When you think of Himachal, you picture the images of snow-capped mountains, long winding roads, rows of pine trees and gushing rivers.
And then one day I saw a few pictures of Garli & Pragpur. To me it looked like somewhere in Europe. And I was left in disbelief that such a place exists in India and that too in the heart of Himachal Pradesh. So off I went to explore the Prague of India - The heritage villages of Garli & Pragpur.
Both these villages were built by the Soods community in the 16th century. These merchants travelled the world and returned home to build mansions, schools and hospitals in the European style architecture. And with an agenda of preserving this unique architecture and the cultural significance, the govt named them a heritage zone around 20 years back.
Truly speaking Garli & Pragpur are not for everyone. But if you ask me, one should go there atleast once. Not only for the charm of European elegance but also to revisit the childhood memories