Hill station
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Kalimpong town as viewed from a distant hill. In the background are the Himalayan mountains. |
A
Hill Station is a town in the
Indian Subcontinent or elsewhere in colonial Asia, typically founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat. Most hill stations are at an altitude of between 3,500 and 7,500 feet; very few are outside this range. The
British Raj, and in particular the
British Indian Army, founded perhaps 50 of the 80-odd hill stations in the Indian Subcontinent; the remainder were built by various Indian rulers over the centuries as places of leisure or even as permanent capitals.Some respected historians such as
Dane Kennedy say there are only 65 "true" hill stations in the Subcontinent, if one combines adjoining stations and excludes small hamlets without civic facilities.
Several hill stations served as summer capitals of Indian provinces,
princely states, or, in the case of
Simla, of
British India itself. Since Indian Independence, the role of these hill stations as summer capitals has largely ended, but many hill stations remain popular summer resorts.
Andhra Pradesh
*
Horsley Hills*
Araku ValleyGujarat
*
SaputaraHimachal Pradesh
*
Chail*
Dalhousie*
Dharamsala*
Kasauli*
Kullu*
ShimlaJammu and Kashmir
*
Pahalgam*
Gulmarg*
Patnitop*
Khilanmarg*
SrinagarJharkhand
*
HazaribaghKarnataka
*
Nandi HillsKerala
*
Devikulam*
Munnar*
Nelliyampatti*
Peermade*
Ponmudi*
WayanadMadhya Pradesh
*
PachmarhiMaharashtra
*
Khandala*
Lonavala*
Mahabaleshwar*
Matheran*
Panchgani*
Igatpuri*
PanhalaRajasthan
*
Mount AbuTamil Nadu
*
Coonoor*
Kodaikanal*
Udagamandalam*
YercaudUttaranchal
*
Bhimtal*
Chamoli*
Mussoorie*
Landour*
Nainital*
Nanda Devi*
Pithoragarh*
Ranikhet*
Munsiyari*
Champawat*
Gangolihat*
Berinag*
Askot*
Didihat*
Chaukori*
Bageshwar*
Lohaghat*
Joshimath*
Uttarkashi*
Badrinath*
Auli*
AlmoraWest Bengal
*
Darjeeling*
Kalimpong*
Cameron Highlands*
Genting Highlands*
Fraser's Hill*
Kirthak Vallay,
Dadu*
Muzaffarabad*
Abbottabad*
Ayubia*
Behrain*
Bhurban*
Chitral*
Galyat*
Kalam Valley*
Malam Jabba*
Nathia Gali*
Patriata*
Swat*
Gilgit*
Hunza*
Skardu*
Murree*
Patriata*
Baguio City*
Dalat*
Shiwa Ngandu*
The Great Hill Stations of Asia, Barbara Crossette, ISBN 0465014887
