SIMLA
In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the erstwhile British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the “Queen of Hills” (a term coined by the British). Located in north-west Himalayas at an altitude of 2,130 metres , the city of Shimla, draped in forests of pine, rhododendron, and oak, experiences pleasant summers and cold, snowy winters. The city is famous for its buildings styled in tudorbethan and neo-gothic architecture reminiscent of the colonial era. Shimla is connected to the city of Kalka by one of the longest narrow gauge railway routes in India. Shimla is approximately 115 km (71.4 miles) from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 365 km (226.8 miles) from New Delhi, the national capital. The city is named after the goddess Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Kali.
By the latter half of the 19th century the town had become the summer capital of the British Raj. British soldiers, merchants, and civil servants moved here each year to escape from the heat during summer in the Indo-Gangetic plain. The Kalka-Shimla railway line, constructed in 1906, added to its accessibility and popularity. The railway route, touted as an engineering feat, came to be known as the “British Jewel of the Orient”
(WIKIPEDIA)
