Tourist Places in India | India Tourism: Chail Himachal Pradesh

Chail is a hill station in Himachal Pradesh, India. It once served as the summer capital of His Highness Maharaja Adhiraj Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.

Chail is 49 km from Shimla. The Chail Palace is well known for its architecture. The cricket ground and a polo ground which is there at an altitude of 2,444 m was owned by erstwhile royal family of Patiala. The ground has the world's highest cricket ground.

Chail is also considered as the hiker's paradise. The area is away from the bustling life of the state capital Shimla.

In 1891, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala incurred the rage of Lord Kitchener. It led to the restriction of his entry into the summer capital, Shimla. This incensed the Maharaja and he vowed to build a new summer capital for himself. So he rebuilt the place (Chail) as per his requirements.

After accession to the Indian Union, Maharaja of Patiala donated most of his buildings to Chail Military School and Government of India.

Chail is situated at an altitude of - 2,250 m, higher than Shimla. The place is surrounded by the forests of chir pine and gigantic deodars. Shimla and Kasauli can also be viewed at night from here by overlooking Satluj river. Chail is pleasant in summers and cold in winter. Average annual rainfall is about 150 mm.

How To Reach Chail

By Road: Chail is connected by road. From Shimla via Kufri the distance is 45 km and via Kandaghat is 49 km. Kalka is 86 km away. Regular buses for Chail leave from Shimla, Chandigarh and Delhi. The closest airports are at Chandigarh (120 km) and Shimla (63 km).

By Air: Jubbarhati airport in Shimla.

By Rail: The nearest railway station from Chail is at Kalka.

Chail Weather:

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Places to Visit in Chail

Chail Sanctuary, Sadhupul

The sanctuary was notified on 21 March 1976 near the town in district Shimla and covers an area of about 10,854.36 hectares. The Chail sanctuary has 'ghoral', 'kakkar', 'sambhar', 'red jungle fowl' and 'khalij' and 'cheer' pheasants. Machan like sighting posts have been built at Khuruin.

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.

Palace Hotel

The little 'hill station' of Chail came into being when Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala was banished from Shimla, the 'summer capital' of British India, after a dalliance with the Commander-in-Chief's daughter in the late 19th century.

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.