Back to my blog after a long hiatus. During this time my husband and I took a long deserved holiday to a hill station in Central India. It was our yearly vacation to the mountains and this time together was immensely wonderful, as we could break away from the daily humdrum of life and spend days in optimum relaxation. The hill station we visited was Pachmarhi. This is one of innumerable hill stations that the British established when the ruled over India for over 300 years. These mountainous little towns were called hill stations for a reason. They were summer capitals for the Briish Raj (since the Indian summers were too hot and steamy for the British to tolerate). Thus, they established little towns all across the length and breadth of India. These towns were nestled in the mountains (primarily the Himalayas) and each one was complete with a church, a post office and a police station. During the summer months of March, April, May and June, the entire British population would leave the plains for mountains and during winters they would return back to the plains. Thus, thanks to our erstwhile rulers, we Indians have acquired a plethora of hill stations across the entire Indian subcontinent. Darjeeling, Dalhousie, Nainital, Mussoorie, Almora, Kalimpong, Kurseing, Ooty and Pachmarhi to name a few. Keeping up with the British tradition, ever Indian summer, thousands of Indians leave the plains for short family vacations to the mountains. We did the same too. And it was worth it ! The refreshing mountain air and the break from the heat of the plains energized our mental as well as physical faculties.
Similar to other hill stations, Pachmarhi is replete with churches established by the British dating back to the 1800s, British Commonwealth war graveyards, quaint roads and marketplaces as well as waterfalls, mountain streams, and an old worldly vintage feeling of going back to the Victorian era. The holiday also cleared my mind of doubts regarding my second novel. I have returned with a more focused attitude towards my writing and hope to continue with this peaceful mental state for days to come.
Posting a couple of pictures of Pachmarhi below and a third one of my husband making an instant connection with a playful dog on one of the roads.
Au revoir till I write again !
Welcome back! I’m glad you had a good holiday, it looks a lovely place – the church looks exactly like the one at the end of the road I grew up in back in Kent, southern England. I’ve seen stuff on the tv and YouTube about the hill stations, and your piece makes me want to take a trip and visit one day. I’ve only been to India once, about 8 years ago, for a week’s business trip in Chennai……fascinating place, but to me the cities aren’t the real India…..
Maybe one day…. ;-))
You are absolutely right. True India can be found in her small towns, villages and hill stations. Big cities are a juxtaposition of both the East and the West. The church looks even more fascinating from the inside (we were forbidden to take photographs over there). It is a perfect example of Gothic architecture . Hope you visit the Himalayas some day 🙂
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Thank you for sharing this glimpse of beautiful India with us! I visited India once during the 1980s; it was enchanting. I saw Bombay, New Delhi, Agra, Bangalore, and Kohler Gold Fields (KGF). I visited the Red Fortress and Taj Mahal. But the countryside was the most impressive as I travelled with friends from Bangalore to KGF by car. One day I would like to see the highlands and tea producing area of your country. So glad you and your husband had a wonderful time of rest and refreshment. It’s good to have you back.
Wonderful to know that you have already traveled quite a lot of India already. Yes, I would definitely suggest the mountains and the hill stations if you come over to India once again. They are the real beauties of India and definitely worth a visit 🙂