Chhattisgarh’s Best Kept Secret
As someone who lives in the foothills of the Himalayas, and has travelled much in their higher reaches, I sport a barely veiled disdain for lesser highlands. Particularly those bumps in the road masquerading as “hill stations”. Every now and then though, one of them turns around with a resounding ‘Take that!’ moment. Another true story.
Pre-travel research on a never visited Chhattisgarh had coughed up numerous spots that garnered my interest, largely sprinkled across its forested flatlands. And one much-touted Mainpat, the state’s only hill destination that a great number of sites kept likening to Shimla. Seriously? Have they been to Shimla lately? – my first scornful thought. That it is perched at merely 3200 feet above MSL very nearly had me striking it off the potentials checklist. Mighty glad I didn’t! Looking nothing like Shimla, the serene plateau exuded a delightful personality very much its own. See for yourself.
Lovely pictures, Puneet! Hope to come back with some of my own too…
There be plenty moments, you’ll see.
Lovely beautiful
Thanks.
Looks wonderful. Great photos, B.! Is Mainpat a big town?
It was, I kid you not. Au contraire, Mainpat is a tiny little place that ends before it starts! What you see in the photos (thanks, btw) are the scores of plateaus that surround it and also carry the eponym. Primarily home to Tibetan communities who settled here in the 70s.
It IS beautiful…..picture perfect.
Sure is…
Ha! I do share ‘barely veiled disdain for lesser highlands’ too. This looks like a place of sunny days and easy evenings to retire into.