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DISTANCES
/ LOCATION
- Delhi
to Dharamshala : 542 kms
- Delhi
to Shimla : 370 Kms
- Delhi
to Chail : 380 Kms
- Chandigarh
to Chail : 115 kms
- Shimla
to Chail : 45 kms
GENERAL
INFORMATION
About
43 Kms. from Shimla, and located on a spur, Chail affords
a splendid view, on a clear day, of the valley through
which the river Sutlej flows, overlooking, at the same
time, both the glittering town of Kasauli and the splendid
city of Shimla. On the other side rise the massive Himalayan
ranges, spectacular in sun and snow. Chail is built on
three hills one of which is topped by Chail Palace and
the other by the ancient temple. Maharaja Bhupendra Singh
of Patiala loved to play cricket and he developed the
highest pitch in the world, on the third.
In
tThe year 1891, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala incurred
the wrath of the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Kitchener, who
banned his entry into the British summer Capital of Shimla.
Enraged, the Maharaja resolved to build himself a new
summer Capital better than Shimla. The British Government
had already gifted him Chail.
The
present Chail is spread over an area of 72 acres on three
adjacent hills-the Rajgarh Hill where the Palace is built,
the Pandava Hill where the old Residency 'Snow View' is
located and where the British Resident lived, and finally
the Siddh Tibba, where the temple of Baba Sidhnath is
located at a height of 2226 ft.
PLACES
TO VISIT
Sidh Baba Ka Mandir
(1.5 km) : Maharaja Bhupinder Singh orginally
began building his Palace at this site. It is said that
a "Sidh", saintly person, appeared before
the Maharaja in a dream and declared that this was the
place where he had meditated, Bhupinder Singh shifted
his Palace and built this temple instead.
Chail Palace : The palace of the Maharajas,
built in the late 19th century and the pretty cottages
of the complex - that once accommodated the ADCs and
guests of the royal party - are now part of a charming
holiday resort, owned and run by HPTDC.
Chail has lovely walks and trails that meander through
the dense pine forests - the home of barking deer, wild
boar, pheasant and a variety of birds. Forest Rest Houses
make overnight halts possible. For those interested
in sports, Chail has fine tennis and squash courts and
a putting green. There are excellent spots along the
River Gaura, down in the valley, with opportunities
for anglers to tangle with the Himalayan Mahaseer, a
local fish. Chail has also the highest cricket ground
in the world - 2,250 m above sea level.
Cricket
Ground (3 km) : Built in 1893, after leveling
the top of the hill, the Cricket Ground stands at 2444m
and is the highest cricket pitch and polo ground in
the world.
Kufri
: A long and enjoyable drive through lush forests
and quaint villages takes one to the small but highly
popular hill station of Kufri. Its main attractions
are the Himalayan Nature Park, a small high-altitude
zoo, and the exciting trek and horse rides that leads
to the divine Mahasu peak.
Wildlife
(3km) : The Chail Sanctuary has "Choral",
"Kakkar, "Sambhar" (Deer variety), red
jungle fowl and "Khalij" and "Cheer"
pheasants. Machan-like sighting posts have been built
near a place called blossom and at Khariun. The deodar
and oak forests and grasslands around the town are part
of the sanctuary. One can see sambhar, ghoral and cheer
pheasants at Blossom and Jhaja - where there are pheasant
breeding centers. Barking deer and khalij pheasant are
often spotted at dusk and dawn in the sanctuary. Treks
from Chail to Gaura and Chail to Jhaja are popular.
Sadhupul
(1360 m) : Halfway between Kandaghat (12 km)
and Chail is this village with a bridge astride the
Ashwani stream. A good picnic spot.
HOW
TO REACH SHIMLA?
|| BY
ROAD ||
Chail
is connected by road from Shimla via Kufri, the distance
is about 45 km and via Kandaghat it is 61 km. Kalka is
86 km away. Regular buses for Chail leave from Shimla,
Chandigarh and Delhi.
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BY AIR ||
The
closest airports are at Chandigarh (120km) and Shimla
Jubber Hatti Airport (63km). Snowflake Travels, The Mall,
Shimla organizes sight-seeing tours to Chail.
CLIMATE
CONDITIONS
In
winter the temperature can drop below freezing point when
heavy woolens are required. In summer the climate is mild
and light woolens/cottons are recommended.
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