I got associated with the land of Kasauli when I was very young. I was born there in the district of Solan in the state of Himachal Pradesh. I did my schooling there and this quaint little place with the best of scenic splendor would never let you down anywhere. After years of staying in other places, when my cousin suggested we go visit Kasauli again, obviously I was quite excited and so we made our way towards this lovely paradise. We traveled by train from Delhi and reached Kasauli after getting down and then taking a car.
For your information, this land of Kasauli was the brainchild of the British. It was earlier a British cantonment and the entire place is the place where the Pasteur Institute founded by Dr. David Semple is still there. Today it is known as the Central Research Institute. We get vaccines for snake bites, rabies, etc. here and the cure for yellow fever was found here. Then you also have the Lady Linlithgow Sanatorium which is closed now. It was the main institution for the cure of tuberculosis in those days.
It is also said according to Indian mythology that lord Hanuman was looking for the medicinal herb Sanjeevani which would revive the unconscious Lakshman. He set his foot at Monkey Point here and till today the top of the mountain is shaped like a foot. There was a temple that was built here in the 1970s when I was a small child. There was a shila here that was around during this time, and hence the temple was built. My mother says that there were a great many accidents here and after considerable investigation, the shila was found. I love to go to this place but feel sad I can’t take my camera along as photography is not allowed here. The entire climb is a trekker’s delight.
With this small land, there is not much to see but there is everything to see. Intriguing isn’t it? This small hill station Kasauli has the best of sights and is also the quietest of places. There is no hurry here and everything seems to be in slow motion. There are three main areas of interest, the Main bazaar, the Upper Mall, and the lower mall. The lower mall is the place where you would get the best view of the hills of the Shimla region. Then there is the valley below you can see from here. Make this trip after the sun has set and enjoy the beautifully clear nights of Kasauli. Then the upper mall has a view of the Shimla hills and also the Lawrence school. This too is a great spot to visit and I love to go here. The view of the entire city of Chandigarh and the Ambala region is a sight to behold. The small bulbs and the beautiful night makes it a must for any tourist.
Go to Sanawar lying around 5 kms from Kasauli and go to the Sanawar School here which is very popular. Then also visit the Baba Balak Nath Temple here.
Visit Dharampur and go by the toy train here. You can eat the Bun Samosa which is famous in Kasauli. This is around 12 kms from Kasauli. A tuberculosis cure center is located here.
Then go to Sabathu which is Gorkhaland for here is where you have the Gurkha Regiment Training Centre of the Western Command. There is a fort here built by the Gurkhas sometime in the 19th century. At a height of around 1437 m, this fort is a great sight. Then the history of this place where the British soldiers were quartered during their rule also adds to the beauty.
Visit the Gambhar Pul here which is a bridge built over a fresh flowing water body. All picnickers like to come here.
Then I went to the Old Brijieshwar Mahadev temple which is a very old temple with a lot of heritage value and is still a favorite of old-timers.
I then made my way towards Dagshai which is an old cantonment that was set up by the British. At a height of around 6000 ft, I had the time of my life going up. This is the place where the Durrand Cup Matches are played.
The next day I went on a timber trail in the Shivalik range region. There were two hills next to each other and they were joined with a cable. One could go on this and enjoy the idyllic surroundings.
Then I visited the Bon monastery which is around 53 kms from Kasauli. My cousin got nostalgic going to these places and I too liked to see this second-oldest monastery in the entire world.
We then went to the Chail the summer capital of Patiala, then the cricket ground here and also the Hotel Chail Palace.
On the last day, we visited the Wildlife sanctuary and had a good time seeing the goral, sambhar, and Khalif. The red jungle fowl and cheer pheasants are also found here. Then we went over the Sadhu Pul over the Ashwani stream. The last we saw was the Kairighat which was earlier a Dak bungalow and today a lovely hotel.
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