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Mashobra

2021-05-27T03:48:09Z

2409:4056:2008:88A3:D943:4100:A364:7AA1: Added image and caption

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Mashobra
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| other_name =
| nickname =
| settlement_type = town
| image_skyline = Mashobra 2.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Mashobra skyline
| pushpin_map = India Himachal Pradesh#India
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Himachal Pradesh, India
| coordinates = {{coord|31.13|N|77.23|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Himachal Pradesh]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Shimla district|Shimla]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 2146
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 171 007
| area_code_type = Telephone code
| area_code = 0177
| registration_plate = [[List of RTO districts in India#HP.E2.80.94Himachal Pradesh|HP]] HP-03, HP-51
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Mashobra''' is a town in [[Shimla district]] of [[Himachal Pradesh]]. It is connected to the state capital [[Shimla]] (earlier Simla) through the historic [[Hindustan–Tibet Road]] built in 1850 by [[James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie|Lord Dalhousie]].

==Geography==
Mashobra is located at {{coord|31.13|N|77.23|E|}}.<ref>[http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/11/Mashobra.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Mashobra]</ref> It has an average elevation of 2,146 [[metre]]s (7,041 [[foot (length)|feet]]).

==Retreat==
Mashobra is notable for housing one of the two [[President of India|Presidential]] retreats in [[India]]. The other retreat is [[Rashtrapati Nilayam]] in [[Secunderabad]].

The president visits Mashobra at least once every year, and during this time his or her core office shifts to the retreat at [[Chharabra]], in the vicinity of Mashobra. The building housing the retreat is a completely wooden structure originally constructed in 1850.<ref name="presidentofindia">{{cite web|title=Official mention and description in Rashtrapati Bhavan site |url=http://presidentofindia.nic.in/scripts/presidentialretreats.jsp |accessdate=5 July 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060702011303/http://presidentofindia.nic.in/scripts/presidentialretreats.jsp |archivedate=2 July 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In May 1948, before returning to London at the end of his mission as viceroy and then governor general of India, Lord Mountbatten and his wife Lady Edwina spent a few weeks in this retreat. The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru paid them a visit, which is documented in the biographies of Lady Mountbatten.

== Other places of interest ==
Mashobra is also a tourist destination.<ref name="Time Magazine">{{cite news|title=Travelogue in TIME |url=http://www.time.com/time/asia/2003/journey/india.html |accessdate=5 July 2006 |date=8 November 2003 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060204184653/http://www.time.com/time/asia/2003/journey/india.html |archivedate=4 February 2006 }}</ref><ref name="outlook">{{cite web|title=Travelogue in Outlook magazine |url=http://www.outlooktraveller.com/aspscripts/mag_art.asp?magid=116&page=1 |accessdate=5 July 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109223834/http://www.outlooktraveller.com/aspscripts/mag_art.asp?magid=116&page=1 |archivedate=9 November 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Wildflower Hall]] at [[Chharabra]], now a property of [[Oberoi Hotels]], has been residence to [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]] as well as [[Lord Ripon]] during the [[British Raj]].<ref name="Oberoi hotels">{{cite web | title = Oberoi hotels website about Mashobra | url = http://www.oberoihotels.com/india/shimla/oberoiwildflowerhall/travelguide/discoverwildflowerHall.asp?leftinfo=11&leftitem=2 | accessdate = 5 July 2006 }}</ref>
[[Pankaj Mishra]] is a writer/poet who lives in Mashobra.
<ref name="Pankaj Mishra">{{cite web | title = Pankaj Mishra | url =
http://www.pankajmishra.com
}}</ref>
At 3 km from Mashobra is Carignano, a picnic spot that was a villa of Chevalier [[Federico Peliti]],<ref name="Federico Peliti">{{cite web | title = Federico Peliti's 19th Century India | url = http://www.peliti.org/Federico/index.htm | accessdate = 18 January 2015}}</ref> an Italian photographer in India from the times of [[Queen Victoria]], who named it in honor of his native town [[Carignano]] near [[Turin]] in [[Italy]]. The villa was transformed to a weekend resort in 1920 and is also referred to in one of the novels by [[Anita Desai]].<ref name="Hindustani Times">{{cite web | title = Far away from crowds | url = http://travel.hindustantimes.com/travelogues/i-never-fancied-the-crowded.php | accessdate = 17 April 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120305211255/http://travel.hindustantimes.com/travelogues/i-never-fancied-the-crowded.php | archive-date = 5 March 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
Amit Khanna, Film Maker, Poet, Writer and Media Guru has a cottage in Mashobra where he spends several weeks every year working on his new book. Like Amit, Navtej Sarna well known diplomat and author, is also a part time resident of Puranikoti village near Mashobra.

== Flora and fauna ==
[[File:Entrance ,Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pardes, India.JPG|thumb|left|Entrance, [[Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], India]]
[[File:Inner view of Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pardes, India.JPG|thumb|Inner view of Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh, India]]
Mashobra is part of [[Shimla Water Catchmentanct Wildlife Sanctuary]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://hpforest.nic.in/files/ShimlaWaterCatchmentWildLifeSanctuary_A1b.pdf | title=Department Notification No. FFE-B-F(6)-11/2005-II/Shimla Water Catchment | date=7 June 2013 | publisher=Government of Himachal Pradesh Department of Forests | accessdate=18 February 2017 }}</ref> The natural vegetation comprises [[pine]], [[oak]], [[Cedrus deodara|cedar]] or Himalayan ''deodar'', and [[rhododendron]], as well as maple and horse chestnut. The wildlife consists of monkeys, Langurs, [[jackal]]s, ''kakkar'' ([[barking deer]]), and the occasional [[leopard]], as well as numerous bird species such as the [[Himalayan eagle]], [[pheasant]]s, ''chikor'' and [[partridge]]s.

== Educational Institution ==
[[Himalayan International School]] at [[Chharabra]] is a major residential school in Mashobra.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Mashobra}}

[[Category:Tourist attractions in Shimla]]

Kufri, India

2021-05-27T03:44:04Z

2409:4056:2008:88A3:D943:4100:A364:7AA1: Added image caption

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Kufri
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| other_name =
| settlement_type = Hill Station
| image_skyline = Kufri hills.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Views of snow covered mountains from Kufri
| nickname =
| pushpin_map = India Himachal Pradesh#India
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Himachal Pradesh, India
| coordinates = {{coord|31.10|N|77.25|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Himachal Pradesh]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Shimla district|Shimla]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 =
| area_rank =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 2720
| population_total = 1148
| population_as_of = 2001
| population_footnotes =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_rank =
| population_demonym =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code =
| registration_plate =
| website =
| footnotes =
| demographics1_info1 = [[Hindi language|Hindi]] & English
| Facebook Page =
| official_name =
}}

'''Kufri''' is a resort hill station in the district of [[Shimla district|Shimla]], [[India]]. It is located 20 km from the state capital [[Shimla]] on the National Highway No. 22. On the Kufri Avenue, the main thoroughfare, boutiques and restaurants mix with Indian-style hotels and souvenir shops are to look for during a vist.
[[File:National Highway 22 - Kufri 2014-05-08 1714.JPG|thumb|278px|Kufri with NH-22, Shimla]]

The name Kufri is derived from the word ''kufr'' meaning "lake" in the local language.
[[File:Bear at the Kufri zoo (2008).jpg|Bear in the Kufri zoo|thumb|150px]]
The highest point in the surrounding region,<ref>{{cite web|title=Kufri, Places to visit in Kufri, Tourist Places in Kufri Tourism|url=http://www.nomadline.com/tourist-places-to-visit-in-kufri/|website=NomadLine.com, A traveller's Chronicle|publisher=NomadLine|accessdate=6 April 2016|language=en-US}}</ref> Kufri has a Himalayan wildlife zoo which hosts rare antelopes, felines and birds including the [[Himalayan monal]], the state bird of Himachal Pradesh until 2007. During winter a meandering path through the potato plantations turns into a popular ski track.
[[File:Himalayas from Kufri.jpg|thumb|150px|Himalayas from Kufri.]]
[[File:Monal I IMG 4002.jpg|Male monal|thumb|150px]]

==Geography==
Kufri is located at {{coord|31.10|N|77.25|E|}}.<ref>[http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/11/Kufri.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kufri]</ref> It has an average elevation of 2,720 metres (8923 feet).

==History==
The region around Shimla including Kufri was once a part of the Kingdom of [[Nepal]] until the area was ceded to the [[British Raj]] as part of the [[Sugauli Treaty]]. This region remained obscure from the rest of the world until the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] 'discovered' it in 1819.

==Places of interest==
Kufri Fun Campus an amusement park to enjoy the whole day. This park is equipped with various rides, pools and world's highest go-kart track.
[[File:Road to Kufri, Shimla.jpg|thumb|Kufri Yak]]

Kufri to the Mahasu Peak- the highest peak in Kufri.

===Indira Tourist Park===

The Indira Tourist Park is near the Himalayan Nature Park and provides panoramic view of the locations around.

===Chini Bungalow===

It is the Kufri bungalow which is very famous for its statues and architecture.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Kufri}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline}}

[[Category:Ski areas and resorts in India]]
[[Category:Hill stations in Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Shimla district]]

The Retreat Building

2021-05-27T03:38:43Z

2409:4056:2008:88A3:D943:4100:A364:7AA1:

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox building
|name=The Retreat Building
|image=

|current_tenants = {{plainlist|
*[[Ram Nath Kovind]]<br>([[President of India]])
*[[Savita Kovind]]<br> ([[First Ladies and Gentlemen of India|First Lady of India]])}}
|building_type=Palatial Retreat
|architectural_style=European
|structural_system=
|location=[[Chharabra]], [[Shimla district|Shimla]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[India]]
|completion_date=1850
|opened =
|main_contractors=
|architect=
|structural_engineer=
}}
'''The Retreat Building''' is the official Retreat Residence of the [[President of India]] at [[Chharabra]], [[Shimla]], in the state of [[Himachal Pradesh]]. The President stays at the building for at least two weeks during summer and conducts official business.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/meghalaya-proposes-president-s-third-retreat-740980.html|title=Meghalaya proposes President’s “third retreat”|publisher=Deccan Herald|date=2019-06-17 |accessdate=2019-08-30}}</ref> It is located 13 km away from the city Shimla and is a thousand feet higher than the Shimla Ridge Top, which is part of the [[Himalayas]].

The other presidential homes are [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]] in [[New Delhi]], and [[Rashtrapati Nilayam]] in [[Hyderabad]], [[Telangana]].

==History==
The Retreat Building was built in 1850 and it was a part of the [[Viceroy of India]] property. Located on the hilltop of the [[Mashobra]], the building was taken over during 1895 by the Viceroy.

==Design==
The architecture and the picturesque surrounding of the place make it a major tourist attraction in Shimla. The outstanding feature of this building is that it is purely a wooden structure with [[dhajji]] wall construction. This building has an area of {{convert|10628|sqft|m2}}.

==The Retreat==
The President visits The Retreat at least once a year and the core office shifts to that place during his stay in The Retreat. A thousand feet higher than the Shimla Ridgetop, The Retreat is located in a picturesque surrounding. The architectural pattern and the natural beauty of the place have made The Retreat a tourist attraction in Shimla.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://presidentofindia.nic.in/presidential_retreats.html The official web site of President of India]

{{coord|31|06|50|N|77|14|52|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-nowiki|display=title}}

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[[Category:Official residences in India]]
[[Category:Presidential residences]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Shimla]]

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