After a day of school tours, we hiked up to the Jakhu Hill Temple, also known as the Monkey Temple. It is the highest point in Shimla, over 8,000 feet in elevation. The temple is dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman, and is filled with psychedelic images of the monkey man himself. However, the trek up to the temple is not so easy. There are hundreds of monkeys in the forest and on the path, and they do growl, grab at people, and are threatening. Ida rented a walking stick for 20 rupees, which is also used to keep the monkeys away. However, two of the group members were no match for the swift monkeys. Pearl got her sunglasses taken right off her head, and Viktoria's eyeglasses were also stolen from a leaping monkey. These primates are mighty savvy though.. locals were able to retrieve the stolen loot by offering food in exchange. An Indian woman from Amritsar was not so fortunate... the monkey stole her headscarf, failed to return it, and actually put it on over it's head. Who knew monkey's had style? The photo above is of Ida, myself, and Joti (who borrowed her sis-in-law's headscarf). Quite a bonding experience.
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