Shimla and the British

How it began

• Land taken from Keonthal and Bhajji after the Gorkha war.
• 1822 — Lt. Charles Pratt Kennedy builds the first permanent house, Kennedy House.
• 1827 — Lord Amherst, the first Governor-General to visit.
• 1864 — Lord Lawrence makes Shimla the summer capital of the Government of India; it holds that status until 1939.
• 1871–1939 also the summer capital of Punjab.

Buildings and dates

• Christ Church, 1857 — the second oldest church in north India.
• Gaiety Theatre, 1887.
• Viceregal Lodge, completed 1888 under Lord Dufferin; now the Indian Institute of Advanced Study.
• Kalka–Shimla Railway, opened 9 November 1903; 96 km, 103 tunnels, over 800 bridges; UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2008.
• Rothney Castle — the home of A. O. Hume.

Events that happened here

• Indian National Congress — planned from Rothney Castle; founded 1885.
• Simla Deputation, 1906 — the Muslim delegation to Lord Minto that led to separate electorates (held at Shimla).
• Simla Conference, 25 June – 14 July 1945 — the Wavell Plan; it broke down over the Muslim League's claim to nominate all Muslim members.
• Cabinet Mission talks, Simla, May 1946.
• Simla Agreement, 2 July 1972 — Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.