Rajpur village, located at one end of the ever-expanding Dehradun city, is full of interesting trails that lead you into the quiet embrace of thick green foliage, away from the hustle and bustle of typical city life. While the urban infrastructure creeping into every nook and corner is a disturbing sign, a short drive in any direction brings you closer to the wilderness. Once you are here, the sweet fragrance of the flora, the soothing chirps of the avian creatures, the occasional sighting of a wild deer, and the heavy silence that attempts to wrap you in its embrace offer a serene escape from the chaos of daily life.

Around Rajpur village, or Shehenshahi Ashram to be more precise, there are numerous trails, including the age-old Kipling trail that leads to Mussoorie. From here, one of the trails also leads to the Sura Devi temple. If you drive on the new Mussoorie road via Malsi, the hill, on your right-hand side, covered in thick green foliage is the Sura Devi hill, and somewhere deep inside it is this temple.

Sura Devi temple trail (via Shehenshahi Ashram) has been better developed and is a mere 2 km, almost flat walk through the dense Sal forests. On a typical weekend, you can find the trail lively with many people making their way to the temple. I have done this trail a few times. If you wish to read my dedicated post on the Sura Devi temple walk via Shehenshahi Ashram, click here.

However, since this patch of hill is surrounded by encroaching urban infrastructure, I was curious to find another route to this temple. Unfortunately, I did not find much information. One fine day, a fellow trekking partner and I decided to take it upon ourselves to discover an alternate route that would lead to the temple.

Early one June morning, as the Sun thrust itself into the horizon, a tinge of receding cool air impinging on our uncovered skin, we drove on the new Mussoorie road. Just after the Fairfield by Marriott hotel, we took a small detour (a narrow lane) that went downwards until a forest outpost. Slightly ahead of this post is a government-run primary school (Malsi). Just behind these scattered buildings, the ambiance was great, with the ridge of the Malsi forests and thick foliage of Sal trees appearing just behind them. I could distinctly hear the faint deep throaty calls of the monkeys, perhaps relishing the morning vibe.

But we were not sure of the path. We scrambled around and tried to look for people/residents who had an idea of this trail to the Sura Devi temple. A person at the forest post did confirm that a route existed from here however, the same has not been used for ages and he might not be able to help us. Until … help arrived. We saw a family headed to the forested area. They looked like locals, and upon being asked, they mentioned that they were going a little further to pay obeisance to their local deity, worshipped in the form of an idol located about 500 metres into the Malsi forest. A smile rushed through us, and we hoped that they would know the trail.

Luckily, they did and explained the path to us, though it had been 6 years since they last used this trail to attend an annual fair at the temple.

The trail leading from Malsi to Sura Devi Temple

Highlights:-   One way distance – 3 kms | time – 1 hour 15 mins

With renewed energy and a desire to retrace the forgotten trail to the Sura Devi temple, we trudged along the winding, stony trail. The initial stretch beyond the forest post / primary school was essentially a bed of large rocks, and during the monsoons, I am confident it would be inundated with water. 100 metres into the walk, which was almost flat, we saw a steep incline. This headed straight into the thick of the forest, making us feel lost in the wilderness. The settlements and the honking of vehicles were left behind. The Sal trees provided full cover all around us, and the only sounds were those of the avian creatures and the crunching of dried Sal leaves under our boots.

About 45 minutes into the hike, the trail flattened for much of the remainder stretch. With some effort through the bushes, We could see the distant settlements on both the sides : those along the new Mussoorie road, and the ever-growing concrete developments on Rajpur road (beyond the diversion).

It took us about 1 hour 15 minutes to cover the roughly 3 km distance until we saw the Shikhara, or rising tower, of the Sura Devi Temple, topped with red paint, appearing behind the bushes and a cluster of trees. We made the final ascent and soon found ourselves at the temple complex. We relished the moment, paid our obeisance to the Goddess, and savoured the feeling of having retraced the path of a forgotten trail to this temple.

It was almost around 8 AM and the summer sun was bearing down on us. Since it was a working day, we decided to quickly canter down the hill, taking the same path on our return journey. Thus, we came to the end of this short trek located in the heart of the city.

Some pointers that may be helpful to those who wish to plan this hike.

Start point	Take the first narrow lane on the right, just ahead of Fairfield by Marriott hotel
Google Map link	https://maps.app.goo.gl/PFGotdQX2xX49Q8y5
Trek distance/time	3 kms / 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes (one way)
Return trail	You can return via the same route or head to Rajpur village (continue the trail beyond the Sura Devi Temple)
Distance of Start point from Clock Tower (City Centre)	8 kms drive, 20 – 30 minutes (depends on traffic situation)

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