Shimla

capital

Southern side of Shimla

Location of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and India

Coordinates Country State District(s)

31612N 771020E31.10333N 77.17222ECoordinates:

31612N

India Himachal Pradesh Shimla

Municipal Commissioner A.N. Sharma IPS

Mayor Population Density Official languages Time zone Area Elevation

Madhu Sood
392,542[1] (2005)

120 /km2 (311 /sq mi)

Hindi IST (UTC+5:30)

2,205 metres (7,234 ft)

Climate Precipitation Temperature Summer Winter

Cwb (Kppen)
1,520 mm (60 in) 14 C (57 F) 20 C (68 F) 04 C (39 F)

Codes[show]

Pincode Telephone UN/LOCODE Vehicle

171 001 +91 177 XXX XXXX IN SHI HP-03, HP-51, HP-52

About Shimla (Hindi: , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the 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 the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 2,205 metres (7,234 ft), 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 dating from the colonial era. Shimla is connected to the city of Kalka by one of the longest narrow gauge railway routes still operating in India,[2] the Kalka-Shimla Railway. 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.

History

Shimla was annexed by the British in 1819 after the Gurkha War. At that time it was known for the temple of Hindu Goddess Shyamala Devi. The Scottish civil servant Charles Pratt Kennedy built the first British summer home in the town in 1822.

Lord Amherst, the Governor-General of Bengal from 1823 to 1828, set up a summer camp here in 1827, when there was only one cottage in the town, and only 'half a dozen' when he left that year. There were more than a hundred within ten years.

Geography

Shimla is located in the north-western ranges of the Himalayas. At an average altitude of 2397.59 meters (7866.10 ft) above mean sea level, the city is spread on a ridge and its seven spurs. The city stretches nearly 9.2 km from east to west.[11] The highest point in Shimla, at 2454 meters (8051 ft), is the Jakhoo hill. Shimla is a Zone IV (High Damage Risk Zone) per the Earthquake hazard zoning of India. Weak construction techniques and increasing population pose a serious threat to the already earthquake prone region.[12][13] There are no bodies of water near the main city and the closest river, Sutlej, is about 21 km (13 miles) away.[14] Other rivers that flow through the Shimla district, although further from the city, are Giri, and Pabbar (both are tributaries of Yamuna). The green belt in Shimla planning area is spread over 414 hectares (1023 acres). The main forests in and around the city are that of pine, deodar, oak and rhododendron. Environmental degradation due to the

increasing number of tourists every year without the infrastructure to support them has resulted in Shimla losing its popular appeal as an ecotourism spot. Another rising concern in the region are the frequent number of landslides that often take place after heavy rains.

Climate
Shimla in general has a mild highland climate, with temperatures in peak winters, falling below 0C

[hide]Climate data for Shimla Month Record high C (F)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul

Aug
30

Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Average high C (F)

Average low C (F)

Record low C (F)

Precipitation mm (inches)
(2.4) (2.72) (2.4) (2.09) (2.6) (6.89) (16.69) (17.09) (6.3) (1.3) (0.51) (1.1) (62.09) Source: wunderground.com [18]

Economy
Employment is largely driven by the government and tourism.[21] Being the administrative capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh, the city houses several central and state government offices. Government jobs account for almost half (47%) of the working population. Direct

hospitality industry personnel such as tour guides, hotel and restaurant employees, etc., are few (10%). Individual crafts and small scale industries, such as tourist souvenir production and horticultural produce processing, comprise most of the remainder.

Civic administration
The administrative responsibilities of the city of Shimla and the surrounding planning areas of Dhalli, Tutu, and New Shimla reside with the Shimla Municipal corporation. Established in 1851, the Shimla municipal corporation is an elected body comprising 27 councilors 3 of which are nominated by the government of Himachal Pradesh.[11] The nominations are based on prominence in the fields of social service, academics and other activities. 33% seats are reserved for women. The elections take place every five years and the mayor and deputy mayor are elected by and amongst the councilors themselves. As of June 2008, the two major political parties are the Indian National Congress (in Opposition) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (in power).[23] The administrative head of the corporation is the commissioner who is appointed by the state government.

Culture
The people of Shimla are informally called Shimlaites. With largely cosmopolitan crowds, a variety of festivals are celebrated here. The Shimla Summer Festival, held every year during peak tourist season,[33] and lasting 34 days, is

celebrated on the ridge. The highlights of this event include performances by popular singers from all over the country.[34] Shimla has a number of places to visit. Local hangouts like the mall road and ridge are in the heart of the city. Most of the heritage buildings in the city are preserved in their original tudorbethan architecture. The Viceregal lodge which houses the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, and Wildflower hall that is now a luxury hotel are some of the famous ones. A collection of paintings, jewellery and textiles of the region can be found at the State Museum (built in 1974). Further out from the city is the Naldehra nine-hole golf course, the oldest of its kind in India.[35] Kufri is a ski resort (winter only) located 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) from the main city. Lakkar Bazaar, a market extending off the ridge, is famous for souvenirs and crafts made of wood. Tatta Pani, 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) from the main city, is the name of hot sulphur springs that are believed to have medicinal value located on the banks of river Satluj. Shimla is also home to Asia's only natural ice skating rink.[36] State and national level competitions are often held at this venue. The Shimla Ice Skating Club, which manages the rink, hosts a carnival every year in January, which includes a fancy dress competition and figure skating events. Due to effects of global warming and increasing urban development in and around Shimla, the number of sessions on ice every winter have been decreasing in the past few years.

Education
The city has 14 anganwadis and 63 primary schools.[11] There are many schools from the British era. Some of the popular schools in the city are Bishop Cotton School, Auckland House School, Shimla Public School, St Edwards School, Tara Hall, Chelsea, Hainault Public School, DAV Lkr Bazaar,

DAV New Shimla, , Dayanand Public School, Himalayan Internation School at Chharabra, and Chapslee School. Where Auckland House School, Tara Hall, and Chelsea are for girls only.

The medical institutes in Shimla are Indira Gandhi Medical College and Dental college. St. Bedes and Rajkiya Kanya MahaVidayaliya (RKMV) are girls-only colleges. Government College, Sanjauli, and Government College Chaura Maidan are also located in the city. The Indian Institute of Advanced Study, housed in the Viceregal Lodge, is a residential centre for research in Humanities, Indian culture, religion, and social and natural sciences. The Himachal Pradesh University is also based in Shimla. University Institute of Information Technology, Himachal Pradesh University (UIIT), a premier institute to provide technical education in the state is located here.

Shimla has two state libraries with a collection of over 47,000 old books divided between them. The one at Gandhi Bhavan in the University has over 40,000 books and the other library, also a heritage building on the ridge, has 7000.

Other institutes of higher education and research located in Shimla are the Central Potato Research Institute, a member of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and National Academy of Audit and Accounts for training of officers of the Indian Audit and Accounts services (IA&AS).