Alluring Himachal

Shimla offers awesome views of the snow topped mountains and on a clear day, you can spend hours staring at the peaks, changing colour as the day ends. While the centre of this Raj town remains The Mall, stroll around and you will see quaint bungalows, wooden cottages and grand churches.

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Approach Shimla by the toy train, running on the narrow gauge railway track, connecting Shimla to Kalka. This quaint train winds around the hills, going over bridges and through 103 tunnels, chug-chugging its way slowly up the mountains. See lush greenery, dense forests and terrace farms on the way.

Manali lies at the foot of the snow peaks, in the lap of the Kullu valley. Standing at a height of 2050 metres above sea level, its beauty is heightened by the Beas River that flows through it. Manali is a veritable 'Valley of the Gods'.

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The Rohtang Pass is the gateway to the stark landscape of Lahaul and Spiti valleys. It offers a panoramic view of the surrounding hills as well as huge glaciers, precipitous cliffs and deep ravines. The pass is open from June to October every year.

Chandigarh is India's first planned modern city designed by the French architect Le Corbusier. The capital of two states of the Indian province - Punjab and Haryana and a Union Territory in itself, the city is named after the goddess of power Chandi and a fort Ã?ƒÃ?¢€˜garh' beyond the Chandi temple. Chandigarh is home to gardens, galleries, museums complimented by some outstanding architecture.

Don't Miss
Chandigarh is famous for the Rock Garden; a strange but unique garden created sector by sector with rocks and discarded objects like bottle tops, fluorescent lights,Ã?ƒ‚Ã?‚Ã? mud guard, tin cans and broken glass. The Sukhna Lake, the Open Hand Monument, the Leisure Valley, Dr. Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, Shanti Kunk, Bougainvillea Garden, Museum and Art Gallery and International Dolls Museum are some of the must-sees in Chandigarh.