The southernmost district of Himachal Pradesh , Sirmour will take you to the highest Churdhar Peak in the lower Himalayas Himalayan Range with 360-Degree views with an elevation of approximate 3647 meters (11965 feet); along with being the largest Flower producing district in Himachal Pradesh. The view embraces an immense landscape of low-lying regions towards the south and snow-capped ranges, including the peaks of Badrinath and Kedarnath (a well-known Hindu pilgrimage) in the Garhwal region in Uttarakhand, towards the north.

Churdhar peak is well known for the giant statue of Lord Shiva that resides at the top of the peak. It will amaze you with the view as well as takes you back to the anecdotes of the great Indian epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. A 5000-year-old deodar-roofed temple of Lord Shirgul Devta devoted to Lord Shiva (Chudeshwar Mahadev), and a shivling resides below the peak, which has belief of resident of Shimla, Sirmaur, Chaupal and Solan area. temple dedicated to the presiding deity, a few meters below the peak.  A wide variety of explorers come every year to offer their prayers in this temple seeking the lord’s blessing.

Churdhar was the place from where George Everest, after whom Mount Everest (the world’s tallest peak) is named, completed numerous astronomical readings and findings of the Himalaya mountains around 1834. Sir George Everest was the surveyor general of India during British rule. He also did the initial full-length survey of India as well as some precise measurements of the earth’s curving.

The mountain is part of Churdhar Sanctuary and home to some important flora and fauna including the state bird of Himachal, the beautiful Monal, Musk Dear, Barking Deer, Himalayan Black Bear, Leopards and Langur Churdhar Sanctuary is a miniscule reserve on the slopes of Himalaya, suspended right at the top of the Churdhar Peak. The sanctuary is the dream place to come across with the wild side of the Himachal Pradesh. In November 1985, the sanctuary was acknowledged as the wildlife reserve in India.  The sanctuary is quite famous for being a home of herbal medication trees and plants. Oak and deodar are the main trees that would be found in this sanctuary.

‘Chur Chandani’ meaning mountain dressed in the moonlight, is another name for churdhar. Though some people take chur chandani as (bangles of snow), for the snow-covered peak resembles a silver bangle. The churdhar trek is a steep hike inside a dense Deodar forest, terraced fields and gujjar pasture lands. The best thing about this trek is that it is surrounded with lots of greenery. Initially the track is steep through grassy and rocky path. After that easy and moderate slopes. The last part of the trek is very steep. But also, the preceding one hour of the trek is fascinating as you leave the forests behind. Once reaching the summit, the views are stupefying. The overall trek is on moderate level.

The Churdhar summit can be reached from three sides. The most popular one is from Nauradhar (base) in Sirmour district, which is about 20 Kms. Another one is from Chopal in Shimla hills, which is an 8 Km climb. the third one is from Haripurdhar also in Sirmaur district which happens to be a 50 Km trek. The nearest bus station is Solan ISBT, which is well connected with all other states of the country. Churdhar also has a bus stop with only a limited number of buses arriving and departing. Chandigarh railway station and solan railway station are the nearest railways station, if you choose to come via railways. It is around 390 Kms from Delhi. It is around 10-12 hours drive, depending upon the level of traffic on the route.

Summer months are the best to explore this trek. It will surely help you to escape the heat of summer months in the plains of Indian, as the place has a pleasant weather during these months. One can also visit the place anytime between May to October, expect monsoons. During the winter months, the place is covered with heavy snow, which will be difficult to trek to the peak for trekkers. But when you can totally soak in the experience and not worry about hassles, would be the best time to experience Churdhar trek.

Churdhar Peak of Himachal is surely an offbeat place and might not be as famous as Kullu, Manali and Shimla, but they undoubtedly offer a lot to the right kind of tourists, with a spectacular views.

‘Chur Chandani’ meaning mountain dressed in the moonlight, is another name for churdhar. Though some people take chur chandani as (bangles of snow), for the snow-covered peak resembles a silver bangle. The churdhar trek is a steep hike inside a dense Deodar forest, terraced fields and gujjar pasture lands. The best thing about this trek is that it is surrounded with lots of greenery. Initially the track is steep through grassy and rocky path. After that easy and moderate slopes. The last part of the trek is very steep. But also, the preceding one hour of the trek is fascinating as you leave the forests behind. Once reaching the summit, the views are stupefying. The overall trek is on moderate level.

The Churdhar summit can be reached from three sides. The most popular one is from Nauradhar (base) in Sirmour district, which is about 20 Kms. Another one is from Chopal in Shimla hills, which is an 8 Km climb. the third one is from Haripurdhar also in Sirmaur district which happens to be a 50 Km trek. The nearest bus station is Solan ISBT, which is well connected with all other states of the country. Churdhar also has a bus stop with only a limited number of buses arriving and departing. Chandigarh railway station and solan railway station are the nearest railways station, if you choose to come via railways. It is around 390 Kms from Delhi. It is around 10-12 hours drive, depending upon the level of traffic on the route.

Summer months are the best to explore this trek. It will surely help you to escape the heat of summer months in the plains of Indian, as the place has a pleasant weather during these months. One can also visit the place anytime between May to October, expect monsoons. During the winter months, the place is covered with heavy snow, which will be difficult to trek to the peak for trekkers. But when you can totally soak in the experience and not worry about hassles, would be the best time to experience Churdhar trek.

Churdhar Peak of Himachal is surely an offbeat place and might not be as famous as Kullu, Manali and Shimla, but they undoubtedly offer a lot to the right kind of tourists, with a spectacular views.

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