About Hotels in Shimla

History of Shimla started from Stately Windsor Castlewhere the "Widow of Windsor" reigned in lonely, isolated splendour afterthe death of her beloved consort, Prince Albert, to the small, but ancient temple surrounded by thick woods where the himalayan Goddess, Shamla, a synonym of Goddess Kali, reigned her celestial realm on earth is indeed, distantcry, but for well over a century, the two places, almost inter-linked, ruled the destiny of this sub-continent. In the year 1818, when Queen Victoria's uncle, William IV, was King of England, Lord William Bentick,the Governer General, had transformed the Company's dominion in India to the Dominion of India, and it was accurate to speak of Britain's Indian Empire. The frontier ran from bengal to Kathiawar, to the north it ran through the Thar desert and along the Sutlej nearly to the Himalayan range. The great hills were the northern boundary except for the Gurkha state of Nepal. Beyond this line lay the Punjab, Kashmir and the kingdom of Afghanistan. In 1814, the Nepalese king brought about the first war with Nepal over Sikkim, the Gurkhas had marched into Sikkim, whose ruler appealed, to the East India Company for help. The Sikkim ruler was installed and his territorial status was guaranteed but during the conflict the British discovered the beauties of Darjeeling and accidentally also the thickly wooded spot, abode of the goddess Shamla, and a part of the Kingdom of Nepal. When war broke afresh in 1819, the British took the place with its cool and healthy climate. Shimla is capital of Himachal Pradesh.

Attractions of Hotels in Shimla

Jakhoo Hills

For lovers of solitude, a short climb, early in the morning to the summit of Jakhoo at a height of 2,438.4 metres and two kilometers (1 1/4) east of the town, towering over Shimla, ewards the climber with the glorious spectacle of the sun rising over the eternal snows and a panoramic view of Shimla spreadeagled below. Here, too, is an old temple dedicated to the god Hanuman, now also the home of countless playful monkeys waiting hopefully to be fed by all the visitors.

Shimla State Museum

Overlooking the Institute of Advanced Studies and housed in a beautiful on high ground, the Shimla State Museum was opened in 1974 and has growing collection of 2,000 object d'art. It contains a rich collection of paintings left with the family of Wazir Kartar Singh of Nurpur, Kangra. Of the 144 paintings, two-thirds will be kept with the National Museum, New Delhi and the remainder in the State Museum.

Annadale (Shimla's Playground)

Developed as the playground of the capital, Annadale is as far down as Jakhoo is up. At an altitude of 1,864 metres is 2.4 Km from GAIETY THEATRE, in the old days it was used for picnics, circket and the Gymknana races, besides riding to the hounds. It is still a favourite spot for cricket, picnics and the princely game of Polo.

Summer Hill

Situated at a distance of 5 km from GAIETY THEATRE is the lovely suburb of Summer Hill, at an altitude of 1,982 M and on the Shimla - Kalka railway line. In these quiet surroundings with secluded shady walks, lived Mahatma Gandhi during his visits to Shimla. The Mahatma lived in the elegant Georgian house of Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, daughter of the last ruler of the Punjab, Maharaja Dalip Singh, and free India's first woman minister. She held the Health Portfolio.

Mashobra & Craignano

A place of unique beauty is the oak and pine retreat of Mashobra, 9.6km from gaiety at an altitude of 2,149 metres (7,700 ft.), it is unbeatable for an ideal interlude beneath oak and pine. To dream the night away and enjoy the sylvan surroundings, is the equally beautiful rest house of Craignano and the Circuit House of Fairl Lawns. On the top of the hill, for the naturalists, it is considered to be among the most beautiful rest houses in Shimla Hills. Just 3km from Mashobra, Craignano is at an height of 2,279 metres (7,800 ft.). A winding path leads through the forest of pines up a gentle incline to the breath taking beautiful gardens filled with an abundance of flowers, amidst clumps of trees, in the spacious lawns, are stone benches and lovely secluded picnic spots.

Gaiety Theatre

Located in the centre of the Mall this heritage building is more than 100 years old. The auditorium with perfect accoustics has a capacity of 240 seats including five boxes for VIPs. Viceroys & the ladies during the British regime performed on this stage for their pleasure. Subsequently the best artist's from all over the world have delighted. The audiences by their performing arts from this stage. Attached to the theatre is a club known as Amateur Dramatic Club (ADC) meant exclusively for members.

Fagu

Picturesquely located amid forests and apple orchads is a vantage point with panoramic views of the higher ranges and valleys. Just 6 km from Kufri and 22 km from Shimla Fagu is located at the height of 2509 meters. Fagu has a rest house and tourist bungalow overlooking the Giri valley.

Chadwick Falls

Seven kilometers (4.5 miles) west of Gaiety Theatre and beyond Summer Hill are the silent Chadwick Falls. At an altitude of 1,586 metres, the 67 metres falls were best in the Monsoon. A deep gorge was finely carved out by the once falling waters, now dead.

The Glen Forests

Four kilometers from Gaiety Theatre and beyond Annandale a stream flows through the densely forested Glen at an altitude of 1,830 metres. Here besides the Bubbling stream of icy cold water, fresh from the melting snows, is a delightful, seculded picnic sport. North-west of Shimla, it is approached by two different routes, one near the Cecil Hotel and the other from the Kennedy House, the first house to be erected in Shimla and now housing the executive offices of the Himachal Government.

The Institute of Advanced Studies

Some come, however, for a seminar at the Institute of Advanced Studies, housed appropriately in the magnificaent Rashtrapati Niwas, or the old Viceregal Lodge, near Summer Hill, the scene of many a fun, frolic or escapade, where, too, the fate of nationas was decided. Here in the vast room, spacious gardens and ringed by formidable pines the discussions now are on entirely different topics. All is calm, all is serene-just the atmosphere carved by a student of world affair, be it, litereature, be it politics.

Shimla Mall

The city's main shopping centre and promenade packed with clubs, theaters, restaurants and bars, it houses shops filled with the latest in fashion, from Bond Street, benares, or Mumbai. As the town grew, so cam enlarge stores like Whiteway and Laidelaw, the Army and Navy Stores, Ranken Brothers and others. This was the seat of imperial power and mi'lady demanded nothing but the best so laden ships came from over the seven seas to cater to Imperial tastes. It was impossible to import the London theatre so the reproduction of the Old Garrick. The Gaiety theatre, was built staging Shakespeare, Marlowe, Agatha Christie, Noel Coward even T.S Eliot; the players, amateurs could give even the most versatile seasoned stage star of the era, a run for his money. Young army officers and their wives, they took to greasepaint and the boards like a duck takes to water. The Green Room, inevtiably, turned into a social club. Soon elegant hotels like Davico's, Wengers, Cecil and Clarke's came up providing drinks, dinner and dance. The tea dance invariably led to the dinner dance at the Davico's Ball room or at the Cecil Hotel, a short distance away. After a rousing game of golf, or billiards on the Mall itself, it was the thing socially de regeur (proper) to sip a glass of cool bear in the filtering sunlight at one of the hotels overlooking the avenue. This was Shimla's past and this is Shimla's present. Life still follow the same pattern. Everybody seems to on a holiday in Shimla. There is not much to do in and around town. After independence some of the ultra British stores moved away, but the quality remains the same, indeed, even with a larger variety of goods to delight the eye and taste. After shopping on the mall, the road usually leady down the crooked alleys of the Middle and Lower bazar below the Mall where hill-men display thier quaint creafts and other shops offer merchandise to suit every pocket, every taste. Some find it fun to haggle with the Tibetans, others look for unusual bargains and curios from the old Viceregal Estate or the homes of departed British Officials, Indian Estates and rare manuscripts, books, hand paintings, clocks and many more at Maria Bros., or Book Emporium both at the Mall.

Hatkoti Temple Shimla

Some 105 kilometers east of Shimla, in Jubbal Tehsil on the banks of the river Pabar, lays the mysterious valley of stone temples Hatkoti. Close by stands a small village by the name of Parhaat. At Hatkoti, two other small mountain streams Bishkulti and Raanvti join the Pabbar. The color of the Bishkulti (vish-khalti) water is somewhat grayish and the local belief says that the stream oozes out poison. With the convergence of the three water streams (sangam), according to the Hindu mythology makes Hatkoti a place fit to be a pilgrimage.

Himachal itself, studded though it is with temples, has a very special reverence for Hatkoti, the abode of Goddess Mahishasurmardinian incarnation of Durga.

Transportation

• Air: Vayudoot services connect Jubbor-Hatti (23 kms from Shimla) with Kullu, Chandigarh and Delhi. Delhi is in turn connected with Culcutta by Indian Airlines flights. Jagson Airlines has also flights from Delhi to Shimla.
• Rail: It is linked by a narrow gauge line to Kalka which is connected to Delhi, Calcutta and Amritsar by broad gauge. Kalka-Shimla in 96 km and 6 hours by train but only 4 hours by a quaint rail car.
• Road: Shimla is well connected by road to most towns within the state and to all major towns in Punjab and Haryana. It is linked by bus and coach to Delhi and Chandigarh as well. Delhi is 370 km away, Chandigarh 117 km, Kalka 90 km and Ambala 166 km. Within the state, Narakanda is 64 km away, Mandi 156 km, Kullu 240 km, Manali 280 km and Dharmashala 280 km.