Introducing Shimla
Until the British arrived, there was nothing at Shimla but a sleepy forest glade known as Shyamala (a local name for Kali). Then a Scottish civil servant named Charles Kennedy built a summer home in Shimla in 1822 and nothing was ever the same again. By 1864 Shimla had developed into the official summer capital of the Raj. Every summer until 1939, the entire government of India fled here from the sweltering heat of the plains, with all their clerks’ books and forms filled out in triplicate. When the Kalka–Shimla railway line was constructed in 1903, Shimla’s status as India’s premier hill station was assured. The city was even briefly the capital of Punjab until the map was redrawn in 1966.
Advertisement
Strung out along a 12km ridge, Shimla seems poised on the verge of sliding into the valley. A jagged line of snow-covered peaks is clearly visible from April to June and October to November, which coincides with the main tourist season. Honeymooners also come here to frolic in the snow in December and January.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Tips & articles
-
World's worst sleepless nights
8 September 2009
Travellers learn to grab forty winks in some pretty taxing situations: overnight bus trips, hostel rooms of 15 snorers, humid...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
RE: From Kathmandu to Lhasa
by moiz_z 13 September 2011
Hi. I had planned almost a similar itinerary as yours but I was disappointed I could not get much information after several days of searc…
-
Re: Northern India in 2 weeks!
by bearaman 31 August 2011
Hi Flynn, When we toured northern India, we hired a car and driver in Dharamsala and drove up to Manali, on to Spiti Valley and back to…
-
Seeking N. India Travel partner for September
by galumphix 29 August 2011
Hi! I'm looking for someone to go exploring northwestern India with for 2 - 3 weeks in September. My timing (and heck, even itinerary)…
