Know about India's mini Switzerland- Khajjiar

New Delhi: A small hill station in Himachal Pradesh, Khajjiar is a beautiful meadow about 45 kms away from Dalhouise. Khajjiar is often reffered to as "Gulmarg of Himachal Pradesh".The lush green meadows are surrounded by thick pine and cedar forests. Resemblance with SwitzerlandIt is one of the 160 locations of the world that bears resemblance with Switzerland in terms of topography. Mr. Willy T. Balzer, Vice Counselor and Head of Chancery of Switzerland in India marked it on world tourism map and coined the term ‘mini Switzerland' on 7th July, 1992. He also put a sign board of a yellow Swiss hiking footpath showing Khajjiar's distance from the Swiss capital Berne-6194 km. Balzer also took a stone from Khajjiar to incorporate it in a stone collage outside Swiss Parliament. Khajjiar LakeGrazing herds of sheep, goats and other milch cattle present a prefect pastoral scenery. There is a small lake in the center of the saucer shaped meadow which has in it a floating island. Much of the lake has degenerated into slush because of heavy silting during rains. Still the landscape of Khajjiar is picturesque and a photographer's delight.The lake takes its name from Khajji Nag, the deity in the temple nearby. The lake has considerably shrunk over the years and is now almost on the verge of vanishing. Khajjinag TempleThe temple was formed in the 12th Century AD. The images of Pandavas and Kauravas hang from the roof of the temple. The sanctum of the temple has been beautifully carved from wood. This temple is dedicated to snake (Naga) worship and there are some snake idols inside. AttractionsThe best recreation is to go for strolls inside the deep pine forests or enjoy the serenity at the Khajjiar lake. Children enjoy this place because of the freedom of movement and the slopy terrain which permits them to roll down to the lake without getting hurt. Another attraction like any other hill station is horse riding, hiking in winters.