Named after the Engineer Col. Barog who was assigned the task of constructing the longest tunnel enroute to Shimla, Barog is a small hill station in the vicinity of Chandigarh. Located in the Solan district, this small and beautiful hill station is known for providing picturesque views of nature with a sense of calmness away from the chaos of the city.
THE IMPORTANCE:
Another thing that separates Barog from other hill stations in this zone is the Railway Station of Barog. The station has been marked as a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. The railway station presents some amazing views that are actually a photographer's delight. Also it is known for having the longest tunnel on the Kalka Shimla Rail Route. Famous with the name of Tunnel no.33, this tunnel is 1143m and approx. 2.5 minutes are taken by the train to cross it.
THE HISTORY:
A story that does the rounds here is that the tunnel is haunted. Col. Barog who was assigned the task to make this tunnel made some mistakes in the design and couldn't complete it. In order to set the pace and complete the task in time, he planned to dig the tunnel from both ends with the calculation of making the both ends meet at the centre. Due to some calculation/judgemental errors the two ends didn't meet even after crossing the centre mark. This failure led Col. Barog getting fined Rs. 1 ( a very high value at that time) by the British Govt and faced a great amount of humiliation. The British engineer was not able to swallow this bitter pill and ultimately shot himself. The task was then assigned to Er. Harrington who along with the support of a local wise man namely Baba Bhalku finished the new tunnel which is approx 1km away from the old one. As a mark of respect and remembrance the hill station/station was named as Barog. And it is now said that his ghost can be seen in and around the newly constructed tunnel.
HOW TO REACH:
The station is not located on the main road. You have to walk down a steep, curvy descent of approx. 200m and a narrow path of approx. 300-400m to reach the station. You have to park your vehicle on the road side near the Station marking board and walk the rest of the distance.
STAY OPTION:
The station has some retiring rooms and a cottage which can be booked through the IRCTC website. It is a great opportunity for travelers/ explorers to stay at the station for a night and experience the magical vibes of the place.
EATING OPTIONS:
There is a small restaurant near the retiring rooms to take care of your food needs. Also there is a small stall on the station where you can grab some quick snacks.
TICKETING:
To explore this place, you have to pay the nominal fees of Rs.30/- per person as the platform fee. The ticket is to be bought from the Main Station Room. Option of digital payment is available, but being located between hills it sometimes get tricky to find the network so keep some hard cash to buy the tickets and avoid the disappointment.
I am sure that this small weekend trip to this beautiful destination will leave you with memorable moments and pictures to cherish later.