Experience · Windmill Inn, Solan · In-house guests only
A temple, a river, a waterfall
A curated day trip to Ashwani Khad — Mohan Shakti National Heritage Park, the river valley, and a hidden waterfall. One of the finest day excursions from Solan and Kasauli, arranged exclusively for Windmill Inn guests.
About 15 kilometres from Windmill Inn, tucked into a valley that most visitors to Solan never find, is Ashwani Khad. The Ashwani river runs through it. Above the river sits Mohan Shakti National Heritage Park, a 40-acre temple complex that genuinely has to be seen to be believed. A little further along, if you know where to look, there's a hidden waterfall called Riva. Three destinations, one valley, one incredible day.
We offer this as a curated day trip exclusively to Windmill Inn guests. It's not on any of the tourist itineraries sold in Solan, and we like to keep it that way. When you stay with us, we plan it for you. When you don't, we can't.
This is the headline attraction. Mohan Shakti is a modern heritage complex built to celebrate Indian cultural, spiritual, and artistic traditions. The centrepiece is a grand temple covered in stone carvings so intricate that guests who've seen plenty of old temples still walk out saying they've never seen anything quite like it.
The park is spread across 40 acres of forested hillside. There are shrines, a cultural museum, gardens, and quiet corners where almost no one else goes. It's free to enter, open from 7 AM to 7 PM, and easily the most underrated thing to visit anywhere near Solan. Weekends get busier — weekdays are our recommendation.
Below the heritage park, the Ashwani river curls through the valley. It's a proper mountain river — cold, clear, loud in monsoon and gentle in summer. There are flat stones along the banks where you can sit for hours, several small cafés scattered along the drive, and it's one of the best places in the area to simply do nothing for a while.
A lot of guests end up spending the middle of the day here — a late breakfast at one of the cafés, an hour by the water, maybe a swim if the season's right. The valley feels sheltered from everything; you forget what a schedule is.
The third piece of the day is Riva Waterfall, a few kilometres from the heritage park. It's smaller than the touristy waterfalls on the Shimla circuit, but it's also much quieter and surrounded by forest. Getting there involves a short walk off the road — not difficult, but the kind of thing you wouldn't attempt without local directions. Which is where we come in.
We offer the day trip two ways, and both are available to any in-house guest:
Tell us during your stay — ideally the evening before, or at least a few hours in advance if you want us to arrange transport. WhatsApp is easiest. We'll put the itinerary together the same day.
Of all the places to visit near Solan, this is the one our guests come back talking about the most. If you have a full day and an open mind, take it.
