Chail Hill Station is a beautiful hill station at an average altitude of around 2,226 meters, near Shimla, in the Himachal Pradesh state of India. This Hill Station is higher than Shimla and is one of India’s most beautiful hill stations.
Chail Hill Station was the summer retreat of Maharajas of Patiala in the late 18th and 19th centuries till Indian Independence. After the accession of his Kingdom to India, the Maharaja donated most of the buildings in this hill station to the Government of India. The Main Palace Complex, currently called The Chail Palace, in around 75 acres of land, is now a Heritage Hotel under the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department.
Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala, shifted his summer retreat center to this hill station after being denied entry to his erstwhile summer retreat in Shimla by the British in 1891 due to his rage with Lord Kitchener. Maharaja decided to build a new retreat center and hence made this beautiful hill station retreat. Maharaja of Patiala built many architecturally stunning buildings in this hill station.
Chail Hill Station is full of Pine and deodar trees, and the nearby Hill Station Kasauli and Hill Station Shimla can be viewed from Chail at night. It is also well known for hiking.
This hill station has a beautiful cricket ground, which is considered the highest cricket ground in the world. The same ground is also used as a polo ground. This ground is situated at an altitude of around 2444 meters above sea level! The same ground is also used for football matches as there are goalposts at a corner portion of the ground for this purpose.
Rashtriya Military School
Maharaja of Patiala has donated one ancient building complex to Rashtriya Military School. The cricket ground cum polo ground (mentioned in the earlier paragraph) is used as the playground for the Rashtriya Military School. This Rashtriya Military School, earlier known as King George Royal Indian Military School, is the oldest Military school in India. This Rashtriya Military School is among the best military schools for boys, and it is the best military boarding school among the five Rashtriya Military Schools. The Military school (Sainik school in the Hindi Language) was a designated college during the Second World War.
The other four military schools in India are Bangalore, Belgaum, Ajmer & Dholpur. All five military schools follow the CBSE syllabus.
How Do I Go To Chail Hill Station?
Chail Hill Station is 45 to 60 kilometers from Shimla, depending on the route traveled.
Shima-Chail via Kufri is approximately 45 kilometers, and Shima-Chail via Kandaghat is 60 kilometers. Kalka hill station is at a distance of 90 kilometers from Chail. There are regular inter-state buses from New Delhi, the capital city of India, and regular buses from Shimla to Chail. Chandigarh is at a distance of around 120 kilometers, where the nearest airport is situated.