Location:
Himachal Pradesh
Altitude: 2,250m
Places Of Interest: Cricket
Ground, Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, Sadhupul
Best Time To Visit: May-July
& September - November
 The
former 'summer capital' of Patiala, Chail is 43-km from
Shimla and dwelling in the midst of a lush green
setting. At 2,250m, it has the world's highest cricket
pitch and a polo ground, the old palace, now a hotel and
the possibility of some angling are added attractions.
Chail is
hiker's paradise. The area is very peaceful away from
the hustle and bustle of Shimla. 3-kms from the hotel is
the worlds highest Cricket ground. Close by is a
National Park, which has limited number of birds and
deers.
In 1891,
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala incurred the wrath
of Lord Kitchener, the then Commander-in-Chief. As a
result, he was banned entry into the summer capital of
the Raj, Shimla. This enraged the Maharaja and he vowed
to build a new and better summer capital for himself. He
looked around and after quite some time realized it had
all the while been in his possession. Chail, a little
village close to Shimla, was a 'slice of heaven'
surrounded by lush forests with a commanding view of the
snow-capped Himalayas. He rebuilt the city according to
his requirements and built himself a wonderful palace.
T he
picturesque resort located amidst scented forests of
chir pine and gigantic deodars. Chail is built on three
hills, the palace is on Rajgarh Hill, the Residency Snow
View once occupied by British resident is on Pandhewa
Hill and on the third hill Sadh Tiba where Chail is
situated. Overlooking Satluj Valley, Shimla and Kasauli
are also visible at night from here. Chail has also the
highest cricket ground in the world. Well kept and well
maintained the ground is surrounded by huge trees of
deodar and pine. On the other side of the town are
situated the massive Himalayan ranges spectacularly
gleaming in the sun and snow-covered every thing under
it.
PRIME ATTRACTION
WILDLIFE
Chail Wildlife Sanctuary: Ghoral, Kakkar, Sambhar, Red
Jungle Fowl, and Khalij, Cheer Pheasants are some of the
inhabitants of the Chail wildlife sanctuary.
TEMPLES
Sidh Baba
Ka Mandir: Maharaja Bhupinder Singh had originally
intended this to be the site of his palace, and had even
started building it, but as is believed, a 'sidh',
saintly person appeared in the Maharaja's dream, and
declared that this was the place where he had meditated.
Consequently, Bhupinder Singh shifted his venue and
built a temple on the spot.
OTHERS
Sadhupul:
14-km from Kandaghat a beautiful tiny village of
Sadhupul, and the bridge over the Ashwani stream, a
popular picnic-spot.
Cricket
Ground: Surrounded by gigantic deodar and well
maintained Chail Cricket ground is the highest cricket
ground in the world. Built in 1893, this cricket pitch
located at the height of 2,144m is also used as polo
ground
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