"Shimla - A little piece of England in... " a Simla Travel Page by Willettsworld

Shimla is a popular hill station that is located in the foothills of the Himalayas approx 350km (220 miles) north of Delhi in the state of Himachal Pradesh, of which it is the state capital. It was discovered by the British in 1819 and they quickly moved in and built their summer capital here in order to escape the heat in Calcutta and Delhi. In fact, one fifth of humanity was ruled here by the British Raj from the Viceregal Lodge that is located a few miles west of the town itself.

Shimla features some beautiful 19th and early 20th century buildings that are designed to be little pieces of England in India. The best examples are the Christ Church, the second oldest in Northern India, the mock-Tudor Town Hall, the large red cast iron and steel Railway Board building and the Gaiety Theatre where the likes of Rudyard Kipling and Lord Kitchner once trod the boards. There are many other gems dotted around and the views from the area known as The Ridge are wonderful. The best way to get here is by taking the Kalka-Shimla mountain train from Kalka which is on the main line out of Delhi. The 96km narrow gauge railway passes through some 103 tunnels and snakes its way up the hills past delightful little stations along the way.