Kasauli Travel Information

This small hill-station seems to live in a time warp that belongs to the 19th century. The narrow roads of Kasauli (1951 m) slither up and down the hillside and offer some magnificent vistas. Directly below is the spread of vast plains of Punjab and Haryana which as dakness falls, unroll a gorgeous carpet of twinkling lights. At 3647 m, the peak of Choor Chandni (also called the Choordhar) powerfully dominates the lower hills and across the undulating ranges, Shimla is visible.

The upper and lower malls run through Kasauli's length and one can enjoy long walks on it. A mixed forest of pine, oak and huge horse-chestnut encircles the town. Its colonial ambience is reinforced by a stretch of cobbled road, quaint shops, gabled houses with charming facades and scores of neat little gardens and orchards.

How to Get There

Kasauli is connected by road. The closest broadgauge railhead is at Kalka, 37 km away. The closest airports are at Chandigarh, (65 km) and Shimla (73 km). Taxis and buses for Kasauli are available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Kalka and Shimla.

Climate

In winter, the temperature gets guite low and heavy woollens are required. In summer, the climate is mild and light woollens / cottons are recommended.

Places of Interest in and Around Kasuali

Monkey Point :
3 ½ Km from Hotel Ros Common a hill which derives its name from Rishi Man-ki who used to worship an idol of Lord Hanuman ji and later the summit is crowned with a small temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman and presently being looked after by the personnel of Air Force, stationed here. The area being restricted from security point of view, no belongings like Camera, bags are allowed.

Other Attractions :

An ancient Church is worth seeing located on the Upper Mall Road. A little above this place, there is a Central Research Institute established in 1906 by Dr. Sample, It prepares vaccines for treatment of typhoid, cholera, smallpox, and snake-bite and is only of its kind in Asia. Close to this there is Pasteur Institute founded in 1900 to produce antirabies vaccine against dog-bite There is yet another sanatorium for TB patients because of its heal thy most environment. TV Tower is an another land mark. Baptist Church established in 1923 is also worthseeing.

Baba Balak Nath Temple :
3 km. On the Graner Hill top is a famous temple of Sidh Baba Balak Nathji. It is believed that Baba Balak Nath ji one night appeared in dreams to a local resident named Vijay Kumar and told him to built a temple at the place, where the present temple is located. This temple is of its own kind where many issueless couples visit to be blessed with a child, whose baptism ceremony is also performed in the same very temple. A number of photographs of such blessed children are the evidence, which are kept as record by Baba Vijay Kumar ji in the Temple.

Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir :
Built in 1989 by Sai Sudha Trust is a famous temple located half km away from Garkhal. The idol of Sai Baba was built at Jaipur and the burning flame in this Temple Signifies the divine power of Sai Babaji of Shirdi.

Lawrence School :
5 km : Situated on the top of the hill is a famous Lawrence School. Sir Henry Lawrence was the founder of this School. He also built the first cottage in Kasuali known as Sunny side in 1848.
 

Chandigarh Travel Information

Chandigarh nestles in picturesque setting in the foothills of Shivalik hills & enjoys the popular epithhet ' The City Beautiful ' Representative of modern architecture & town planning, the city is a creation of French architect, Le Corbusier - whose architectural rendering are appreciated all over the world.

Chandigarh is one of the largest urban complexes of the post-war era, & is a successful experiment in 20th century urbanism. It is one of the great planned cities of India after Fatehpur Sikri & Jaipur which, in the context of their own times, represents highest achievement in Indian architecture.

Chandigarh owes its name to an ancient temple of Chandi, the goddess of power. The city emerged as a result of the search for a capital of the post-partition province of Punjab that began immediately after independance. In 1950, the city was conceived thanks to the vision of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru , the first Prime Minister of independent India & to the genius of the French architect, Le Corbusier.

The words of Pandit Nehru ring so true when talking about the city remarked :
"Let this be a new town symbolic of the freedom of India , unfettered by the traditions of the past... an expression of the nation's faith in the future.

Recreation

The visitors can find many attractions throughout the year. Besides the architectural beauty that abounds in every corner of the city, the wide tree-lined avenues , rolling green scapes, clubs , shopping centres & numerous other places offer enchanting experience.

CITCO runs special sight-seeing tours to let the tourists explore & experience the marvels of ' ' the City Beautiful ' . Spots that hold special interest for tourist include the Capitol Complex comprising three mangificant bulidings the Secretariat, the High Court & the Legislative Assembly , with the open Hand monument standind majestically amidst them; the University Campus ; Museum & Art Gallery ; Leisure Valley ; Rose Garden ; The famous Rock Garden etc.

Besides , throughout teh year a number of cultural events take place around the city , including food festivals , city carnival , lifestyle eshibitions, fashion shows , theatre etc. The Chrysanthemum show in December, Teej Festival in Augest & the Rose Festival in February every year are other popular not-to-be misses events.

Chandigarh is a gateway to many hill stations & tourist destinations. There are the beautifull hill stations of Kasauli, Chail & Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, just a few hours drive from the city. Not much further, via Ropar, are the hill stations of Kullu & Manali, with Rohtang glacier at the proverbial touching distance. Luxury coaches & public transport is available to every destinations.

For short hops, there is famous Mogul Gardens at Pinjore. A few kilometers further up, the Timber Trail resort offers various joy rides for children.The Golden Temple in Amritsar is another four-and-a-half hour from the city, while down south, on the Chandigarh-Delhi highway, one can enjoy the pleasant & placid sights of another holy city, Kurukshetra.

General Information

The best climate in Chandigarh is from Saptembar to April. Winters are cold & fairly heavy woollens are required. The average temperature of 43° C. Monsoons last from July to Saptembar.

Location : Chandigarh is 250 Kms north of Delhi & is well- connected by Air, Rail & Road.
Area : 114 Kms
Altitude : 304-365 Mtrs.
Population : 7.5 Lac.
By Air : Indian Airlines, Raj Air, Archana Airways, Jagsons.
By Rails : Himalayan Queen, Shatabdi
By Road : Air-conditioned/Deluxe coaches from Delhi Taxi from I.G.I. Airport.

Amritsar Travel Information

Amritsar - the holy city of Sikhs, has grown from a sacred village pond into a spiritual temporal centre of Sikh culture. The city gets its name from the pool-Amritsar (Pool of Nectar), which was constructed by the fourth religious preceptor of the Sikh faith. It also lies on the Asian Highway.

It is also the city where Jaliyan-wala-bagh, the garden where scores of innocent Indian men, women, children were massacred by the British. Events of such magnitude catalysed the struggle for Indian independence.