KUFRI
An enjoyable drive through forests and small villages leads to this small but popular station. The Nature Park here is a great attraction. A short trek leads to the Mahasu Peak with breathtaking views.
When Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala was expelled from Shimla – The Summer Capital of the British India, he decided to create his own capital for the warm months. The little village of Chail was perfect. It lay surrounded by magnificent deodar forests, Shimla was in direct vision and most importantly, Chail at 2226 m was somewhat higher than British controlled Shimla. Today, the Maharaja’s creation can be experienced by everyone. The owner of the gracious mansion, every visitor is a Royalty. Chail also has the world’s highest cricket pitch and polo ground.
For its moderate climate Solan is an ideal tourist destination with picturesque vistas of the Himalayan foothills and a town replete with colonial heritage that is bustling with activities. Located between Chandigarh and Shimla, on the Chandigarh-Kalka-Shimla highway, the town draws its name from goddess Shoolini Devi, the presiding deity in whose honour a three day fair is held in June.
Before the British colonists turned it into a cantonment in the early part of the 19th century, Solan had served as a capital for Baghat, a princely state. It was after driving out occupying Gurkha forces in 1815, who had expanded their dominion from Nepal upto the bank of River Sutlej that British cantonments came to be established at Dagshai, Kasauli, Jutogh and Solan. Remnants of the old forts are scattered around Solan.
The growing town today serves as a district headquarter and provides easy access to the nearby getaway places of Kasauli, Dagshai, Nalagarh, Arki, Chail, Rajgarh and Kandaghat. Famous as a tomato and mushroom growing region, Solan is often referred to as ‘City of Red God’ and sometimes as the ‘Mushroom City of India’.
Languages spoken: Hindi, English and Punjabi are understood and spoken by those engaged in tourism and Pahari, the local dialect, is usually spoken by locals in their everyday dealings.Clothing essentials: Neither cold as Shimla nor hot as Kalka, temperatures seldom rise more than 32 degree Celsius in Solan. Cotton and linen clothes are recommended for the summer months, while light to heavy woollens are needed in the winter.
