Nestled within lush verdant hills of Himachal Pradesh, Kasauli is a quaint little hill cantonment, built 11kms off the Main Shimla Highway, and just a two-hour drive from Chandigarh, the nearest metropolitan city.

My acquaintance with Kasauli began when I was in the tenth standard. A classmate of mine was so taken up by this station that he would regularly keep talking about it. Since, I had spent a large chunk of my childhood abroad, due to my father’s postings, I was quite ignorant of the beauties of nature present in India itself. This friend of mine gave such vivid descriptions of the place that the name Kasauli just seeped into my sub-consciousness unknowingly.

Years later, when we were finally settled in Delhi, I started exploring the hill towns of the country. Mountains have always fascinated me, and hence, it was quite evident that I should start my Discovery India with the Himalayas only. In college, whenever we decided to go out for holidays the obvious names that cropped up were Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital or Manali. Somehow, Kasauli always got vetoed.

So during a six-year period starting from college and ending with my first job, I visited all the places mentioned above (barring Nainital; but added Mt Abu and Mahabaleshwar to my ever-growing list of visited hill stations). But it rankled me no end as to why Kasauli never featured in any one’s shortlist.

Finally, when I had taken up my second job, the chance came. A couple of friends had shifted base to their hometown Chandigarh. Hence, when I got an elongated weekend due to some God-send (literally, too) consecutive holidays on account of Ram Navami etc. This time, around, I did not let either of the two veto me out; and since, they were tight on the schedules (as the same holidays were not there in Chandigarh), they agreed for a brief two-day tour to Kasauli.

To say that I was bowled over by Kasauli would be a gross understatement. It is beautiful, untouched and extremely quiet. The entire hill station is covered over two fork-like roads, the Upper and Lower Mall, which conjoin together in a neat, small central place. The town is untouched by the crass hands of commercialization. The crowd is minimal, and consequently, the cleanliness and the quietitude are of empyreal proportions.

As a hill station, Kasauli does not offer anything dramatic in terms of sight seeing, except for a place called Monkey Point. This is a hillock, on the outskirts of the town, next to the Air Force Station. It is believed that when Lord Hanuman was returning to Lanka after procuring the Sanjivini Booti for the slain Laxmana, his feet touched this hillock. Hence, there is a small Hanuman temple at the top of the hill. After an arduous climb, as one reaches the top, the sight and the view from there is simply enthralling. Surrounded by feral mountains (even the Shimla hills are visible from here), this was truly what heaven would look like. I could almost jump and touch the clouds from here, as the cool winds playfully teased me.

Another beautiful place is what the locals have termed as “Lover’s Point”. It’s a small dirt track that embraces a small hillock like a lover hugging his beloved. From here one gets a vantage view of the city of Chandigarh; and at night time, from here, Chandigarh, with its symmetrical roads and lights, looks like a gargantuan runway placed by the divine for its landing.

Apart from these two Kasauli does not offer much in terms of tourist attraction.

Let me add a word of warning: this place is certainly not meant for those who rush to the hill-stations but expect the same luxuries, noise and liveliness. In fact, on my second visit I was accompanied by a friend who was more worried that he could not get Kingfisher Beer or a proper “Daal Makhani”, and ultimately found the place boring and dull.

What Kasauli offers is not a tangible source of enjoyment, but a feeling that has to be experienced by the soul, and not by the senses. The walks on the Malls, that stretch into the wilderness was my favorite activity there. You can hear each rustle of the leaves, each note of the birds, each tune of the winds, each song of the all pervading, and all encompassing silence. It is blissful peace that infuses into every pore of the body, soothing and caressing the frayed nerves tattered by the noisy city life. I sat for hours on the mountainside, looking at the green valleys below, with the sunshine stroking my distraught spirit like a mother cuddling its young one into a deep satisfying and secure sleep.

Thankfully, the place has not been marauded by the film industry also. Barring Maya Memsaab ( the Deepa Sahi starrer that had five soulful Lata Mangeshkar songs) I do not recall any other film being shot there. Even the locals talk about the shooting of the film and are obviously proud to boast of having met Shahrukh Khan, though at the time of the shooting the film he was not the star that he is now.

I look forward to visiting the place again very soon.

[This post was originally written in my older blog]
[Since then, I have not been able to go to Kasauli- DJ, April 2006]
[Reposted with ecto]