Visit to Mahasu House: An “Under the Radar” Discovery in Mashobra

Being fortunate enough to be married into a pahadi family for the last 35 years, I get to spend a lot of time in my beloved Himalayas. My in-laws have orchards in Kotgarh, the apple-growing belt spread high above the right bank of the Sutlej, about three hours northeast of Shimla and on the way to Kinnaur. So inevitably we bypass this erstwhile summer capital of Imperial India, now spilling down the ridges of the Lower Himalayas. But it’s not like I feel that I am missing something: though Saroj and I got married in Shimla, this popular hill station had long ago lost its attraction for me, congested and crowded with tourists and cars as it is, especially in the summer.

But this summer I made a pleasant and rewarding discovery. If you venture about 30 minutes outside of Shimla to the village of Mashobra, perched on a ridge that leads down towards the Sutlej Valley, you can still find the Shimla of the old days, with pristine thick forests and amazing clear mountain views. On the way back from Kotgarh, my family and I stayed at Mahasu House, managed and owned by an old Shimla hand, Anil Walia. Anil does not advertise or promote his boutique homestay in any way. Indeed, he said that I was the first travel journalist who he had actually invited to review the place! In that sense, Mahasu House flies well under the radar,  the intimate knowledge of which is privy only to a select few visitors, many of whom have become Anil’s friends.

From Mashobra village, a long and winding but flat metalled road leads 4 km through a thick pine forest to Mahasu House. Known as the Bekulty Road, this was originally intended to be a railway line when it was built by the British during the Raj, but later the project was abandoned. The word ‘Mahasu’ comes from the deity Mahasu Devta who has his abode in several temples in this part of the Lower Himalayas. Before the state of Himachal Pradesh came into being, this area fell under the Mahasu district of Punjab. The house was originally intended to be the family home, but was opened to guests in June 2011 when the Walias decided to live in Shimla proper.

Since there were four of us, we were ushered into the family suite which has two separate bedrooms with a connecting dressing room and one and a half bathrooms. The larger of the two (formerly a living room) now has two single beds and a lovely large balcony with a splendid view of the Shimla Hills. Unfortunately, the view is somewhat marred by all the new construction in the meadow below Mahasu House where many Delhiwallahs have built their summer homes. Still, if you step outside and go down the Bekulty Road a bit further, there are several pagdandis leading off the road where you can lose yourself in the forest and savour the silence.

Besides the family suite, the main Mahasu House has five other separate bedrooms with attached bathrooms and an independent 3BR cottage which can be rented out as a separate unit. The rooms have all the modern amenities, including well-equipped bathrooms and good showers. We particularly appreciated the large wooden bed in the smaller bedroom with thick mattresses where one could sink comfortably into a blissful sleep.

While there is a spacious dining room with a long table, most guests choose to sit and eat outdoors and enjoy the great summer weather. In the mornings, a buffet breakfast is served on an outdoor deck with a wide selection of English and Indian specialities. In the evenings, guests gravitate towards a covered lounge area where one can enjoy a drink accompanied by some excellent kebabs right off the grill. We were served home-cooked Indian food for dinner which was both wholesome and satisfying: kurkure bhindi, koftas with spinach, mutton curry, butter chicken, dal, salad, and to finish off gulab jamun and fruit custard.

A highly worthwhile excursion (which Anil can easily arrange) is a visit to the Amiksa cheese store in the nearby village of Dhagogi, founded by cheesemaker François Laederich in 2019. François was born and raised in Paris and is trained in the art of cheesemaking in  the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. He travelled to coastal South India, found love with his Indian partner Debarati and then they both moved to the Himalayas inspired by the beauty and culture of HP. Amiksa boasts an impressive range of artisanal hard and soft cheeses, made using locally sourced Himalayan cow milk and aged in pinewood shelves. François explained to us how he had indigenized the process of cheesemaking in his cooled cellar or “cheese cave”, as the heavenly smells of a hundred wheels of cheese wafted around us. His Zuri cheese, which can be best described as a Brie, was delicious  and better priced than many other Indian-made foreign cheeses. 

As much as Mahasu House itself, the founder and owner Anil Walia defines its character. He is a most affable and accommodating host who went out of his way to make us feel welcome and his staff were equally warm and helpful in the way that only pahadis can be. I particularly liked Anil’s philosophy of not changing the character of the place as being his “home away from home”. He likes to keep in touch with his guests who form his wide network of friends and is particular about whom he lets in the door. We were indeed privileged to spend a wonderful and relaxed weekend at Mahasu House and I hope you will be too!

You can book your stay at Mahasu House here: https://www.mahasuhouse.com/