Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Viceregal Lodge - Shimla

The Viceregal Lodge in Shimla was formerly the residence of the British Viceroy, Lord Dufferin.



One of the most beautiful buildings of Shimla, this Victorian-styled structure was designed by the British architect Henry Irwin.



Construction began in 1880 and was completed in 1888. It served as the headquarters of the country during the summer months from March to October.



It was the first government building to have electricity, with an internal wiring system at that. The futuristic architect also made provisions for an elevator to be installed. Most of the upholstery and furniture in the building have been retained for all these years.



The sprawling lawns conceal a rain water harvesting system beneath them, which is being used till date. The lawns and gardens are well-kept and house a vast variety of flora and fauna.



Crucial meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohammed Ali Jinnah were held in this room here during the Indian Independence struggle.



Negotiation papers during the Partition were prepared here, on this very table.



After independence, the building became a part of the estate of the President of India and was renamed as 'Rashtrapati Niwas'.



In 1965, Dr Radhakrishnan established the Indian Institute of Advanced Study here. It is a residential center for research in humanities and social sciences.



The pillars and walls of this building have witnessed events of historical importance. The structure is elegant and regal in every sense and is a must-see for anyone who visits Shimla.

14 comments:

  1. Very nice photography... looks like a good place to visit :)

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  2. Thank you Vaibhav.. Yes, its a good place.. And they have a short guided tour of the place which is quite interesting..

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  3. Awesome post :) u made us walk through history!

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  4. awesome photography!!! am expecting one brilliant write-up on your visit...;-)

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  5. Thanks Praveen :) Will post one soon..

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  6. simply beautifully captured shots....lovely!

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  7. Dam good photography must say.. Viceroy loudge never seemed so beautiful to me...................

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  8. Gorgeous photographs!
    indeed a pleasure to read and see your post! Which camera do you use? {If you don't mind me asking, that is?} Thanks

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  9. @Flyingstars - Thank you!

    @Yuvraj - Thank you!

    @Deeba - Thanks a bunch! I use a Nikon D90

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  10. Hi Radha. I require large prints of the Viceregal Lodge (for wall hanging) and your pictures would be perfect for this purpose. If it is possible to obtain your original full resolution photos, could you please send me an email to the following address:

    mailformujib (at) gmail.com

    This will be purely for personal use and I can offer payment for the photos.

    Thank you,

    Mujib

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  11. Nice blog post. "Queen of Hills", a name which is rightly given to Shimla, Nature has blessed this beautiful hill station with countless gifts. Click here to know about places to visit in Shimla

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  12. I like the lodge of this place this is very much interesting one i will recommend the other visitors to visit this place once in their life time. all the rooms in the Shimla is very well furnished one it is too much interesting one to visit.
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  13. I like this place so much and experience the place is full of adventurous activity. One can spend plan their family tour on this place. I also visited this place online from Surat to Shimla by flight. The for hilly reason i took Volvo bus. The place is so cold and i was so excited to visit this place.

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