FRONT PAGE | Sunday, June 14, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Why Mussoorie is still Queen of Hills
Jaskiran Chopra | Mussoorie
This scenic hill town in Uttarakhand has managed to retain its old face to a large extent. Hundreds of visitors come back to Mussoorie every summer just to get a feel of their favourite places and keep their long-standing relationship with the town alive.
Though there are a large number of hotels, around 250, the hill town still breathes free as the Supreme Court ban on new construction has proved a blessing for it .The vast open spaces one witnesses here make one’s visit worth the effort. There have been reports of surreptitious construction but the town has fortunately not turned into a jungle of concrete as Dehra Dun is fast becoming.
A great advantage that Mussoorie has over other hill stations in the north is its vast area of 64.25 square kilometres. Gopal Bhardwaj, an expert on Mussoorie, says, “Most people are under the impression that Mussoorie is smaller than Shimla or Darjeeling. This is not true. Shimla has an area of only 18 sq Km while Darjeeling town has an area of 12 sq Km.” Nainital,the other popular summer destination in Uttarakhand, has an area of only 11.73 sq Km. In Himachal, Dharamsala stands at 28 sq Km, Dalhousie at 13 sq Km and Kasauli at 14 sq Km.
“This sprawling quality of Mussoorie gives it a definite edge over other Himalayan hill towns and is responsible for the feeling of vast, open space it gives the visitor,” Bhardwaj says.
While people have renovated old buildings or reconstructed them, there has been little building activity in the town and this has helped it retain its traditional charm to a large extent. A large number of old European houses, especially in Landour (known as the original Mussoorie), add to the old world look of Mussoorie. Beyond the bustling coffee cafes and videogame parlours is serene and charming
Landour with its distinct air of the British era. It was home to the original British inhabitants and blossomed in its isolation. It has been a summer headquarters of many Christian missions. Exotic names like Oakville, The Firs, Shamrock, Rose Bank and Dahlia Bank embellish the old colonial Bungalows here. Most of the old residents have departed but their old houses are still in use. Ruskin Bond’s famous “Ivy Cottage”, Ganesh Saili’s “Trim Lodge” and Victor Banerjee’s “Parsonage” are some of these old houses.
Many old churches, including the Christ Church, Union Church, Methodist Church, St Paul’s Church and the Kellogs Memorial Church lend a unique charm to the hill station.
Naresh Vachani, an entrepreneur who has been running a popular bakery and chocolate shop in the heart of Mussoorie for the past several decades, says, “Though the Mall Road, during the peak summer season, gives the appearance of a crowded modern market, there are unlimited options before tourists and trekkers to explore the expansive hill city towards old Mussoorie and also beyond the Library Point at Gandhi Chowk.”
“There is the sprawling Happy Valley to wander about in and also, one can go right up to where the clouds end”. He is obviously talking about the well-known resort known as Clouds End near Hathipaon.
The scenic trails of the Nag Tibba Trek, Bhatta village, Jharipani and Barlowganj areas around the town are popular among tourists looking for something different and exciting.
Among the things that a visitor, Rita Mishra, loved about Mussoorie are the still flourishing quaint shops selling walking sticks, curios and little hand fans, corn on the cob, popcorn at every corner, “Kafal Walas” with their colourful baskets of Kafals, small red berries (like the Phalsa) which grow in Mussoorie and small photo shops where one can get oneself photographed in the traditional Garhwali and Kumaoni costumes.
Looking at the crowds in the hill station every summer, one can well understand that Mussoorie, especially Landour, with its quaint old world charm, has the quality which beckons visitors to come back again and again to the “Queen of Hills”.
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