It is not often that you find Dehradun on a traveller’s itinerary, over-shadowed as it is by its glamorous neighbours – Hardwar and Mussoorie, but I have been going there for 15 years now and have grown to love a small corner of this region, tucked away in the warm green foothills of the Shivaliks – Rajpur Road.

Dehradun itself is now a sad memory of itself, a once-charming colonial era hill town now overrun by an exploding mass of people, derelict malls eating away at lush lychee orchards.  So abandon Dehradun town to the cacophony and head for Rajpur Road, heading north out of town and into Rajpur village at the very top.  Rajpur village is located at almost 3000 ft and as you go up Rajpur road, the crowds fall behind and you begin to reclaim the splendour that must have once been Dehradun’s.

Enormous mango, lychee and silver oaks line this road and on either side you can glimpse the dappled sun shine of the fruit orchard and the genteel elegance of old bungalows.  All at once the hills appear, like a promise, covered in thick forests of Sal trees.  Past the old Mussoorie road and exuberant bougainvilleas cascade down the branches of the mango trees, and if you have arrived from Delhi then the blueness of the sky and the fragrant air are magical enough to make you forget you are only 250 km out of the metropolis.

Another kilometer up the road and you unexpectedly come upon a riotously colourful monastery, which single-handedly contributes the greatest part of Rajpur’s charm. Quite apart from the monastery, which can be visited and is gorgeous, it is the Tibetan monks who give Rajpur its esoteric charm. They are everywhere, from the old monks sunning themselves in quiet meditation to the apple-cheeked spiky haired tiny student monks, all in their purple and orange robes. The chai-stall next to the monastery is usually full of monks, as are the dhabas and small restaurants up and down the road.

There is also a Tibetan colony at the very top of the road, just short of Rajpur village.  If you are lucky, the shop in the settlement might even be open and you can buy hand-woven Tibetan wool carpets and assorted hand made products.  The monastery and settlement also attract many visitors from oversees which is why Rajpur is always such a surprising and eclectic mix of visitors of different faiths and nationalities.

Half a kilometer before you get to the very top of Rajpur is a tiny white Ganesh temple on the side of the road.  The little Ganesh statue in the temple was involved in the 1995 “miracle of undetermined origin” in which elephant headed Ganesh statues all over India, over a period of 3 days, took to drinking large quantities of milk to the stupefaction of scientists and devotees alike.  The original statue has apparently been stolen, and there is now a small replica, cared for by a pujari.  We truly live in the age of Kalki.

Depending on the time of the year you can go and pick warm, sun ripened peaches and plums at Brig Billu Bath’s orchards in village Bhagwanpur  or buy freshly harvested honey being sold in golden heaps at the side of the road on the old Mussoorie road.  You can go for long walks in the Sal forest and listen out for the throaty breathing of the elusive leopard who still strides these hills.  You can trek up the old, scenic Mussoorie foot track, dotted with temples and fluttering prayer flags, and for the bird-watchers amongst you, this is a paradise, with 400 species of sub-himalayan birds.  

In the evenings, you can join the happy throngs for a session of noisy religious fervour at the cheerfully gaudy Sai Baba  temple, right next to the decorous Tibetan monastery.  For meals, the more adventurous could try the momos at the tiny Lhasa restaurant in Rajpur village or be safe and go the Chaya Café where the freshly baked Chicken Pot Pie,  Chocolate Walnut Cake and assorted breads are all delicious.

If you can possibly manage it, book ahead and stay in Nita Roy’s charming B&B, Wildside, on the Mussoorie diversion road.   Wildside has a pristine setting at the edge of a forest and you will get the most elegant rooms and the  warmest hospitality in all of Rajpur

So go visit Rajpur while you still can, for it seems inevitable that it will go the way of the Chakrata road and Hardwar road, where all the glorious trees have been cleared to make way for more development.  Wander awhile with the monks  and flags while Rajpur waits for a miracle to save it from misguided governance.  Or just a little help from an elephant-headed friend.