History
Shimla District lies between the longitude 77o-0"
and 78o-19" east and latitude 30o-45" and
31o-44" north. It is bounded by Mandi and Kullu in
the north, Kinnaur in the east, the state of Uttaranchal
in the south, Sirmaur, district in the west. The elevation of
the district ranges from 300 to 6000 metres. The topology
of the district is rugged and tough. Shimla district derives its
name from Shimla town which was once a small village. Shimla district
in its present form came into existence from 1st Sept,1972 on
the reorganisation of the districts of the state.
History of Shimla goes back to the period of
Anglo-Gurkha war in the beginning of 19th century. In 1804
the Gurkhas , who had suffered a severe defeat at the hands of
the Sikhs at the battle of Kangra, a hill fortress about sixty
miles from Shimla, where according to some accounts they lost
thousand of men in the fight and many others from disease, commenced
to ravage the states and hills surrounding Shimla. Gurkhas built
many forts around Shimla. One of these strongholds, the Jagatgarh
fortress, was the origin of the modern Jutogh, the well known
military cantonment adjoining Shimla. By 1808 the invaders had
conquered all the fortified posts between the Jamuna and
Satluj, and from their capital Arki began their ruthless rule
over the neighbouring hill states, untill at length the
people in their wretchedness appealed to the British for help.
A small British force under Major General 'Sir David Ochterlony' was despatched to liberate
the hill men from Gurkhas. Majority of hill chiefs responded to
the call and joined the British forces. The rivals were
engaged in the toughest battle at 3750 ft high Ramgarh fort at
Nalagarh. A decisive battle took place near the fort at Malaon
in which superior guns of the British overpowered the enemy. The
battle of Malaon on 15th May 1815 ended the dream of the Gurkhas,
to rule over this part of the land for any longer. After few days,
an official declaration was made according to which all Chieftains
who had joined British in expelling the Gurkhas were restored
with their land under the British protection. The maharaja of
Patiala who has also rendered invaluable services to the British
was rewarded with land in the neighbourhood of the area now comprising
Shimla. After the defeat of Gurkhas they were forced to sign the
'Treaty of Sanjauli' . The company retained
the strategic forts of Sabathu, Kotgarh, Ramgarh and Sandoch.
Present day Shimla District comprises of 19 erstwhile
hill states mainly Balson, Bushahr, Bhaji and Koti, Darkoti, Tharoch
& Dhadi,Kumharsain, Khaneti & Delath, Dhami, Jubbal ,
Keothal, Rawingarh, Ratesh, Sangri.
Bushahr was one of the oldest of the hill states
after Kashmir in the Western Himalayas. According to one legend
.the Bushahr dynasty was founded by 'Pradhuman', the son of Lord Krishna. In order to
marry the daughter of Banasur, the local chief of shonitpur(Sarahan),
Pradhuman is said to have come to that place and after the death
of Banasur in an encounter with him, he became the chief of Bushar
and Kinnaur regions, since Banasur has no son. According to C.F.Kennedy
, Bushar was founded by Danbar Singh an immigrant Rajput from
Deccan in 1412 A.D. In 1914 Britishers recognised
Padam Singh as legitimate heir and was crowned Raja of Rampur
Bushahr. Ultimately in March, 1948 Rampur Bushahr became
part and parcel of province of Himachal Pradesh.
Jubbal one of the Shimla Hill States with an
area of 288 Sq miles was originally tributary to Sirmaur, but
after Gurkha war, it became independent. Raja Karam Chand was
the founder of the Jubbal State. Jubbal merged with the Indian
Union after independence and became a part of Himachal Pradesh
on 15th April, 1948. at the time of merger 'Dig Vijay Singh ' was the ruler of the state.
Shimla District in its present
form came into existence from 1st September 1972 on the reorganisation
of the districts of the state. After the reorganisation ,
the erstwhile Mahasu district lost its entity and its major portion
was merged with Shimla. Shimla district derives its name
from Shimla town, the district headquarters and now state capital
of Himachal Pradesh
Shimla, was the Summer capital of
India under British rule . Presently, it is the state capital
of Himachal Pradesh, with its population around 1.6 lacs
(Shimla town only). Shimla has seen many important historical
events such as the famous Shimla Pact between India &
Pakistan which was signed here. The place is also famous
for its natural beauty, architectural buildings, wooden
crafts and apples.
