountains in that foggy, cloudy weather. The driver was too good and was driving very slowly for safety. The clouds were so low , it was wonderful experience.

While coming back, we visited Mashobra where one of my friends is staying. Spending the evening at his place we returned back to the hotel, tired and exhausted and yet having energy to sit the whole night through. We had our dinner at the hotel itself , took two buckets of hot water near the window, opened the windows, wrapped ourselves in the shawls, dipped our feet in the hot water and Ahhhhhhhhh ..... REEEELLLLLAAAXXXEDDDDDDD............


Day 3 Last but not the Least - We had to leave in the afternoon and so in the morning decided to visit the Jakkhu Mandir, the Hunam ji temple at the topmost hill at Shimla. Though I have spent three years at Shimla, I had never the chance to visi this place, and I did not want to miss it this time. Initially we had thought of walking up there, but after two days of going up and down the Tibetan market, the mall and the ridge, we didnt want to take the risk of tirirng our little feet so we booked a car fromt he hotel (the driver took 400Rs. for the trip) and again went down the tibetan market to reach the car .. Woooooo it was our fifth trip on that steeeep road. The weather had cleared a bit and the sun was shining at the mountains, giving us a view of some of the ranges which were nearer to vision.

"Jakkhu  Mandir" the top most peak of Shimla is dedicated to the Lord Hanuman with a 108 feet Hanuman Statue. We look like dwarfs beside it.

Monkeys roam around the complex freely and they are not scared of anything. If you have anything in your hand, please keep them inside the car or deep inside the pocket. If you are wearing specs ..pleaseeeee keep it out of sight as the monkeys may suddenly remember that their eye sights is weak and they may want to try yours........That's what happend to my hub's specs.

After coming out of the temple, I was contemplating a visit to the Baba Balaknath temple, just opposite to the main temple, when suddenly a female monkey jumped on my hubby, took away his specs, put it in her mouth and sat a bit far away from us between some other monkeys. The situation was shocking  as well as hilarious. We were still recovering from the shock and also trying to think of how to get back his specs when the small vendors around gave the monkey some packets of chana and nakul dana(small white sweets) . The monkey threw away the specs in style picked up the packets and ran away .. Phew !! At least we got his specs back. I couldnt stop laughing the whole way back to the hotel.

Afternoon, we packed ........ and got ready to leave. Since the sun had been shining in th morning the weather became so wonderful  by the afternoon, it seemed like a sin to leave. But we had to go as our train tickets were already reserved. On the way, we went to Sankat Mochan temple, dedicated to Lord Ganesha.

This is also a wonderful temple where we used to have our lunch on Sundays. The temple commttiee organises "Dhaam" (lunch served in traditional occasions) every Sunday and people and students flock the place for the wonderful meal.

My trip to Shimla ended here with spending some peaceful time in the temple area, my hubs clicking pics of the region and the terrains, before leaving for Kalka to come back home ....

.. There are a couple of places on earth where you want to go back again and again ... far away from home ........