Important Religious Places

Shopping  and  Stay  at  Shimla

Where to Stay :    Shimla is full of Hotels and Restaurants and there are around 500 hotels in and around Shimla, which includes One Five star hotel (Cecil Hotel) and many three star  hotels. There are many Govt. Guest Houses and private Guest Houses.  So accommodation is no problem in Shimla but to be on safer side one should book accommodation in advance for stay in Shimla, especially during the peak seasons of summer and Christmas.  

Where to Purchase :   The best shopping area in Shimla are The Mall, Lower Bazaar , Tibetan Bazaar and Lakkar Bazaar. There is an enormous range of goods that Shimla has to offer. This includes handicrafts, wood, and metalwork, shawls, pullovers, local tweeds, Wooden articles and Toys, caps, Tibetan carpets and pickles, jams and squashes. The Lakkar Bazaar is famous for its Wooden Crafts and Articles can be purchased from this area. There are many Emporium's and Showrooms on the Mall from where one can buy Himachali Shawls, Pahari Cap, Pullovers handicrafts and toys etc. The day today items can be purchased from the shops in the lower bazaar. The Tibetan Market is famous for imported goods mainly electronics goods and fancy items.

What to Eat :  Mall has many good restaurants serving Punjabi,South Indian,Chinese and Continental Foods. One can find good Punjabi Dhabas and Vaishnav Dhabas near the mall and lower bazaar having reasonable rates. There are many Fast Food Centers on the Mall, where Burgers, Pizzas, Patties etc are available.

Specialty of the District :   Shimla is famous for its Scenic Beauty , Apples & Wooden Craft . Among special dishes Sidku or Sidu is very famous in upper Shimla hills. It is a thick fermented  Roti of wheat flour with paste of opium seeds ( afimdana) mixed with either gur or salt added to it which makes it very delicious. It is always taken with home made pure ghee. Patandey are made of very thin paste of wheat flour and are eaten with dal and ghee or kheer.(made of rice and milk).

 

Important  Religious  Places

Christ Church & St. Michael's Cathedral :  Built in 1846-1857, Christ Church is the second oldest church of Northern India. The Church overlooks the ridge and is one of the landmarks of Shimla. The clocks on Christ Church were added later but none of them are functional now. The Church's exquisite beauty comes with the stained glasses that are fitted on its windows . You can discreetly have a look inside the church, or attend English-language
services every Sunday during the tourist season . The town's other important churches are St. Michael's Cathedral and Roman Catholic Cathedral, which is just off the Mall 

Jakhu Temple :  Dedicated to Lord Hanuman, this temple is at an altitude of 8048 feet above sea level  near the highest point of Shimla ridge. It offers a panoramic view over the surrounding valleys , out to the snowcapped peaks, and over the town itself. The temple is a 45-minute walk from the Ridge, one can also hire pony or taxi to visit temple.. Jakhu is a vantage point for witnessing the changing skyline as the sun rises or sets. 

Sankat Mochan :  On Shimla-Kalka road at a distance of around 5 KMs  is the famous "Lord Hanuman" temple. Situated at an altitude of 1,975m, it commands an excellent view of Shimla town. Temple has beautiful campus and Langar is held every Sunday.

Tara Devi :  On Shimla-Kalka road this holy place is accessible by rail, bus and car (11-km). From the station / road - one can visit the temple  on foot around 5 km walk among dense forests. Temple is accessible through motorable road also and its around 20 KMs journey from the town. Situated on top of a hill that faces Shimla, the temple offers panoramic views of Shimla town and surrounding hills. A thick forest of oak and  rhododendron surrounds it. It is famous picnic spot.

Kali Bari  : 

The temple is situated near to The Mall and its 5 minutes walk from The Mall.The temple is dedicated to Shyamala Devi (Shimla is named after this goddess), an incarnation of Goddess Kali. Temple faces heavy rush during Diwali and Durga Puja as many Bengalis visit this temple.

Prime Attractions

Himachal State Museum & Library :  The museum is located 2.5-km west of the scandal point and opens daily except on Mondays and public holidays. It has got a good collection of ancient historical sculptures, paintings, coins, photos and other items from all over the state as well as outside it. It has also got a library, which houses many historical books and manuscripts. Visiting hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM and it is closed on Monday and gazetted holidays.

 Viceregal Lodge & Botanical Gardens :  On the Observatory Hills is located Viceregal Lodge, which is also known as "Rashtrapati Niwas". This magnificent building was the residence of the British Viceroy Lord Dufferin. This lodge was completed in 1888 and it is said that every brick for the building was carried by mules. This is a six-story building and is surrounded by well-maintained gardens and lawns. The lodge has now been
converted into Institute of Advanced Study and is further 2-km from State Museum. 

Indian Institute Of Advanced Studies :  Housed in the former Viceregal Lodge, it was built in 1888. The style of architecture is English Renaissance, the masonry of the walling is light blue limestone and the wrought stonework is done in sandstone in a beautiful light gray tint. It has magnificent lawns.  The entry in the institute is by ticket and only on Sundays the grounds are open for the public. 

The Ridge :  The large open space in the heart of town presents excellent view of the mountain ranges. Shimla's landmarks - the Neo-Gothic structure of Christ Church and the new - Tudor Library building is worth seeing.

The Mall : Most of Shimla's landmarks are located here. The Mall further joins the Ridge at the ‘Scandal Point' of Kipling's Shimla, where a statue of the nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai has been erected.This is the main shopping centre of Shimla with restaurants. This is especially pleasant in the evenings when the views and lights are wonderful. The Gaiety Theatre, which is a reproduction of an old British theatre is a center of cultural activities. A passenger lift of HPTDC can be taken from the Cart Road and the Mall. Lakkar Bazaar adjacent to the Ridge is popular for its wood-crafts and souvenirs.  Prospect Hill :  Crowned by a temple dedicated to Kamna Devi 15-minutes walk from Boileauganj on Shimla-Bilaspur road. The hill at an altitude of 2,155m offers a spectacular view of the area. 
Summer Hill :  At an altitude of 1,283m, 1 KM from boilaeuganj.Summer Hill is a picturesque spot on Shimla-Kalka Railway line offering shady walks in quiet surroundings. The Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to Shimla lived in the elegant Georgian House of Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur located here. HP University is also situated over here.  Potter Hill :   Situated at a distance of 1 Km from Summer Hill is very beautiful Picnic spot with all the natural beauty. Ecological Park is situated here.  

Glenn : Its about 4 km walk from the Ridge through dense Forests, a sprightly stream flows through the Glen forests at an altitude of 1830 meters.It is a secluded picnic spot.

Annandale : Beyond the Glen is Annandale, another picnic spot. It is covered with deodar forests and was once the playgrounds of Shimla, where racing, polo and cricket entertained the Britishers.Surrounded by deodar trees, this glade has an ancient temple on the edge. 

Elysium Hill :  On the road leading through Lakkar Bazaar, houses the famous Auckland House, the former residence of Viceroy Lord Auckland. It is a well-known girls’ school now. Nearby is the Stirling Castle, now an orphanage for the Tibetan children and a center for the Tibetan exiles who have settled locally.

Recreation : Shimla has three cinema halls, near  to Mall and Hindi movies are played mostly. One can visit the Roller Skating hall on the left side of the Lakkar Bazaar (open for all) and can do roller skating on melodious music. Mall has few Billiard Rooms. There are shops offering variety of Video Games. In the Tourist Season various entertainment programs are organised such as Summer Festival in June, Ice skating in Dec-Jan and Winter Carnival. Most of the time one or the other exhibition or craft fare is held around mall area.