The Shimla Diary

At almost 8,000 feet above the mean sea level and lined with colonial buildings and pine and deodar tress, Shimla is the quintessential Indian hill station, albeit a bit crowded and commercialized. Offering spectacular landscapes to take in and pedestrian-only stretches to stroll around, the town, which served as the summer capital of British India from 1864 to 1947, is now a bustling tourist destination for Indians and foreigners alike.

Away from Delhi’s noise and dust, I spent a couple days wandering through the Himachal capital with my camera, and here are some of the pictures.

A panorama from a viewpoint in Shimla.

Himalayan Queen, a toy train, snakes through a forest stretch while travelling from Kalka to Shimla. The Kalka-Shimla railway line was constructed in 1906 with more than 806 bridges and 103 tunnels, In 2008, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A traveller takes in the afternoon scape from the toy train’s window.

A typical Shimla Sunset as seen from the Shimla railway station.

Beyond the glitsy Mall Road and the Ridge, the citizenry live, work and play in Shimla’s narrow and steep lanes.

A section of the Mall Road – an important commercial centre of the hill town.

The evening sky sparkles colorfully soon after the sunset.

He marched, they stroll. The Gandhi statue at the Ridge.

Walking through Shimla, one often comes across extraordinary sights such as this.

The Viceregal Lodge was formerly the residence of the British Viceroy of India from 1888 to 1947. It houses some of the most historical articles and photographs of British India. It now functions as the Indian Institute of Advanced Study

Christ Church in Shimla, is the second oldest church in North India, after St John’s Church in Meerut.