At The Highest Cricket Ground in the World

From the Gurdwara Sahib at Chail, we walked on to what was once the highest cricket ground in the world. It was about two kilometres away but seemed farther while walking up the winding mountain roads that often rose steeply. I used Google Maps to navigate. It guided us to near the ground and then seemed to lose its way. We had to ask passers-by, including a few local Rashtriya Military School students, for directions. 

Ultimately, when we got there, it turned out that it no longer was a cricket ground but had been converted into a playground for the Military School students. Basketball courts and football fields had been built over it. There was no signboard to announce that it once had been a cricket ground. One announced that it was a restricted area owned by the Indian Army, so we did not venture too far inside. I could see what must have been the pavilion and stands in the distance but could not go closer to take a picture because of the restrictions.

While on the way, we found nearly half of a short stretch of the road leading to the part of town where the former cricket ground was had been swept away as the soil on the hillside where it had been built was gone, probably during a heavy spell of rain. So, only two-wheelers or pedestrians could go across. We crossed the stretch gingerly. 

Earlier, most of the way, there were tall Deodar trees on the slopes on both sides of the road. There were knee- to waist-high shrubs beneath them; the entire slopes were green. It also meant it was impossible to photograph the valley below or the hills in the distance through the thick vegetation. I could only take pictures when we reached a model farm of the Himachal Pradesh horticulture department, where the tall trees had been cut off to make way for flower and fruit beds. I clicked away happily when we got there. 

Except at 2 to 3 places on the way and back, we were the only ones walking on the road, and it was great to experience the clean mountain air and serenity without the kind of hustle and bustle back home in the Delhi NCR. It was an overcast day, and even when the sun peeped out of the clouds, the sunlight was filtered through the tall trees, and not much reached us.

While my father had to take several breaks while walking up to the ground, he walked continuously on the way back as it was mostly downhill. 

Soon, we were at Chail's main market, where we had lunch before returning to our hotel.

At The Chail Gurdwara Sahib

The morning after we landed in Chail, we visited the local Gurdwara. It meant climbing up a steep path after a few hundred metres of walking through the town's main market. My father, who is almost 79, had to stop a couple of times to take a break before we covered the nearly 200 metres to the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Gurdwara. Earlier, I misinterpreted the instructions given by Google Maps to take a road to the left of the one going towards the Gurdwara. It was when Google Maps told me that my destination was on the right, atop the hill that stood there, that I realised my mistake! We had to walk back to the intersection to take the correct path.

While going up the stairs, a few paces behind my father, I pointed out to him a dog that lay peacefully at the top. As soon as I had done that, the dog got up and started barking at us as if reminded of his duty to bark at strangers. As we climbed up the staircase, more dogs joined the welcoming party. The noise attracted the attention of the Granthi (priest), who came out to calm the dogs and to greet us. The dogs followed his instructions and took up positions in the courtyard. He told us there were five of them and also told us their names, which I do not recall now.

We removed our shoes and socks and washed our hands and feet before entering the beautiful building Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala constructed in 1907. I took several pictures before and after paying obeisance to the Guru Granth Sahib in the hall, which had a wooden ceiling with a cutout in the centre to provide light through a few glass fixtures below the sloping tin roof above. The entire building was based on a European architecture style, rather than the oriental one Gurdwaras in the plains usually are. An old chandelier, probably from 1907, hung from the ceiling.

The Granthi told us he was an employee of the Himachal Pradesh government and not any Gurdwara management committee. He told us that the place of worship was taken care of by a government department looking after heritage structures. However, he said he often had to resort to posting on social media to appeal to Sikhs around the world to fund repair and renovation as the funds provided by the government were insufficient. He seemed to be doing that well since the building was in prime condition inside and outside. He said enough accommodation could be arranged for up to 100 people around the Gurdwara, although they would have to bring their rations.

Since there were no other visitors, we could have a long conversation with him, and he also told us about his family, including his daughter, the first female Granthi in India. He said she was presently employed at the Gurdwara Nanak Durbar in Dubai. His son lived in Birmingham, he said. He told us he had travelled to 12 countries, including neighbouring Pakistan and several in Europe.

The dogs sleeping in the courtyard were unconcerned as we walked out, put on our shoes and socks, and left.

At The Chail Palace

The Chail Palace (converted into a hotel several years ago) was about 600 metres away from our hotel. The evening we landed in Chail, we walked there. The fellow operating the entry ticket counter had locked his booth and gone home. So, we went straight in unobstructed. A short trek up a steep path led us to the palace itself. We landed at the backdoor and clicked a few pictures in the fading light of the misty evening, as we had done a few times on the way there. 

The backdoor of the majestic building with outer walls constructed from rectangular blocks of grey-coloured stone was soon closed, and we learnt from a staffer that we could access the restaurant, which would open at 8:00 p.m. through the front door on the opposite side. However, my father did not want us to wait until then, as it was getting darker every moment. So, we went back to our hotel, down the path Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, who constructed the palace, must once have taken. It was a tranquil and beautiful evening.

I returned alone the next afternoon as my father was a bit tired after the trek to the Chail Gurdwara Sahib and what formerly was the highest cricket ground in the world (now a playground for the students of the local Rashtriya Military School). I purchased the ticket worth Rs. 200 this time and decided to make it worth every paisa by taking many more pictures of the beautiful palace building and its interiors. 

I found the Maharajas' old furniture and some paintings hung on the walls fascinating, and I took pictures. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, an avid traveller who visited Europe via the sea route several times, supposedly purchased the paintings from there. A piano lay unused in the lobby, and I wondered which of the Maharajas was a good piano player while photographing it.

The Maharajas' old bar was still in use, and I took a quick photo before the barman noticed me. However, the doors to the billiards room and the lounge were closed, and I could not gain entry.

The doors to the Maharani suite on the ground floor were locked, and I could not sneak a peek.

Once outside, I photographed the beautiful fountain that featured figurines of two children and a couple of swans.

A few steps across a lawn took me to the cafe, where I ordered a sandwich I later shared with a female stray dog, who zeroed in on me out of everyone eating there.

On my way back to the main gate, I noticed an abandoned lawn tennis court that the Maharajas must have used and an old building with a collapsed roof, which I later learnt had once housed a mushroom factory owned by the Maharajas. 

I found the old lamp posts along the road leading from the palace to its gate wonderful and photographed one, although I did not photograph any of the monkeys playing along the way because I was unsure if they might want to snatch my camera phone.

A mist had begun to descend the surroundings soon before I exited the gate.