Nahan: For some peace and quiet

Your absolute feast for eyes and mind begins the moment you enter there. Amidst serenity, the small hill town of Nahan is nestled in mountains characterised by lush greenery that speaks for itself. Miles away from polluted and congested cities, is the town of Nahan ready to welcome its tourists and certainly offer solace to their exhausted minds. Post your lunch and a little rest at a resort after a long journey, get ready to head towards Renuka Ji Lake.

Traversing the hilly forests, waterfalls and deep valleys blanketed in thick flora, we could reach the Renuka Ji Lake which is about 35 kilometers from the Mall Road at Nahan. Guarded by and resting peacefully on the lap of the hills in addition to the presence of its thriving 'sound of silence' all around is the placid water of the Lake which will certainly give you an interesting view of large-sized fishes including Eale, Mirrorcap, Gooch and Muhasho. The susurrations of soft playful wavelets of the lake water clubbed with the pacifying sounds of cool breeze are bound to revivify you and gift you some peace of mind. In addition to this, few cottages in front of the lake are available for overnight stays.

Not only the lake, tall trees or the greenery, but a wide variety of birds also add five stars to the beauty of the place. Under the flora category, trees and shrubs include Bel, Gular, Aam, Bhang, Khajoor, Pathar Tod, Dhatura, among others. The presence of fauna is equally and largely myriad and includes birds like Black Patridge, Blue Joy, Red Jungle Owl, Green Pigeon, Drangos, Golden Orial, Rose Red Parakeet, Straited Starling, Whistling Thrush, Night Jar, Yellow Bill Magpie, Secret Minivet and the likes. If you are lucky enough, you might grab a glimpse of the Himalayan tiger, and Indian cobra around the place.

A quick visit to the famous Ranzor Palace of Nahan at Mall Road was one of the most indelible experiences of my family. Amid laughter over glasses of juices with Sangram Singh, a royal descendent, said, "Ranzor Palace is approximately 300 years old. We have been staying here for quite a long period now and plan for its renovations so as to convert the palace into a heritage hotel. The royal building comprises 70 to 80 rooms. Initially, the palace had around 150 rooms. However, today, the number has dropped down to 80 due to lack of proper maintenance. The palace is our pride and would like to showcase it to the whole world".

Speaking about the less known yet striking history of the Ranzor Palace, Abhay Bahadur Singh, who is the present head of the royal family, said, "We are the Bhati Rajputs. Ranzor Palace was built by Maharaja Veer Singh, the uncle of Maharaja Ranzor Singh. Hence, the palace is named after Ranzor Singh. Nahan became the capital of Sirmaur in the year 1621. Since then, the Palace has been the residence of four generations."

Nahan has some of its fascinating spots nearby that you can visit. And one such gripping place is the Shivalik Fossil Park. Also known as the Suketi Fossil Park, it is a notified National-Geo heritage monument which is 22 kilometres south west of Nahan. The interesting fact about Shivalik Fossil Park is that it has a collection of prehistoric vertebrate fossils and skeletons that were prevalent 2.5 million years ago and have been retrieved from the upper and middle Shivaliks geological formation of sandstones and clay at Suketi.

The precinct of the museum includes large-sized models of tortoises, huge-tusked elephants, hippopotamus, four-horned giraffe, gigantic crocodiles and sabre-toothed cat. The museum, under Geological Survey of India, has some spellbinding features to offer to its visitors like fossil tusks of elephants, fossilsed shells of turtles, skeletal remains including skulls and limbs of a variety of mammals among others also constitute important parts of the museum. All are approximately 25 to 33 lakh years old. The museum houses fossil wood and fossils of shells and fishes as well. The other section of the museum features stone items. Varied-sized stones including that of Nahan and Pinjore formations of Shiwalik group, Kasauli and Dagshai formations of Sirmaur group, Rohtang Gneisses, Stromatolitic Limestone of Shali group, etc. are all in display. History pronounces that the museum was established with the motive to preserve the fossil site and the precious fossils extracted once.

Nahan, although a small hill town, yet has a lot to offer when it comes to its beauty and tranquility. Come, visit and relax. The place will gift you oodles of amusement and revival.