By: Surekha Dhaleta
Himachal Pradesh, as is given the sobriquet - Devbhoomi - the Land of Gods, has its nook and corner brimming with temples. A unique feature which one can observe all over the state is that people aligned to certain deities, symbolically express their devotion in calligraphy, in respect of their deity. For example, [...]

By: Akhil Puri
As I step out of the bus at Victory Tunnel (The place you get down as you enter Shimla), right there were the Sirmauri & Kashmiri porters. I wasn’t able to see them running after the bus I was travelling in as it was a local bus. Some yards ahead, I could see [...]

By: Lakshit Seth

Ruskin Bond in one of his poems said, “Once you’ve lived with the mountains, you will return, you will come back, to touch the trees and grass and climb once more the windswept mountain pass”. To pour life into his words, I was ready for climbing another pass, highest that I had climbed [...]

By: Saroj Thakur

Ever since I saw the beautiful picture of the Lake Parashar on the state calendar of Himachal Pradesh Government, I was hooked to the heavenly looks of the lake and I nurtured a dream of visiting the Parashar Lake. During my last visit to Kataula, in the month of March, where my husband [...]

By: Venomous
In Shimla on Christmas Eve, I am witness to an animated discussion. A journalist, an academic and an activist are talking about gender issues, privatization and politics. The mood swings from pessimism to optimism. Many anecdotes are brought up. I am told that women have started using the political space and are more comfortable [...]

By: Madhuri Agrawal

It was the perfect Christmas vacation I could hope for- one outlined in all Christmas cards - Snow covered paths and falling snow flakes. What made it even more beautiful was the fact that it was the first time in my life that I was seeing this pretty picture.
We set out on the [...]

By: Nitin Kumar Sharma
Mountains always fascinated me. I grew up at a place though not offering an imposing view of the gleaming peaks, but not even too far to dilute the view in the milkiness of the intervening air. Hardly had I ever thought that my association with mountains would extend further into my professional [...]

Photos and copyright: Ken Stearns

It was a cold blustery day at Bir, (like beer) India as I took this photo of the monastery. There is a sense of joy and lightness about Tibetan architecture that can be infectious. Note that there are few right angles particularly around the window [...]

छाया व आलेख: डी डी शर्मा
गत दो वर्षो के समूचे हिमाचल भ्रमण में मैंने कुछ ऐसे स्थानों का भी भ्रमण किया जो कि पर्यटन की दृष्टि से काफी महत्व रखते हैं लेकिन प्रचार एवं प्रसार के अभाव में पर्यटक मानचित्र में इन क्षेत्रों का कोई खास अहमियत नहीं हैं । जिला कुल्लू में रघुपुर [...]

By: Saroj Thakur
The first stoppage of our itinerary was Palampur. The day was a little cloudy and the rain seemed to be in the air. The scent of the pine needles combined with the aroma of the tea gardens and the effect was deadly enough to submerge us in its heavenly concoction!
The majestic Dhauladhars

The distant [...]