Blushing Red Cherries in the snow rich region of Himachal Pradesh - Kotgarh (Shimla)

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.
It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. 

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few.  He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand  Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.

It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

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Perched atop Observatory Hill and surrounded by dense deodar forests, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study is one of the most fascinating landmarks in the Himalayas. At first glance, it feels like a European castle lost in the hills—but step closer, and it unfolds as a layered narrative of empire, transition, and intellectual pursuit.

Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla: Where Power, Philosophy, and Pines Converge


It's impossible that I don't visit Viceregal Lodge, while in Shimla. I visited Shimla in Oct, 2011 and had a very quick visit to Indian Institute of Advanced Studies as well. Let's check out a quick PHOTO JOURNEY to Viceregal Lodge, Shimla !!!There is a huge lawn in front of this building and initially people were allowed to relax here, but due to some reasons now tourists are not allowed to walk over this lawn. There are dedicated paths around this lawn to enjoy the beauty of this place.Viceregal Lodge in Shimla was designed by Henry Irwin who was an architect in the Public Works Department at that timeViceregal Lodge or IIAS, Shimla is situated on a hill top near Summerhill (Shimla-05). Like other forts in India, this is place was chosen because of security reasons as most of the surrounding places were visible from boundaries of this building. There are some wonderful views of surrounding hills from this building. Now mainly Tutoo region is clearly visible and others are hidden by dense forest !!Thereare two wonderful gardens around Viceregal Lodge. One is near this lawn and other is in the backyard. The one in backward is famous one among couples of Himachal Pradesh University :) ... But now, it's not that popular as other options are available..The Viceregal Lodge had electricity as far back as 1888 which is much before the rest of the town of ShimlaThere is no ticket for getting access to Viceregal campus but one needs to buy a ticket to see it inside. various areas of Viceregal Lodge are well preserved. The room where Gandhi met other officials on Pakistan matter is well preserved along with various things used that time. A Bell made of eight metals which was presented by the king of Nepal was available to be admired by tourists.Here is top view of Viceregal Lodge in Shimla. Some text is carved on top of it, which probably explain about it's construction year and relevant details. You can notice Indian Flag on top of Viceregal Lodge !!This is first view if we reach Indian Institute of Advanced Studiesthrough a steep climb from Boileuganj. This is place is main market near Himachal Pradesh University... This is the main place to get buses for different parts of shimla. Tutoo is on one side, Chakkar is on other and Shimla Bus stand of forth angle.Viceregal Lodge which is also known as Indian Institute of Advanced Studies now, was equipped with an sophisticated fire fighting mechanism through wax tipped water ducts. Many historic decisions have been taken in Viceregal Lodge during the Indian independence movement.The Simla Conference was held here in 1945.And the decision to carve out Pakistan and East Pakistan from India was also taken here in 1947.After India gained independence, the building was renamed Rashtrapati Niwas and was used as a summer retreat for the President of India.However, due to its neglect, Dr. S Radhakrishnan decided to turn it into a center of higher learning, which was quite a good decision. The summer retreat of President was shifted from here to a building known as


Shimla is one of the most popular tourist destinations in North India and that's why we also receive lot of queries through form on our blog. Most of the folks commonly ask - Shimla Weather, Shimla Hotels, How to reach Shimla from Delhi/Chandigarh, main places to visit in Shimla, Shimla mall road etc. In past, we have shared some of these details on our blog, but here is an attempt to write a comprehensive post which helps you with details about various ways to reach Shimla from Delhi, Chandigarh or Kalka.


Planning a trip to Shimla? This detailed travel guide covers everything you need—where to stay, top things to do, a practical 3-day itinerary, and complete cost breakdown—to help you plan a perfect mountain getaway. Whether you’re visiting for snowfall, colonial charm, or a quick escape from Delhi, this guide is designed to help you make smart travel decisions and avoid common mistakes.


Planning a trip to Shimla? This detailed travel guide covers everything you need—where to stay, top things to do, a practical 3-day itinerary, and complete cost breakdown—to help you plan a perfect mountain getaway. Whether you’re visiting for snowfall, colonial charm, or a quick escape from Delhi, this guide is designed to help you make smart travel decisions and avoid common mistakes.








Saturday Evenings and Mall Road in Shimla have a very strong connection. During my sabbatical, I was there in Shimla on Saturday and planned to have a round of Mall Road as well. This Photo Journey shares some moments spent around Mall Road on Saturday Evening and the associated memories.During my graduation from Himachal Pradesh University, we used to stay at Shangati, which is around 6 kilometers from Mall Road, Shimla. And every saturday we used to walk from Shangti or summerhill to Mall Road via Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Chaura Maidaan & Vidhan Sabha.It was part of our default routine to visit Mall Road to take 4-6 rounds of Mall Road & Ridge and have quick-snacks at Chachu's Tea shop on other end of the Mall Road. Friends who had girl-friends, they used to roam around other places like Top Breads, Barista or other fancy places to eat :).Why Saturday is so special. Basically most of the folks of shimla used to come to Mall Road during evening. All School & College Kids, Office working people etc. Don't know why but it has become a strong trend in Shimla to visit Mall Road on Saturday Evening. During the recent visit, we explored some of the new cafes and really loved the Wake & Bake Cafe, which is just in front of Shimla Town-Hall on Mall Road. Above photograph shows one of the art-work on walls of Wake & Bake Cafe.We met a gentleman who shared different stories about Shimla and some interesting observations on Mall Road which can't be shared on this blog. Aneesh encouraged him to have some detailed discussion about army and Indian politics. After all those conversations he also tried to tell Aneesh about his future and related stuff. It seems, this gentleman is found on Mall road every evening.Here is a photograph showingone portion of Gaiety Theatre building which is being used by Himachal police department. It's a beautiful building in front of Town-Hall Shimla.A beautiful night view of Mall Road Shimla - Town-Hall building on right. Most of the shooting on Kareeb movie has happened in this region. Town-Hall which is on right was shown as hospital and there is Fire-Station on left which was shown as laundry where Bobby Deol used to stay. Anyways, many other movies are shot around these beautiful buildings on Mall Road of Shimla. Most of the shops/buildings on Mall Road have old architecture and the ones which are new have been designed to match with overall feel on the town. Most of the old buildings are from British era. The beautiful architecture if the one of the reasons which make this city beautiful.Fruit vendor near Willow Bank building who welcomed us with plates full of fresh fruits - Cherries, Kiwi & Strawberries. Probably he chose best of the lot for us. Every piece was amazingly tasty. He is a big fan of Aneesh's bike stunts and an old friend when Aneesh used to live in Shimla.


Jakhu Temple is very popular Temple in Shimla and know for various reasons. People who have never visited Shimla, know Jakhu for hundreds of monkeys around it. Different Monkey stories are popular and Jakhu is one of the important keyword in those stories. Let's check out this Photo Journey by Amit Aggarwal to know more about Jakhu Temple and other specialties of the place..In 2010, a huge statue of Hanuman is built near Jakhu Temple in Shimla. This is considered as world's tallest statue at 108 feet at the highest altitude of over 8100 feet and constructed at a cost of Rs 1.5 crores, which surpasses the current tallest statue of 'Christ the Redeemer', which measures at 98 feet and stands at an altitude of 2296 feet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Over the years Jakhu has become one of the important part of Shimla town and authorities have improved the conditions in past few years. Now this campus has enough space for families to have fun around the Temple. There are some special arrangements for kids.Basically this temple is located on a hill called Jakhu and that's why the temple is also known as Jkhu Temple.It's hardly 2 kilometers from the Ridge and is an uphill climb through the beautiful deodar trees. It's a trek of approximately 2 kilometers from Ridge ground near Mall Road. The Jakhu Temple of Simla is dedicated to the monkey God, Hanuman. The Jakhu temple is located at a height of 2455 meters and is situated on the highest peak in Shimla. The scenic view that surrounds this beautiful temple of India is absolutely breath taking and splendid.Here is a photograph of Jakhu Temple !Jakhu temple has an interesting legend behind it. It is said that a deadly arrow injured Lord Rama's brother Lakshmana when he was fighting the battle with the demon king Ravana. A priest diagnosed Lakshmana and said that he needed a particular Sanjeevani herb from the Himalayas to cure Lakshmana. Hanuman was sent to get that herb from he lofty mountains. Upon reaching the Himalayas, Hanuman couldn't make out as to which herb was the Sanjeevani. So he dug up the entire mountain and flew back to where Lakshmana was lying injured.After Lakshmana was cured, Hanuman went back to place the mountain in its original site. He rested on top of the Jakhu hill for sometime. It is said that the top of the hill got flattened due to Hanuman's weight! The temple has been built around the place that is supposed to have the footprints of Hanuman. It is a highly revered religious place of Shimla and devotees throng in huge numbers to prayJakhu is a hotspot for monkeys who flock here in great numbers and generously accept eatables that are given to them by devotees and touristsJakhu is derived from Hindi word Yakhsa. Yakshas are the mythological character in Hindu mythology, who are a link between human and gods. The original dates of temple is not known, but it is believed to be existing from the times of Ramayana, a pre-historic event as per ancient Hindu texts. The Jakhu hill is the highest peak around Shimla, and is famous for its trekking options. The Jakhu hill offers excellent views of sunrise, sunset, mountains and town. The hill is full of narrow paths and roads which are an enjoyable walks.There are lot of other stories associated with this temple, which can be seen at different web portals online.Overall it's a lovely hill around Shimla with some amazing views. Don't afraid of Monkeys and try to avoid the opportunities for them to follow you - Try not to carry anything in your hands, just follow the path and don't pay attention to the etc. Even someone comes to you and tries to check your pockets, let the things happen and you will be safe !


While coming back from Kinnaur, I spent two days in Shimla. While roaming on the Mall Road, we happen to visit a Cafe called 'Wake & Bake' and really loved being there during evening. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments I spent at Wake & Bake, Shimla. So here is the first view you get from the Cafe Windows. Wake & Bake Cafe is on 2nd floor of the building just in front of Shimla Town Hall on Mall Road, Shimla. It has decent place to sit on 2nd floor as well as open air terrace with a great view of the deep valley on other side.Here is the view we get from open air terrace of Wake & Bake Cafe. This view is something that you may get from other restaurants or cafes as well, but the one towards Mall road is special for me. Above view showsn two huge huge buildings - High Court of Himachal Pradesh and Holiday Home Hotel by HPTDC. Colorful view during evening was really amazing. Cafe has some vibrant colors with colorful lighting on Town Hall Building on the front & the blue sky in the background. Here is an amazing art-work on the walls of Wake & Bake Cafe. During daytime, this wall looks normal (but of-course, interesting artwork ) but in evenings all these colors pop-out to give a 3D view. It's really awesome and shiny colors make this art perfect. We also got to know the view of artist who created this wonderful piece of art on walls on Wake & Bake cafe on Mall Road, Shimla. Closer look at the wall. I loved this portion of the wall. This was looking awesome from distance. Because of good number of people at cafe, I couldn't click it from right place. Never mind, will try to get better shot next time :)I am sure that above photograph will give you a perspective about the place. This is clicked from main counter of the Cafe. As we enter into the cafe, this is first view we get. An open window facing Shimla Town Hall building and wonderful artwork on the right wall. I have nothing to share about eatable at Wake & Bake, as I don't remember what I had there. I was so busy in appreciating in beauty around that I didn't bother to focus on eatables or drinks there. But I am sure that it must be great as the place iAneesh keeping an eye on seating place around roof top of the Cafe..Here is the view of Shimla Town Hall on Mall Road.. This is shot from entry of the Wake & Bake Cafe.. There is a series of stairs that lead to the cafe on second floor.A view of street where Wake and Bake Cafe is located. The blue board on one of the building on left is exactly the place and yellow windows behind that belongs to Wake & Bake Cafe. On the right side is Shimla Town Hall on Mall Road in Shimla.Here is another view from windows of Wake & Bake Cafe. This Gaiety Theatre complex and this particular portion is used but Police. I love architecture of these buildings.If you are around Shimla and roaming around mall road, I highly recommend this place to spend some time. And if you happen to visit, please drop your comments with experiences. 
 

Sankat Mochan Temple is one of the popular Temples in Shimla Town. It's not exactly in Shimla, but quite near to it. Let's have a quick Photo Journey from Sankat Mochan Temple by Amit Agarwal.. Sankat Mochan Temple is actually located near to Tara-Devi which comes on the way to Kalka from Shimla Town. It's approximately 10 kilometers from Shimla Town. Place is surrounded by green mountains all around. Temple is adjacent to the National Highway - 22. The temple is a place where one can actually meditate and enjoy the calm and peaceful surroundings.The very first photograph above shows a temple on left, which is located just after main entry into the Sankat Mochan Temple. This temple is created in South Indian Style.Around 1950, a Baba came to this beautiful place and discovered the perfect spot for meditation and soulful introspection. After staying here for 10 days, he desired that a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman should be built here. Baba's faithful devotees included the governor of Himachal Pradesh, who along with Bhagvan Sahai took up the task of building the temple and fulfilling their Guru's wish.Sankat Mochan temple has many facilities for people and also includes a three-storey building that is used for many purposes. Every Sunday, the huge hall in the building is used for distributing Prasad, also known as Langar. Langar at Sankat Mochan is quite different and very well managed. One portion of the building is used to conduct marriage ceremonies and is rented out to people who want to conduct marriages. The temple charges a very nominal fee for this. Apart from marriages, there are many other sacred rituals and ceremonies that can be conducted over here. Priests and the maintenance staff, who work here day and night, use the rest of the building as a residential complex. The temple also has an Ayurvedic clinic...Here is a photograph showing interiors of main Sankat Mochan Temple.There are few small Temples in the campus which are dedicated to different godsSankat Mochan Temple is dedicated mainly to Lord Hanuman, though one finds idols of Lord Rama, Shiva and Ganesha in separate complexes. There is a specially made temple for Baba Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj also. The temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha has been built in the South Indian style of architecture and is worth the visitSankat Mochan Temple is popular temple in Shimla region, which attracts people from all ages and genders who come here to pay obeisance to Lord Hanuman. Sankat Mochan Temple is second most famous temple after Jakhu Temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. This temple located 5 km away from a beautiful hill station ShimlaOne can have easy transportation to Sankat Mochan Temple from Shimla Bus Stand and other places. From Shimla there are frequent buses till Taradevi and have a stoppage near Sankat Mochan Temple. If you there on Sunday, don't miss the Langar. Langar at Sankat Mochan is quite different and lovableAbove photograph shows the view of Shimla Town from Sankat Mochan Temple.


Small and Beautiful Railway Stations on Kalka-Shimla narrow track: Posted on www.travellingcamera.com by VJ: The Kalka-Shimla Railway built to connect the summer capital of India in 1903 at an altitude of 2076 meters offers a panoramic experience of the picturesque Himalayas from the shivalik foot hills at Kalka to several important points such as Dharampur, Solan, Kandaghat, Taradevi, Barog, Salogra, Summerhill, Shimla and beyond up to the silvery snow line near the towering peaks.Sonwara Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka...Himalyan Queen waits for 30 minutes at this station to let Shivalik Express pass through.... KOTI Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka...I have clicked these photographs during recent visit to Shimla.... We reach KOTI Railway Station after crossing longest Barog tunnel....Jabali Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka...Kandaghat Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka...Located at an altitude of 4680 ft above sea level Kandaghat is the nice place in Himachal Pradesh for you if are looking for a quiet and peaceful vacation. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh built his palace in Kandaghat after which this place received the attention. Raja Bhupinder Singh was the ruler of Patiala and when he was expelled from Shimla, he set up base in Kandaghat. Today, this is one of the most popular destinations to travel in India. A reflection of Kandaghat Railway Station on train window...Dharmpur Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka..Just 15 km from Kasauli on the National highway No.22 Dharampur has one of the best hospitals in India for the cure of tuberculosis. It is also connected by Kalka Shimla railway line.... Shoghi Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka...SHoghi is a small town near Shimla and now its being developed as new tourist destination in Himachal. There are many resorts with good facilities in Shoghi and have reasonable arrangements for tourist groups..Kandaghat Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka..Delux Rail-Car standing @ Shoghi Station...Tara-Devi Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka...Tara Devi temple is located on Tarav Parvat, in the western side of Shimla. Temple provides an overwhelming view of the mountains below and Shimla Town. Every year thousands of pilgrims visit Tara Devi temple, which has a great spiritual and heritage value. Historically speaking, the temple was built approximately 260 years ago ...Salogra Railway Station on the way to Shimla from Kalka..Kalka Railway Station...Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana in India. The name of the town is derived from the goddess Kali. The town is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. It is on the National Highway 22 between Chandigarh and Shimla and is the terminus of the Kalka-Shimla Railway. To the south of Kalka is Pinjore and the industrial town of Parwanoo (Himachal Pradesh) is to the north on the NH 22. Industrial development has led to a continuous urban belt from Pinjore to Parwanoo, but Kalka remains largely unaffected by these developments. Nearby is Chandimandir Cantonment where the Western Command of the Indian army is based. SHIMLA became the summer capital of British India in 1864 and was also the headquarters of the British army in India. Prior to construction of the railway communication with the outside world was via village cart.The railway was constructed by the Delhi-Umbala-Kalka Railway Company commencing in 1898. The estimated cost of Rs 86,78,500, however, the cost doubled during execution of the project. Because of the high capital and maintenance cost, coupled with peculiar working conditions, the Kalka-Shimla Railway was allowed to charge fares that were higher than the prevailing tariffs on other lines. However, even this was not good enough to sustain the company and the Government had to purchase it on January 1, 1906 for Rs 1,71,00,000.


Hidden among the snow covered hills of Shrikhand Mountian Ranges, which are known for their mythological significance and is said to be one of the adobe of Lord Shiva, this unknown village beckon those with an adventurous spirit as its beautiful landscape and lush green valley will take your breath away.






Recently Sourav sent us a message - ‘ Hi VJ, i am planing to visit Himachal Pradesh in this January with my friends. We are planing to visit in 4 places. Dalhousie, Dharmashala/Mcleodganj, Manali, Shimla. We have total 7 days in our bucket so can you please tell how we can split 7 days among this 4 places....Thanks in advance….’ and frankly it’s never recommended to plan for 4 places in 7 days and here we are talking about 3 corners of Himachal Pradesh. So I would recommend to skip one of the destination if you only have 7 days.




It was time when I was in Kotgarh region of Himachal Pradesh during my 5 year Sabbatical. Kotgarh hills are popular for it's high quality fruits. Around Kotgarh hills, there are various orchards of Apples, Pears, Cherries, Kiwi, Almonds, Apricot etc. During the month of May, cherries were shining all over the hill. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around these orchards and an account on some of the surprises came across. We were coming back towards Shimla from Kinnaur, when we thought of taking this detour through Kotgarh & Karkanda. And Kotgarh region welcomes us with hills full of bight-red colored cherries of big size. I had hardly seen such big sized cherries in markets around me. I am sure that these are available in some of the speciality stores, but most of these are exported outside the country. We only get the smaller version.Although we wanted to buy few boxes, but we also wanted to experience the way folks pluck these cherries and enjoy this juicy fruit. We couldn't see anyone around but encountered few dog having huge size and relatively calm. Those were really scary. Somehow, this increased our curiosity to figure out ways to climb us the hill and pluck few cherries.While driving through these Cherry orchards, we found an isolated area which looked relatively safe to us for plucking these red & big cherries :) . Although, I couldn't decide to go up and pluck some. Aneesh parked his bike and went up to grab few. He had just climbed when few localites came to us. We were worried, but they were very sweet. They said that pluck the ones which are hanging on the edges of tree branches. It seems that cherries on other end of a branch are considered better. But they told another reason as well that it's important to clean-up the branch extremes to have right balance. We were wondering about other such practices which are important to maintain these orchards for years and produce quality fruits.In front of those folks, we chose to pluck handful of cherries which we managed to finish in 5 minutes, but we thought of leaving the place. But we definitely wanted to have more. After driving for next 5 minutes, we found a smaller road which are taking us to another hill, which looked more interesting from a distance. Aneesh keeps trying some stunts on his KTM Duke200, while driving. Some of the orchard owners sitting across the road noticed him and asked to stop. They looked very impressed with him :) . Now this was a very good beginning of a new journey through an orchard full of cherries.One of the orchard owner was a bike-enthusiast and wanted Aneesh to show him some specific stunts. Both of them used some stunt names and kept discussing for a long time. I was obviously getting bored in that discussion, until the owner offered a tour to the orchard and asked us to try different types of cherries. It seems that long time back, many varieties of cherries were imported to India and few of them worked really well. So Kotragh folks are mainly growing apples & cherries. There were different kinds of cherries in this orchards. We though that these are packaged differently to sell in different markets. But it seems that cherries are plucked in different phases and in each phase, some portions of a tree is used. Timing of the plucking cherries is one of the parameters to define quality.While the orchard owner was sharing all these details, we were thinking about the experience to pluck. That was not really the time to pluck these as they wanted to wait for 2 more weeks to take out one round of cherries. There were some small sized cherries, which were being packed for markets around Shimla. One can see lot of cherry vendors on the highway but most of them sell the smaller versions of cherries from Thanedar & Kotgarh region.The Cherry is an awesome fruit having fleshy drupe. Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summers. Cherry is being produced in very smaller regions of India and hardly people know that India is also one of the good producer of cherries. In Australia and New Zealand Cherries can be seen in late December, while in southern Europe the main season is June and it's same time for North America as well. When it comes to Christmas, people talk about cherries as well. You must also have noticed hanging cherries in traditional Christmas Tree.Stella is one of the varieties of cherry which are grown in Kotgarh & Thanedar region of Himachal Pradesh. The Orchard owner allowed us to pluck few and he was generous enough to ask more & take home these special cherries. But we controlled out emotions and plucked few to enjoy them there :) ... It was one of the awesome experience of this whole Journey from Chandigarh to Kinnaur and back to Shimla. We made new friends and loved interacting with them on completely new stuff which we had never explored before.This is the reason that we love Travelling and experiencing such special things which expose us to a very different dimension of life. It was not only about the Cherries and these orchards, but also about the culture of these hills and the way these folks think about these fruits. For us, these are mere fruit which can be bought anywhere but for them, growing best quality fruits is a passion and they are crazy about the year long process to maintain these orchards special for the world. I wish to visit Kotgarh again during Apple season and see how it looks in that season.

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