Weekend Goals: Gather Your Gang & Plan A Road Trip To Dagshai

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What Makes It Awesome

Dagshai, a misty and mysterious hill town, stands amidst thick pine woods perched at a height of 5600 ft. in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. The vast expanse of this hill rises like a sphinx from above the valley and leaves one with awe and wonder. As you start walking up the steep hill, your lungs are infused with super fresh oxygen and a sudden calm descends upon you. Looking at the churches hidden clandestinely under the dense pine groves, the time seems to have stopped here. Maharaja of Patiala lost Dagshai, then a village, to the Britishers in a deal. Since then nothing has changed here except its natives.

What's My Pro Tip?

Despite being a cantonment, the roads are narrow and not well maintained, therefore a high power vehicle is recommended to make the steep climb. Well, I do not mind any of these as the hill and its mysterious air kinda just pulls me every time I pay a visit there.

Anything Else?

Here in Dagshai, there lies hidden many secrets of an era of which we have read only in our history books - very few would know that the quaint hill town of Dagshai has the second cellular jail of India that was once visited by Gandhiji to show his solidarity for the Irish soldier who was executed during the mutiny. A narrow, broken road leads one to a quiet cemetery, where the hill ends and sky begins. Lying buried here are the remains of Britishers and Irish soldiers, their wives and newborns. The deadly silence, towering pine trees and cold breeze lend a mystic aura to the entire atmosphere.

Though one can visit Dagshai throughout the year, my favourite time to go there is the monsoons. Evenings in the winters should be avoided, also there's snow in January as the roads are quite steep and the vehicles may skid during those intense weather conditions.

Dagshai has no hotels and resorts, not even a bed & breakfast. One can stay in hotels in the nearest towns of Barog {situated just on the opposite hill}, or in Kasauli which is about a half-an-hour drive from Dagshai.