Fast facts
State: Himachal Pradesh
Distance: 372 km N of Delhi
Route: from Delhi NH1 to
When to go: March to June (tourist season) and August to December (off season). Skip the monsoon
Tourist Office: HPTDC, 36, Chandralok Building, Janpath, New Delhi
Tel: 011-23325320/ 4764
STD code: 0177
Getting there
Air: Jubbarhatti, Shimla (53 km/2 hrs)
Rail: Nearest railhead: Kalka (119 km/ 4 hrs)
Road: Take NH1 to Ambala via Karnal, then NH22 to Shimla. Proceed to Dhalli, then turn left for Naldehra
With your back to Shimla, and your foot on the accelerator, you could be forgiven for driving through Naldehra, except for a miniscule detail: the fenced corridor that most just drive past has on the other side luscious grass and a golf net. The possibility of a golf course will make you turn your car right around and you will be duly rewarded.
Though Naldehra is seeing some amount of construction activity, its spruce pines, plum trees and berries retain their charms. But be warned: if you think that you are here for a view of the snow-crowned Himalayan Ranges, you’ll be disappointed: they are blocked for the most part by Shaily Peak and its less impressive sisters.
Things to see and do
The game of golf is the reason most people come to Naldehra, but fear not if handicaps and caddies aren’t your cup of tea. There’s much more to do here: long walks through pine-lined roads, excursions to picnic spots or the discovery of old English-style cottages in the surrounding villages.
Golfing Heights
You’ll never get such a high teeing-off anywhere else in the world. Up here, at 6,706 ft, is another of Lord Curzon’s legacies to India: an 18-hole golf course (played twice over) that’s said to be the country’s oldest. Members of Delhi’s Golf Club clamber up here in the summer, lock, stock and golfing clubs.
Temple Town
Tucked away here is a tiny Mahunag Temple, dedicated to the snake god. That’s where Naldehra gets its name from: (maha) nag and dehra – the Abode of the King of the Snake’s. Lord Curzon appears not to have been turned off by the notion of creepy-crawlies – the former Viceroy gave his daughter Alexandra the second name Naldera!
Next on your tour is the charming Kogi village, 2 km down a dirt track from Naldehra. Here are traditional Himachali houses, a temple of Kogi Mata and a chowka (seat of the elders) sculpted in wood.
Fair Grounds
If you’re here in June, there’s the Sipi Fair, a festival of matchmaking. That’s also about the only time when you can pick up local woollen handicrafts.
Counts and Laats
Just before Naldehra falls the village of Baldian. From here, take the motorable Old Rickshaw Road (which was once used to transport the British here from Shimla) and head for the local fire station, 6 km away. For a shorter trek, take the approach from Mashobra, a 3-km walk.
Next to Baldian sits Craignano, originally the summer resort of the Italian Countess of Craignano. In the 1890s, Craignano was turned into the United Service Club for the British laat (‘lord’) sahebs.
Talli, nearby, is a meadow flanked by the Mahakali Temple and the estate of the erstwhile Maharaja of Faridkot. In October, a Joton ka Mela (a bull-fight fest) is held here.
Where to stay and eat
The Chalets Naldehra (Tel: 0177-2747715; Tariff: INR 8,000-36,000; www.chaletsnaldehra.com) offers lovely wooden cottages, rooms and apartments with excellent amenities and activities.
HPTDC’s Hotel Golf Glade (Tel: 2747739; Tariff: INR 1,800-8,500) enjoys a pretty location, but the place is a bit creaky and run-down.
Dine only at the hotels, unless rajma, dal, rice and roti are your staples. On the brighter side, you can hop across to Mashobra during the day for a jar of strawberry jam or mushroom pickles.
Golf
golf course
Himachal Pradesh
