Eternal India Encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

ETERNAL INDIA encyclopedia

HILL STATIONS

The hill stations provide a brief respite from the heat of the Indian plains. For the British who ruled India they offered the sights and sounds of home with “the doves, the barbets and the cuckoo sounding even more beautiful than it does in England”. Here is how one administrator of the Raj described the ascent from the cauldron of the plains to the cool bracing heights of a Himalayan hill station. “You get those burning plains right across India, fifteen hundred miles of them. You gradually go up from tropical and sub- tropical climbs through European and Alpine flora until you get right up into the snows. I don’t think there is anything in life which is such a relief and such a physical delight as going from the heat of the plains in the hot weather up into the mountains, gradually feeling it getting cooler. I remember the first time one gets to a base in the hills. The water is cold; what a delicious feeling to have cold water on your hands.” (Olaf Caroe) Shimla was the seat of the British government in India during the summer. The administration moved there taking with them all the files, an annual migration which cost thousands of rupees. Other provincial administrations did likewise. The Punjab govern- ment also moved to Shimla from Lahore. The Bengal administra- tion moved to Darjeeling, the government of the United Provinces went to Nainital, the Bombay government moved to Mahabalesh- war and the offices of the Madras Presidency shifted to Oota- camund. Quite a few hill stations were discovered and developed by the British. The Collector of Madurai was the first to build a house in Kodaikanal (one of the three hill stations in Tamil Nadu, the other two being Ooty and Yercaud) in 1834. It developed rapidly after it had its own municipal body in 1899. Kodaikanal is a botanist’s paradise. The wonder plant, Kurunji, blooms once in 12 years (the last flowering was in 1982) presenting a rare spectacle. Ootacamund or Ooty (or Udhagamandalam as it has been re- named) is known as the 'Queen of Hill Stations'. One of its princi- pal attractions is the Wenlock Downs (named after Lord Wenlock, a former Governor of Madras) an undulating landscape covering 40 sq. miles, unmatched anywhere else in India. Ooty can be reached by bus from the plains. There is also a miniature railway which starts at Mettupalayam, north of Coimbatore, a:nd goes via Coonor to Ooty. The carriages are not as small as the Darjeeling toytrain. The unique feature of this railway is the toothed central line which the engines lock into on the steeper gradient near the top to prevent them slipping back. Mussoorie in Uttar Pradesh vies with Ooty for the title “Queen of Hill Stations”. It was in the year 1827 that Captain Young, an army officer, on a hunting expedition, explored the site and laid the foundation for a holiday resort. Nainital, where the UP Secretariat used to move every year for six months upto 1947, is picturesquely situated around a lovely mountain lake about 1.5 km long. It was discovered by a Mr. Barren on a hunting expedition. Himachal Pradesh, the 'Home of the Snows', has a variety of hill stations. There are gay stations as well as quiet ones, some providing the joys of trekking for the youth, while others offer level walks for the aged, and whereas some are perched on the hill tops commanding spectacular views of the valleys below, others are situated in the valleys amidst the towering mountains. Dalhousie, founded by Lord Dalhousie, nestles in the outer slopes of the Dhauladhar range amidst stately oak and pine trees. The principal attractions of Dharamsala is the snowline at Ilaqa, five km from Triund (20 kms. from Dharamsala).

The other hill stations of Himachal Pradesh are Solan, Kasauli, Mandi, Kullu, Manali and Shimla. Kashmir is the Switzerland of the East combining Alpine gran- deur with the exotic charms of the East. Srinagar, the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, lies between two hills — the Shankaracharya and the Hari Parvat — on the river Jhelum. Pahalgam, situated at the confluence of the Lidder and Seshnag rivers, is a popular resort. Gulmarg “meadow of flowers” is renowned for its golf course,, the world’s highest, lovely walks and bridle paths through some of the most picturesque forest scenery. Saputara, which means "abode of serpents" in the south-east corner of Gujarat, is the state’s only hill resort. It developed after independence. It is situated at an altitude of 1000 mts. (3200 ft.). Saputara is some 164 kilometres by road from Surat and is situated in the heart of the Dangs district, the most thickly forested area in Gujarat. The route to Saputara passes through a luxuriantly for- ested and beautiful area. Saputara provides some fine observation points to see the Sun rise and set. There is also an echo point where your call is reverberated by the hills. Darjeeling (2123 m) West Bengal's summer resort, is also the "Queen of Hill stations." Its name is derived from "Dorje ling"or "Place of the Thunderbolt" and it was discovered in 1828 by two British officers. Its highest point Tiger Hill provides spectacular dawn views of Kanchenjunga and other Himalayan peaks. Munnar in the Western Ghats, 139 kms from Cochin, is a hill resort in Kerala. It is situated at a height of 1524 mts and is at the confluence of three rivers — the Kantala, Kami and Nallatala (Munnar in Malayalam means three rivers). It is situated among tea plantations. Mount Abu is Rajasthan’s only hill station. The famous Dil- wara Jain temples give to Mt. Abu a unique character. Panchmarhi (1075 m, 3526 ft.) is Madhya Pradesh’s hill sta- tion. It derives its name from Panchmarhi or five caves on a hill where it is said that the five Pandavas lived for a year during their wanderings. In Karnataka, Mercara (Madikeri), the capital of Coorg (Kodagu) district is a pleasant hill station situated in a coffee- growing area. Nandi (1478 mts, 4850 ft.) near Bangalore is a popular hill resort. Kemmangundi (914m to 1828 m — 3000 to 6000 ft) in the Bababudangiri range in the Western Ghats has a number of beauty spots. In Andhra Pradesh, Horsley Hills (1265 m) is the only consid- erable hill station. It was founded in 1870 by W.D. Horsley and developed into a summer residence. Madanapally (746 m) and Penukonda near Horsley, are smaller hill stations.