SHIMLA- THE QUEEN OF THE HILLS
By Rupali Dean
Shimla is a place for all seasons with crisp winter skies and snowfall at Christmas time, the fragrance of Cedar forests in summer, the wonderful monsoon mist and the autumns golden hillside. With a history of imperial past where viceroys, Nobles and Princes maintained retreats to escape the scorching heat of the plains in summer Shimla is a paradise for recreation and relaxation. Today, it offers to the visitor riding, trekking, golfing, fishing, skating and skiing in winter, keeping up at the same time its old world charm that earned it the now famous title “Queen of the Hills”. I would definitely recommend people looking for a good holiday, peace and solitude, to spend it away from the hustle and bustle of the mall road and enjoy Shimla for what it is like leisurely walks and picnics to Mashobra or Kufri, which commands a brilliant view of the mountain scenery. There are lots of scenic spots off the beaten track, which can be a whole lot of fun!!!
Getting to Shimla
Shimla is accessible from Delhi by air, rail and road.
Direct flights daily to Shimla.
Shatabadi to Chandigarh or Kalka or the Howrah Kalka Mail which leaves Old Delhi Station late night. From Kalka train connections on the quaint narrow gauge railway, built in 1903, are available.
By road: Chandigarh- 124 Kilometers, Kalka-110 Kilometers, and Delhi – 385 Kilometers.
Woodville Palace, Vital Stats: Raj Bhawan Road, Shimla-171002.Phone-0177- 2623919, and 2624038.
About half a mile away from the Mall road Woodville Palace is located in four acres of peace and solitude, nestling in the midst of evergreen deodar pine trees. This beautiful mansion surpasses all Shimla residences in grandeur, dignity and serenity. Resplendent with its historic past, Woodville was the abode of Commanders-in Chief of the British Indian Army from the 1860’s to the 1880’s.In 1938 the old Victorian building was demolished by Princess Leila’s Husband (was bought &gifted by her father in 1926) Raja Rana Sir Bhagat Chand of Jubbal state and the Palace reconstructed. At present the Palace is a 28-room heritage hotel, and the first floor of the hotel is occupied by the descendents of the Raja, Kanwar Uday Singh and his family. Diviya Kumari (Kanwar Uday Singh’s daughter) and her brother Divraj (Hotel Management from Ooty )take a lot of personal interest in the property and are putting in a lot of effort to make the place even better.
Woodville palace is absolutely steeped in the splendor of the art deco era. Designers of Art Deco furniture embellished and sometimes entirely covered their pieces in exotic materials such as mother-of-pearl, sharkskin, snakeskin, gold and silver leaf, crushed eggshell lacquer and ivory. All these characteristics of art deco are resplendent within the opulent interiors at the palace. The Holly wood Bar at Woodville has original autographs of the 1930s art deco realm. It is a paradise for art and history aficionados. The Hollywood film ’’staying on” with Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson was shot here in the eighties followed by ’’the jewel in the Crown” series. In its Bollywood bonanzas Woodville has had eighteen film units from ’’muquadar ka sikandar, to Leela Bhansali’s “Black” and so on. Amitabh Bacchan inaugurated their garden restaurant The House of the Rising Sun. This restaurant is a glass and wood creation tucked away within the heady smells of roses and pine. While at Woodville one can expect great hospitality, home style food and feel like royalty.