Exploring Morni Hills in a Day


Exploring Morni Hills in a Day

Someone once said, “Be open to and welcoming of unforeseen events because those unplanned moments are often the seeds of spectacular opportunities in your life.” I realized the truth behind this recently when I visited Chandigarh for a meeting but ended up exploring Haryana’s only hill station instead. For the benefit of those who are poor in Geography like me; I’m talking about Morni Hills. My office had booked a licensed and reliable Delhi to Chandigarh taxi which I had to share with someone from work; someone who I had been purposely avoiding especially since my mother announced at our annual office party that I had a crazy crush on him. Anyway, weighing the pros and cons; and also the fact that my job depended on me landing this account for the agency, I went along and took the trip.

We left from Delhi quite early because we were to meet our client around brunch but god had other plans for us. Just as when we were about to enter Chandigarh, we received a call that our meeting had been postponed to the next day. If the awkward journey wasn’t enough where I completely made a fool of myself by not being able to have a single decent conversation; now we had an entire day to kill before I could be put out of my misery. With nothing planned for rest of the day, we decided to head for some sightseeing. Since we both visited Chandigarh often, my colleague suggested that we head to Morni Hills, and just to avoid any further conversation, I agreed.

A benefit of getting a car on rent in Chandigarh with an experienced driver was that we were well prepared. We were informed beforehand that there weren’t many options by the road to eat along the way, so we had a nice brunch packed for us. Next on the agenda was the question about the activities we could do at Morni Hills. To our surprise we had multiple options…

Our first and foremost stop was the Tikker Taal which houses Chota and Bara Taal; the two manmade lakes. There were a lot of stories that we heard about the place including the mysterious link between the two lakes which are clearly divided by a hill and how the two lakes always have exactly the same amount of water etc. There was a nice view, very pleasant weather with slightly cool breeze which became colder as the day passed. We walked along the lakes having a chat about everything under the sun. We didn’t realize for how long our conversations went on. We walked on the trek sites for a bit but since we weren’t prepared for a trek or rock climbing, we had to cut it short. We picked some pine cones while walking past excited bird watchers.

After the nice walk, we moved on to the Morni fort. This fort has a spectacular view of the village of Morni. It was mostly remains but the place is pretty well kept. The name of the fort is derived from the noble queen who ruled the area an eternity ago. It’s stunning that how strategically it is built; after all it is called the Golden Bastion. The walls are high and it is completely hidden from view by thick canopy of trees from all around. There are photographs of how the fort was earlier in time and there is a nature study center here as well. Somehow I really enjoy these historical monuments that take you back in time. The walls and stones hold so many folk tales and stories that they keep the debris alive even after all these years. I was enjoying my time here and even more when I heard my companion agree with the same. We hadn’t realized before how our tastes matched. We walked and walked while talking about history. There is also a brightly colored Shiv temple which is like a pleasing break from the monotonous gloomy remains of Morni Fort.

After the fort, it was time to visit Nada Sahib Gurudwara which is besides the Ghaggar – Hakra River. The hustle bustle of the place was quite gripping. Though there is a lot of construction and renovation that is underway but it still was quite lovely. The spiritual feeling was elevating and it just makes you feel tranquil. We spent a lot of time there listening to hymns and just relaxing. We watched as devotees went by one after the other with longing in their eyes and hope in their heart. It had certain bliss to it and so did our conversations that were becoming more personal as time was passing.

We realized on this short detour that my companion and I had a lot in common including the fact that both of us thought the other to be our perfect match; talk about unplanned moments being seeds of spectacular opportunities now, shall we! The beauty of Morni hills, calmness of the surroundings and pleasant weather… there is so much to the place that it will call you back and you would love to take the opportunity with open arms; and if you haven’t been here yet… you must!