Barog, situated at an altitude of 6000 ft above sea level, is a noted tourist spot located in the Solan District of Himachal Pradesh. It is a small village, originating from a settlement that started in the early 20th century. It was during this time that a narrow gauge railhead called Kalka-Shimla Railway was constructed.
This village was named after an engineer called Barog, who planned the construction of a huge tunnel through the mountain. To speed up the construction process, he ordered the digging of the tunnel from the two opposite sides of the mountain. It was, however, discovered later that due to his wrong calculations, the ends of the tunnel did not meet.
He was thus fined by the British government, and the embarrassment drove him to commit suicide. The body of the engineer was buried close to the tunnel, and later, the village was named after him. After the incident, the remaining work of building the tunnel was completed by H.S. Harrington, the chief engineer in railways.
The tunnel is now one of the longest tunnels of the Kalka-Shimla Railway, at a length of approximately 1143.61 m. It is also known as the straightest tunnel in the world.
Tourist Places In And Around Barog
Most travellers halt at Barog, situated on the Kalka-Shimla Highway, 60 km from Chandigarh, while travelling to Shimla. Choor Chandni Peak is counted among one of the prime tourist attractions of the region. Some of the other prominent tourist spots in Barog are Dagshai, the Vishal Shiva Temple, Dolanji Bon Monastery and Renuka Lake.
In addition to this, the Sholoni Devi Temple, Children’s Park and Jawahar Park are also frequented by tourists.
How To Reach Barog
The airports of Chandigarh and Shimla are the nearest to Barog. The air base of Shimla is directly connected to Kullu and Delhi by regular flights while the airport at Chandigarh is connected to the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. Those who wish to travel by rail can book their tickets till the Barog Railway Station.
Tourists can also reach the destination by buses from places like Delhi, Chandigarh, Chail, Kasauli, Solan and Shimla.
Best Time To Visit Barog
The period between the months of April and September is considered as perfect for visiting this place.