Shimla City Himachal Pradesh India Drone View

Shimla City Himachal Pradesh India Drone View

Shimla, formerly Simla, city, capital of Himachal Pradesh state, northwestern India. The city lies northeast of Chandigarh on a ridge of the Himalayan foothills, at an elevation of about 7,100 feet (2,200 meters).

Shimla was built by the British on land they had retained after the Gurkha War of 1814–16 and was used for resting troops. It gained popularity as a summer resort because of its cool climate and scenic setting, and from 1865 to 1939 it served as India’s summer capital. From 1947 to 1953 it was the headquarters of Punjab state until the new capital city of Chandigarh was completed.

The city of Shimla was the summer headquarters of pre-independence British viceroys; it is now the state capital and, at an elevation of about 7,100 feet (2,200 meters), one of the largest and most popular mountain resorts in the country. Formerly a union territory, Himachal Pradesh became a state of India on January 25, 1971

Climate

The Siwalik region has hot summers (March to June), with temperatures rising above 100 °F (38 °C), cool and dry winters (October to February), and a wet season (July to September), with rains brought by the southwestern monsoon. As elevations increase farther north, the climate becomes wetter and cooler. In the Great Himalayas, winters are bitterly cold and snowy, with temperatures dropping below 0 °F (–18 °C).