Just before winter last year there was a lot of work and we were dying. Having no time for a proper vacation or even for any fancy planning, we virtually started driving on GT Karnal Highway on a Saturday morning. We had some vague notion of a place Morni Hills and followed Google Maps and our gut feeling towards this destination.

Where is Morni Hills

Morni is a hill station in Panchkula, in fact, the only hill station in Haryana. It lies beyond Chandigarh just at the foot of the elevation to Kasauli, Shoghi, Kufri, Shimla, and other hill stations of Himachal. The drive from Delhi to Morni Hills is a little difficult given the steep narrow road towards the end. However, it is quite doable for a seasoned driver.

Delhi to Morni Hills

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Before reaching Chandigarh from Delhi, the highway turned right towards the hills. Before the elevation of Shimla and other hill stations, we took a further right as suggested by Google Maps. This led to a somewhat steep road with significantly less traffic. We drove along the mountains and in no time, the humdrum of city life gave way to idyllic peace. There were little hamlets in this area and we found some small provision shops at the corner of the road. We had seen boards for Royal Hut Resort on our way up and a shopkeeper instructed us to this place. Given the expanse of the road with little or no habitation and fluctuating GPRS after that, we would have otherwise been very lost.

Our Hotel in Morni Hills

We checked in at Royal Huts Resort and were charmed by the warm welcome by the staff. As we would experience during the rest of our stay, this place defines hospitality. It took us about 5 hours from Delhi to reach Morni Hills. We had stopped in between for some brunch.

Pines crowned the hilltops in Morni and trees like oak, neem and jacaranda covered the slopes. There was hardly any traffic on the road. It was as peaceful as it could possibly get. We spent the next one and half days sky gazing and taking long walks along the hills. The hotel staff advised that we should be back by early evening given the wild animals who prowl on the roads at night. Some adventure we thought!

Things to do in Morni

Morni Hills is not meant or suitable for people who are looking for touristy places or an activity-oriented vacation. It’s more suitable for folks who love slow travel and enjoy a relaxing staycation. Having said that Morni Hills have a handful of things to do. Some site-seeing options that can all be covered in a day at Morni Hills are:

Tikkar Taal

A short drive downhill again on a narrow road led to this lake Tikkar Taal. It is like a water basin surrounded by mountains and the view of the lake is very calming. Although it is like a picnic spot, given the expanse of the area, there is enough scope for solitude. The Haryana Tourism Department maintains this place and has a small restaurant here that serves basic snacks. There are a lot of activities for kids and that makes it a perfect summer vacation idea from Delhi.

Pandava Temple / Thakur Dwar Temple

On the way back from Tikkar Taal towards our resort, we spotted a small temple in pink that looked somewhat different from a regular shrine. The strong curiosity it evoked made us park, with difficulty, some distance ahead. When we walked back, we were surprised that what we spotted was an ancient temple in Morni Hills. There was a Krishna deity inside and we learned that this 10th-century temple was attributed to the Pandavas. To prop up the intricately carved stone structure, modern concrete structures have been erected around the original dome and the sanctum sanctorum. The pink paint on the cement structure was a lovely contrast to the light brown hue of the original temple.

Legend has it, the Tikkar Taal Lake is the famous lake from Yaksha Prashna in Mahabharat and the temple is thus called Pandava Temple. While some pieces of sculpture were housed at Chandigarh Museum, chunks of exquisite old carvings were lying all around and we were overjoyed that we had chanced upon an ancient temple purely by intuition.

Morni Rani Fort

The next morning we trekked up to a small fort atop a hill. The quaint 17th-century fort was surrounded by well-maintained gardens and there was a colourful temple outside. This was a peaceful place and well worth the climb. The fort was being revamped as a fancy hotel. Perhaps this strategy is the way forward for maintaining such myriad hidden gems in India.

Tips for Morni Hills Trip

We started on our way back to Delhi post lunch and were home by evening (5 – 6 hours). One word of caution – mobile networks don’t work well here and only our Vodafone network had some connectivity. One is that detached from city life at Morni. Can’t overstate that this trip was a huge surprise. We had all the pleasures of a vacation – mountains – nature – history – solitude – all over a weekend! (This information is based on our trip in 2016. Things could be different now. Please enquire about the connectivity from your hotel/resort before starting for Morni Hills)

Morni Hills is a hidden gem – still not spoilt by tourism overkill and we are thankful that we landed up here. Morni Hills spells magic for people looking for a break from urban humdrum just for a weekend.