Shimla Tourism, Himachal Pradesh India
(Shimla is also known as The Queen of Hills)
Shimla Tourism, Tourist places in Shimla, Sightseeing, Shimla Travel Guide, Holiday Packages, weekend getaways, places near Shimla, reviews, map and trips
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Shimla Fast Facts
- State: Himachal Pradesh
- District: Shimla
- Famous for/as: Hill Station
- Population: 7,22,502
- Religions: Mostly Hindu. Also Sikh, Muslim and Christian
- Altitude: 2205 m
- Language: Hindi, English, Himachali (Pahari).
- Best Season: April to Mid-July, Mid-Sept to Mid-Nov.
- Weather: Summer: 27.0 -14.5 C Winter: 16.5 -5.2 C
- Clothing: Summer- Light warm clothes Winter- Heavy woollens
- Local Transport:
- Pincode: 171001
- STDCode: 0177
Shimla Info
Tourism Centres:
India Tourism, 88, Janpath,
New Delhi.
Tel: 23320342, 23320266, 23320005,
Fax: 23320109.
Email: goitodelhi@nic.in.
Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTDC),
Central Reservation Office, Coffe Home,
Baba Kharak Singh Marg,
New Delhi-110001
Tel:91-11-23365358, 23363607.
City Information Service: 1208
Website: http://delhitourism.nic.in,
DTDC Information Counter,
Indira Gandhi International Airport,
Tel: 25675609.
DTDC Information Counter,
New Delhi Railway Station,
Tel: 23742374
Shimla, India Overview
Located deep in the Himalayan foothills and entirely surrounded by dense forest and magnificent mountains, Simla (now spelled Shimla) was the glorious summer resort of the British Raj. One of the most popular hill stations in India, the city sits at an altitude of 2213 meters and is the present capital of Himachal Pradesh.
The imposing six-story Scottish baronial mansion known as Viceregal Lodge, summer seat of the British government until the 1940s, is undoubtedly Shimla’s best-loved colonial attraction. Shimla, which has the distinction of inspiring scenes from Rudyard Kipling's Kim, is also a base for visitors who come to seek adventure in other parts of the state.
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Must See Places in Shimla, India
Shimla, India History
The town of Shimla rose in the nineteenth century when the Gurkha Wars came to an end in 1815-16 and the victorious British decided to retain certain pockets as military outposts and sanitaria. In 1822 the most rigorous of dandies and the greatest of sticklers for form Captain Charles Pratt Kennedy, Political Agent to the Hill States directed that a house be built for him at the village whose name is variously reported as Sheyamalaya Shumlah, Shimlu and Shemlah. Kennedy House led the vanguard of the hundred-odd houses that were to scatter themselves by 1841 over every level or gently inclining space. Lured by the climate and terrain scores of European invalids began moving to the station and the only stipulation of the local chief who owned the land was that no tree be cut or cattle slaughtered.
In 1864 the Viceroy, John Lawrence anointed Shimla – then spelt Simla, as the summer capital of British India. With Lawrence came the Viceroy Council, the Imperial Secretariat, representatives of the Indian princes and foreign envoys. As the town grew to become the workshop of the Empire, an awed visitor observed, every pigeonhole cradled an embryo of a war or death. Despite the fact that up to the time of Indian independence in 1947, Shimla officially remained only the summer capital, yet the Government spent more time in these hills than at the actual capital Calcutta and later New Delhi. As the bearer of the Viceregal sceptre this tiny pocket became the cynosure of British Empire. Imperial grandeur, and all the panoply and trappings of power came along for the ride. And there was a popular local saying that went, “You cannot sleep the nights in Simla for the sound of grinding axes”. A social whirl of parties, gymkhanas, balls, fancy fairs and affaires du Coeur ensured that a heady mixture of scandal and intrigue constantly wafted through the town.
Quite inevitably the freedom movement had a close connection with Shimla. Ornithologist and former Civil Servant, Allan Octavian Hume created the Indian National Congress which spearheaded the struggle while living in the town. Stalwarts like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, C. Rajagopalachari, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and Maulana Azad regularly visited Shimla. Major events that took place in the town were the Simla Conference in 1942, the deliberations of the Cabinet on and finally the decision to partition India.
And while the British Empire may have ceased to exist, its echoes linger on in the architecture and ambience of this hill resort. The elements of nostalgia may be strong but Shimla also has a youthful vigour in its pace. Its easy accessibility and several other attractions have made it one of India’s most popular hill resorts. There are many unforgettable walks, day-excursions by the dozen, a variety of convenient shopping and entertainment museums, and ice-skating in winter. Shimla is the base or the unwinding point for numerous exhilarating routes to the state interior.
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