Welcome to Panchkula District

1. Kalka :
Kalka is a city and a municipal committee in Panchkula district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is on the NH 22 on way from Chandigarh to Shimla, and is the terminus of the Kalka-Shimla Railway.The town is situated on the foothills of Himalayas and is an entry point to Himachal Pradesh - The land of Gods. The name of the town is derived from the Goddess Kali and an ancient temple of the Goddess is located here. The temple has thousands of pilgrims turning up each year with a particularly heavy footfall during the Hindu festival of Navratri. In 1988 an ancient temple of Balaji (childhood incarnition of Hindu god Hanuman) was excavated in village "Bhairo ki Ser" on one of the hills overlooking the town.The temple is managed by Shri Amardass Ratan who is the "mahant" of the temple...it is slowly developing into a major pilgrim attraction.

2. Pinjore :
As of 2001[update] India census[1], Pinjore had a population of 25,498. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Pinjore has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 71%. In Pinjore, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Pinjore is a small, secure residential 'township' with easy access to the extraordinary educational, cultural and recreational opportunities of Chandigarh - one of India's most desirable places to live. Set over 1800 feet above the sea level in a beautiful valley, overlooking the Shivaliks, it is a pollution-free area away from the madding crowd of the cities, which offers perfect setting not only for physical well-being but also for the harmonious development of mind and spirit.

The foothills of Shivalik have lured men to strive for greater heights and to the shimmering snow covered peaks. Shivaliks mark the beginning of the most spectacular and glorious mountains, beckoning the travelers to continue their journey tirelessly upwards. DPS Pinjore, taking this inspiration from the majestic Himalayas, facilitates its students to strive for the alluring heights of excellence in academics career and life.

The lure of Himalayas is as old as the first human being to behold their majesty. For the people of the Indian sub- continent, the Himalayas have always been more than a mere geographical entity. We have associated these mountains with our Gods and our legends, served our philosophy of life through the minds of men who went through the Himalayan experience while reaching out for universal truths of creation.

The average temperatures for summers and winters are 35 and 18 degree Celsius respectively, with rainfall concentrated over the summer months of July, August and September.

3. Kasauli :
Kasauli is easy to reach by road from New Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla and other major cities in Northern India. The easiest way is to take the bus to Shimla and get off at Dharampur. One can also take the Kalka-Shimla toy train to Dharampur. Frequent buses connect Dharampur to Kasauli bus station. The fare is just Rs. 10. If you plan to go from Delhi, one good way is to book a cab from Delhi. Take the Chandigarh route. It is just 350 km from Delhi and shouldn't take more than 6-7 hrs by road.

There are various trekking routes to Kasauli as well, from Kalka, from Jabli and from Garkhal. Trek from Jabli to Kasauli is approximately 9 kilometers

4. Shimla :
Shimla is located in the north-western ranges of the Himalayas. At an average altitude of 2397.59 meters (7866.10 ft) above mean sea level, the city is spread on a ridge and its seven spurs. The city stretches nearly 9.2 km from east to west. The highest point in Shimla, at 2454 meters (8051 ft), is the Jakhoo hill. Shimla is a Zone IV (High Damage Risk Zone) per the Earthquake hazard zoning of India. Weak construction techniques and increasing population pose a serious threat to the already earthquake prone region. There are no bodies of water near the main city and the closest river, Sutlej, is about 21 km (13 miles) away. Other rivers that flow through the Shimla district, although further from the city, are Giri, and Pabbar (both are tributaries of Yamuna). The green belt in Shimla planning area is spread over 414 hectares (1023 acres). The main forests in and around the city are that of pine, deodar, oak and rhododendron. Environmental degradation due to the increasing number of tourists every year without the infrastructure to support them has resulted in Shimla losing its popular appeal as an ecotourism spot. Another rising concern in the region are the frequent number of landslides that often take place after heavy rains.

5. Chail :
* Chail Sanctuary- The sanctuary was notified on 21 March 1976 near the town in district Shimla and covers an area of about 10,854.36 hectares.

* Cricket Ground- Surrounded by thick forests of deodar, a well maintained Chail Cricket ground is the highest cricket ground in the world. It was built in 1893. This ground located at an altitude of 2,144 m is also used as polo ground.There is a well maintained Basket Ball court and the same cricket ground is used for playing football as the ground also has goal posts.In one corner of the ground there is a historic tree on which the local students have constructed a beautiful tree house.

* Chail Military School It has beautiful buildings and mostly resides on the ancient buildings made by Maharaja of patiala.

* Chail Palace - Built in 1891, the Maharaja's palace is set in approximately 75 acres (300,000 m2) and has a truly regal setting with spectacular views. A wide variety of cottages, suites and rooms with different tariffs can accommodate every visitor who wish to savor this majestic hill station.

The suites, rooms and cottages are sumptuously furnished with ornate and antique furniture and wall to wall carpeting with fire place. You will be treated as Prince over there.

* Sidh Baba ka Mandir(1.5 km) - Maharaja Bhupinder Singh originally began building his palace at this site. It is said that a Sidh - saintly person - appeared before the Maharaja in dream and declared that this was the place where he had this temple built.

* Wildlife sanctuary (3 km) - The Chail sanctuary has 'ghoral', 'kakkar', 'sambhar', 'red jungle fowl' and 'khalij' and 'cheer' pheasants. Machan like sighting posts have been built at Khuruin.

* Adventure and fishing - A dozen or so trek routes lead out of Chail. Trails lead up to the Choor Peak and to Shimla. There is fishing on Giri river at Gaura, 29 km away.

6. Morni :
Morni is a tourist place in Morni Hills in Panchkula district of Haryana in India. Morni Hills are the offshoots of Shivalik range of the Himalayas, which run in two parallel ranges. The village of Morni (Bhoj Jabial) lies on the mountainside, at 1220 meters above mean sea level. Traditions assign the name of Morni to a Queen who is believed to have ruled this area. Among the spurs of hills, lie two lakes, the larger is about 550 meters long and 460 meters broad and the other about 365 meters either way. A hill divides the two lakes but there is some Hidden channel, as the level of two lakes remains the same. The people look upon the lakes as sacred. There is an old fort, which is now in ruins. The hills are covered by pine trees. The climate is salubrious and the area is suitable for trekking. The Haryana Government has developed this hill resort and provides facilities to tourists, a motorable road was constructed to connect the Morni hills with Haryana State Highway near Panchkula. A Forest Department rest house "Lal Munia" and a PWD rest house were also constructed to accommodate tourists and trackers. There are also small playgrounds for children. There is a roller skating rink and a swimming pool. It is an ideal place for tourists who want to avoid crowds and for those who love nature.There are a number of resorts that add to accommodation options and variability in and around Morni.It is a place that is frequented by nature starved people(whose tribe is ever growing in cities) on the weekends or holidays and it might be difficult to grab a decent meal at times in the high season.A decently stocked liquor vend and an attached snack shop that serves turmeric laden omelettes and toasted bread ,does for the meals to famished tourists. The best season to visit is September to March, because it might get hot or humid during the rest of the months and venturing might be overly-humid.

The road that descends from the zenith of the hillstation brings you to a seasonal waterfall that drops into a muddy lake but is aloof from crowds , so gives relaxation space and time .Further up the road takes you into Himachal pradesh.On the high point where the road forks for the steep descent for the twin lakes,at clear nights,especially after showers one can see the lights of chandigarh.The geometrically placed streetlights,neon or sodium vapour, & occasionally bright signboards, howsoever blurred tend to mesmerize you.

There are three roads that connect Morni to chandigarh or other nearby towns(courtesy Haryana government), so one wont get stuck up in case of a blockade on any road, likely landslides in the rains.The town has grown so has time required to absorb the milleu and soak the nature and experience that it provides.

7. Nahan :
A well-laid out picturesque town, Nahan is situated on a hill top in the Shiwalik Hills, overlooking green hills. Traditionally, saints and princes are linked with the origin of Nahan. The city was founded as a capital by Raja Karan Prakash in 1621. Another version recalls a saint who lived with a companion named Nahar on the site where the Nahan palace now stands. "Nahar" means Don't kill and the town probably takes its name from an incident when a king was trying to kill a lion and the saint said Nahar, that is do not kill it. The name of the saint was Baba Banwari Das.

At an altitude of 932 m, Nahan is a good base for visits to the surrounding areas such as Renuka, Paonta Sahib, Trilokpur temple and the Suketi Fossil Park. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year and is watered by a man-made lake and decorated with temples and gardens. Nahan has got the crown to organize the second Municipal Corporation in India, after Kolkata.

Underground sewerage system in this town is unbeatable and hence it bears the title to be a neat and clean town. Well planned streets make all the long distances calm and traffic free. The narrow fields are used by the pedestrians to move fast on foot to avoid traffic.

The Municipal Corporation Office is also situated near to the Pakka Tank only. The Sirmour district has been extensively criss-crossed by rivers and the streams and most of them having perennial water flow of considerable volume. With the result, fishing on the rivers and streams has been a pretty old past time in the district. The mulle, Masheer, Gid and Mirror cap varietiesare found on large scale, helping in the economic well being of the people.

8. Dagshai :
Built by the British as a sanatorium for T.B patients, it has a British era graveyard overlooking a valley. It is on the same height as Lawrence School Sanawar near Kasauli, and is a short drive from Dharampur on the Chandigarh Simla highway. It is some 65 kilometers from Chandigarh. Unlike Kasauli it is to the right of the highway while driving towards Simla. There are two roads up, both steep. And after snow , snow chains are a must to drive up to Dagshai or getting down from it. There is an army unit stationed there, a residential only Army Public School, Dagshai and a private school called Dagshai Public School. There is a very small civilian town and the two schools take up most of this hill top station. There are no hotels in Dagshai but the place has a lot of picnic spots with grand views. From some spots one can see the entire Panchkula and Chandigarh lights at night. Also one is able to see Timber Trail Heights and Timber Trail Resorts, Parwanoo There is a railway station on the Kalka Simla line at Kumar Hatti from where Dagshai is about 1.5 kilometers uphill The next towns in the direction towards Simla are Barog and Solan. Solan is some 11 k.m from Kumar Hatti by road and dagshai is some what 3 km away from kumarhatti. From Kumar Hatti there is also a road to Sarahan and Nahan.

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