Our Travel Partner
THE VICEROY'S TRAILS
Also Known As: The Summer Refuge
Altitude: 2,159m.
Places of Interest: The Mall, Christ Church,
Kufri, Narkanda
Best Time To Visit: April To August & December
To January
This stroll can be taken in a single walk when one can step
into an age of Viceregal scepters, rusting gowns and silk slippers-and the
strains of a waltz may still swirl in the breezes. The former Viceregal
Lodge, now the Indian Institute of Advanced Study on Shimla's western arm,
was the official residence of the British Viceroy of India.
The building was completed in 1888 and drew its architectural inspiration
from the renaissance in Elizabethan England. It is built of light-Grey
stone with a tiled pitch roofing. The main block has three stories
roofing. The main block has three stories and the kitchen wing has five. A
tower strikes above the rest of the building and its height was; increased
during Lord Curzon's tenure(`1899-1905).
Later Additions
In Lord Irvin's time (!926-31) a public entry wing was added in 1927.
Within its walls were marked some of the most momentous events of Indian
history including the decision to partition India. In the heady days that
led to India's freedom in 1947, the leaders who visited the 'Lodge'
included Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel and C.
Rajagopalchari.
The elaborate gateway of the 'Lodge, was once called the 'Gurkha Gate' as
it was manned by these brave soldiers. Climb the drive (1/2-km) to touch
the main building. The lawns, a portion of the interior with its splendid
woodwork are open on a ticket. Within the estate, stroll towards the back
lawns and do take a moment to check the sundial and the map of the peaks
and other landmarks visible from the spot. Turn back for the glass-house,
above which is a rose pergola designed by Lord Curzon.
Veer back and descend a 100m along the drive and take the fork towards
'Squires' Hall', now the residence of the Institute's director. The narrow
road passes through woods of oak and rhododendron and arrives at the
university campus at Summer Hill.
Want To Explore More!
If one wishes to know more about Viceregal Lodge, a small booklet is sold
at the ticket booth. Guides are available to take one through the guiding
and there is a Cafétaria by the grounds. Summer Hill has
eating-places and if one's timing is right, one can take a train back to
Shimla station from the Summer Hill stop, which the Viceroys once used.
Summer Hill has two historically important houses- 'The Holme' once the
residence of the celebrated artist Amrita Shergil and 'Manorville', the
property of Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, where Mahatma Gandhi often stayed.
FURTHER LINKAGES AND OPTIONS: -
- Carry on to the Conversation Zone's woods, Potter Hill and the
rain-fed Chadwick Falls - a walk of another few kilometers, which
really depends on how soon one would like to turn back. The road,
which is above the Railway Station and leads towards the
Conversation Zone also circles Summer Hill and takes 4-km in doing
so.
- Take the shorter route back from Summer Hill to town by
following the road that faces north and connects back at the gates
of the lodge. (1-km). Climb to see the Aviary below Peterhof, the
present day State Guest House of Himachal Pradesh. The site of
Peterhof held the Viceregal residence till Viceregal Lodge was built
on the adjoining hill.
- Walk towards Boileauganj (1.5-km). Without entering the bazaar,
one can move back to the institute's estate through the large metal
gates and walk back to town. Both roads run roughly parallel to each
other and meet near the gates of the Institute. On the latter, lies
the old dilapidated house, Woodfield, where Rabindranath Tagore once
stayed. There are some interesting examples of colonial architecture
to be found on these stretches.
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