General Information

Shimla, now the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh, came into prominence nearly a century ago as the summer capital of the British Raj .Many of the buildings of Kipling’s day days exist even now .

Shimla is today; a beautiful mountain resort .In summer there is the attraction of excellent walks and treks with the scenic beauty of flowers, wooded ravines and evergreen trees. Golf and fishing are popular sports.

In winter, known as the seasons of “long moon nights” there is snow and winter sports at Kufri and Narkanda. The only naturalice-skating rink in the country is in Shimla and ice-skating carnival is held during the winter. The usual narrow-gauge rail journey from Kaika to Shimla is a great experience.

What to see

THE MALL:
Shimla’s main form is its crescent shaped Mall lined with English style buildings, shops and a mock-Indoor Gaiett theatre.At the top of the Mall is the Christ Church, a Gothic structure built in 1857 and the second oldest Church in north India .Inside old ask pews, and fascinating plagues commemorate deceased army regiments. Next to the church is Scandal Point, a large open square which got its name 50 years when a dashing young Indian prince eloped with a young British memsahib from this on horseback. Step terraces lead to the Middle and lower Bazaars, which brings with local handicrafts stalls, crafts, and worthy hill people.

Visit the State Museum for good Pahari school miniatures paintings, costumes, textiles, jewellery, wood-carvings, and bronze and stones sculptures. Also see the huge six storied Vice regal manor residence of the Viceroy. Now it houses the Institute for Advanced Studies.

JACKOO HILL:
For the best view of Shimla, make the exceedingly steep climb up to Jackoo hill at 3,438 metres which will take anything from 40 minutes for strapping mountaineers to 2 hours mere mortals. At the top is a little temple dedicated to Hanuman, presided over by its resident ash-smeared priest. In 1874, Shimla’s Victorian society was shocked when Charles de Pusseth became a discipline of the Jackoo Sadhu.

OTHER WALKS
Glen forest is 4 km away and a pretty picnic spot with a waterfall near the Annandale race course and cricket ground, Chadwick Falls, 2 km from the city, is a 67-metre waterfall .On the Summer Hill is also the elegant
Georgian house of Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, where Mahatma Gandhi stayed during his visit to Shimla.Prospect hill is 5 km and a pleasant walk.

KUFRI & WILD FLOWER HALL
A stone’s throw away is Kufri, a picnic spot which also offers winter skeing.Ot has a Himalayan National Park. Nearby the walled flower Hall was built in 1903 by Lord Kitchener to rival the Viceroy Lodges and today is a peaceful hotel. Fagn a few kilometers away, has a rest home and offers a panoramic view of middle and upper Himalayas. At Naldera, play a game of golf at its mine-hole course.

Excursion

CHAIL
The former summer palace of the Maharaja of Patalia is today run by the state tourism department as an excellent hotel.

KASAULIA
cantonment town as sleepy as it is breath taking .At a slightly lower attitude than Shimla; Kasauli offers excellent forest walk and views of Himalayas. Also seen

SOLAN & BAROG
These two towns will really fall on your way to Shimla, if you are going there by road .Solan has the Mohan Meakins brewery and distillery and the place after which India’s first single malt whisky was distilled by Mohan Meakins-sadly, the whisky is not matured.

NARKANDA
Another winter ski resort, it is also an apple town, with hill after sloping hill, full of apple trees.Shimla, however, is not around the corner as in Kufri.In fact, the town falls on the crest of the main range of South of the Sutlej river. From here you can see the Suikhand Dhar which separates the Sutlej and the Beas rivers.