About Shimla Tourist Places List

About Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh.  It is a beautiful hill station.  It drives its name from Goddess shyamala, who is supposed to be an avatar of Goddess Kali.  It was the summer capital of India under the British rule.  It is a popular tourist destination of visitors from other states and abroad today.

Shimla is referred to as the “Queen of the hills”.  It is draped in forests of pine, rhododendron, and oak and it is surrounded by snow capped peaks.  Within the town are a host of splendid colonial edifices quaint cottages and charming walks.  Among the attractions are the stately vice regal lodge, charming iron lamp posts and Anglo Saxon names.  The mall packed with shops and eateries is the centre of attraction of the town and scandal point offers a view of distant snow clad peaks.  The snowfall during the winter attracts many tourists.

Shimla becomes a home to winter sports and an ice skating carnival.  The kalka shimla railway was built to connect shimla, the summer capital of India during the period of the British Raj, with the Indian Railway system.  The 96.54km line built on a 2 feet six inches gauge was opened for traffic on November 9th, 1903.  Spectacular scenic beauty along the whole route and the marvels of its construction keeps the traveller on this line spell bound.  It runs through 102 tunnels and has 864 bridges.

Shimla, also known as 'the queen of the hills', is the capital city of the Indian state, Himachal Pradesh.  It has well developed facilities, easy accessibility and numerous attractions make it one of India's most popular hill resorts.  Placed in the tower ranges of Himalayan Mountains, it is surrounded by pine, deodar, oak and rhododendron forests.

Shimla City

Shimla is located in the Middle Western ranges of the Himalayas.  The Shimla city spreads ove the hill at an average altitude of 2000m above the mean sea level.  Shimla is well connected with New Delhi, the capital city and other states such as, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, etc.  By rail, road and air.

Shimla Climate

It has a pleasant climate throughout the year.  In summers, the temperatures rarely go beyond 27°C.  During monsoons, the temperature is about 13°C to 20°C, and rains generally should the entire city in a fine mist.  The nights are coo, even in high summer.  In winter, temperatures go down to about 0°C to -5°C. Winters usually witness snowfall.

Shimla History

This was basically a small village tucked away in the Himalayas discovered by the British surveyors, and pronounced an ideal retreat for the homesick colonizers in 1817.  Named after Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of the fierce Goddess, Kali, stories of Shimala's salubrious climate and invigorating surroundings made it grow in popularity.  In 1830, the land around was bought from the local ruler, and Shimla turned into a resort for the British army officers.

Places to visit in Shimla

The Mall

The Mall is the main shopping centre of Shimala.  It also has many restaurants, clubs, banks, bars, post offices and tourist offices.  The Gaiety Theatre is also situated here.  People walk up and down the Mall slowly, stopping to chat, as it is the main meeting place for everyone.  The Ridge and the Scandal point are the two main meeting points at the Mall.

Christ Church

Situated on the Ridge is Christ Church, which is the second oldest church in Northern India.  It has a very majestic appearance and inside it are stained glass windows, which represent faith, hope, charity, fortitude, patience and humility.

Jakhu Hill

Jakh Hills is situated at about 2km. from Shimla, at a height of 8000ft.  It is the highest peak and offers a beautiful view of the town and of the snow-covered Himalayas.  At the topofthe hill, is an old temple of Hanuman, which is also the home of countless playful monkeys waiting to be fed by visitors.

Shimla State Museum

The Museum, which was opened in 1974, has tried to project the hill-out and the cultural wealth of the state.  There is a collection of miniature Pahari paintings, sculptures, bronzes wood-carvings and also costumes, textiles and jewellery of the region.

Summer Hill

Summer Hill is situated at a distance of 5km from the Ridge.  It is a lovely township at a height of 6,500ft on the Shimla-Kalka railway line.  Mahatma Gandhi lived in these quiet surroundings during his visits to Shimla.  The Himachal Pradesh University is also situated here.

Annandale

Developed as the playground of Shimala, Annandale is about 2-4km from the Ridge at a height of about 6,117ft.  It is a favourite spot for cricket, picnics and the princely game of polo.

Tara Devi

Tara Devi is situated around 11km from the Shimla bus-stand.  Tara Devi has a temple dedicated to the Goddess of Stars on top of the hill.  There is a Military DAiry Town here as well as the headquarters of Bharat Scout and Guides.

Mashobra

Mashobra is located 13km away from Shimla.  Mashobra has several excellent picnic spots.  It is the site of the annual Sipi fair in June.  The nearest rest house is at Craignano which is about 3km from Mashobra.

Kufri

Kufri is situated around 16km from Shimla at a height of 8600ft.  Kufri is the winter sports capital.  During winter, visitors have the facility for skiing.  The skiing season is at its best during January and February.  Equipment for sking is available from the HPTDC Winter Sports Club at Kufri.  Apart from skiing, Kufriis a lovely picnic spot with a beautiful view of the hills around and the snowy peaks.  There is also a zoo that delights children.

Naldehra

Naldehra is situated about 22km from Shimla, and surrounded by beautiful deodar trees.  It has a well kept nine-hole golf-course.  Naldehra is a lovely, popular picnic spot.  The annual Sipi fair in June is held in Naldehra.