Kasauli Kussowlie | |
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 Kasauli Circuit House, British period heritage building | |
  Kasauli Location in Himachal Pradesh, India Show map of Himachal Pradesh Kasauli Kasauli (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:30°54′N76°58′E / 30.9°N 76.96°E /30.9; 76.96 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| District | Solan |
| Elevation | 1,800 m (5,900 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 3,885 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 173204 |
| Vehicle registration | HP98 |
Kasauli is atown andcantonment, located in theSolan district of theIndian state ofHimachal Pradesh. The cantonment was established by theBritish Raj in 1842 as a Colonialhill station,[1] 25 km (16 mi) fromSolan, 77 km (48 mi) fromShimla, 58 km (36 mi) fromChandigarh, and 94 km (58 mi) fromAmbala Cantt (Haryana), an important railway junction of North India.
Kasauli is a Cantonment Board city in the district of Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The Kasauli city is divided into 6 wards for which elections are held every 5 years. The Kasauli Cantonment Board has a population of 3,885, of which 2,183 are males and 1,702 are females, according to a report released by Census India 2011.
The population of children with age of 0-6 is 406 which is 10.45% of total population of Kasauli (CB). In Kasauli Cantonment Board, Female Sex Ratio is of 780 against state average of 972. Moreover, Child Sex Ratio in Kasauli is around 888 compared to Himachal Pradesh state average of 909. Literacy rate of Kasauli city is 91.23% higher than state average of 82.80%. In Kasauli, Male literacy is around 94.05% while female literacy rate is 87.56%.[citation needed]
Kasauli has ahumid subtropical climate (Cwa), bordering onhumid continental (Dwa). Winter temperature is approximately 2 degrees Celsius, the summer temperatures rarely exceeds 32 degrees Celsius or more. The general wind direction is south-west to north-east. Total rainfall for the year is 1020 millimetres, with humidity at 90% in September and 28% in April. Sometimes snowfall is also there during early January and in winters are chilly, there are a couple of frosty nights. Minimum temperature recorded in Kasuli was -6 °C.
The Central Research Institute (CRI), originally the Pasteur Institute of India, was established at Kasauli in 1904 under its first directorSir David Semple, as an institute working in the fields of immunology and virological research.[2]
The CRI works as aWorld Health Organization 'Collaborating Centre', and as an immuno-biological laboratory producing vaccines formeasles andpolio, and theDTP group of vaccines. It also provides aMaster of Science programme in Microbiology.
KasauliBaptist Church is a 1923 brick and wood building, situated close to the Sadar Bazzar. According toThe Indian Express it is "considered a unique example of colonial architecture of the British era". In 2008 the church was damaged by a fire which destroyed all the internal furnishings.[3][4]
Christ Church was previously anAnglican church, inaugurated on 24 July 1853.
Christ Church Kasauli came into existence in 1844 when Dr.Daniel Wilson (the great MetropolitanBishop of Calcutta) appointed the Rev MJ Jennings as chaplain to the new station Kasauli for the first time, who started worship services in a barrack as there was no church building. At the end of October 1844 Dr. Wilson, the Bishop of Calcutta, paid his first visitation of Kasauli and on 26 October laid the foundation stone of the future Christ Church. On 24 July 1853 the shed of the church was completed and on that day the church was used for the worship services for first time.
In the 1880s the church tower was raised and the public clock was placed on it during the leadership of the Rev J.B. Brunesson by importing the same from W.H. Bailey & Co of Manchester, England. The total cost of this was Rs. 2612 and 11 annas towards which Rs. 1250 was given by the Government and the balance raised by public subscription. After remaining in hibernation for many decades, in 2015 the tower clock, started ticking again with the wonderful efforts of a Good Samaritan from Chandigarh and the localEME workshop. The clock still works on mechanical gears and is now in theLimca Book of Records for being the oldest working tower turret clock in India.[5] Since 1970 it has been under the auspices of theChurch of North India (CNI) in the diocese ofAmritsar.[6] The church contains Spanish and Italian importedstained glass windows depictingChrist,Mary,Saint Barnabas andSaint Francis.[1]
British colonial era heritage building.
TheGurudwara (Sikh house of worship and hospitality) Shri Guru Nanak Ji is located in the Garkhal bazaar near Kasauli.[7]
Kasauli is one of thefossil sites of Himachal Pradesh, with first fossil find here in 1864, with 20 million year old fossils fromMiocene era have been discovered when this area was a coastal area of theTethys Ocean.[8]
Kasauli Brewery and Distillery, founded in 1835 during theBritish Raj byEdward Abraham Dyer father of ColonelReginald Edward Harry Dyer "butcher ofJallianwala Bagh massacre", started producing Asia's first beer brand, the"Lion Beer", and India's firstsingle malt whisky, the""Solan No. 1", both of which are still in production.[9][10][11][12][13][14]
Kasauli Club is a heritage building which was established by civilians and service personnel in 1880, as the Kasauli Reading and Assembly Rooms. It gained its present name in 1898 when a limited liability company and constitution were established; its first director was Sir David Semple of Kasauli's Pasteur Institute. At the time the club was for the exclusive use of the British Raj, and held social meetings,tea and dinner dances, andgalas. In 1915 regimental officers atDagshai, Solan and Subathu could be admitted as honorary members. AtIndependence in 1947, plans to sell the then loss-making Club failed.[15]
The club was originally constructed of wood and plaster, and was typical of hill architecture. In 2001, after a 2000 restoration, it was destroyed by fire, losing "elegant, old-world furniture, [and] precious and rare books". By 2005 it had been redesigned and rebuilt in stone, and plans were put forward for a new attached gymnasium.[15]
In April 2012 the Kasauli Club hosted a two-dayRhythm and Blues Festival as abenefit concert for ill children.[16][17]
The Nahri Temple, devoted to the Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva, is thought to have been constructed around a hundred and fifty years ago. Also known as 'Jantar Mantar' and 'Choo Mantar Mahadev Temple', the temple is renowned for its festive celebration of Dushera and Shivratri. The temple boasts striking idols of the goddess Durga and Lord Shiva placed in the chamber of temple. Near this temple, there is century-oldbauri which still offers sweet potable water. This temple is known to be visited by hundreds of pilgrims each year to present their prayers.[citation needed]
Monkey Point is situated in the Air Force Station near the Lower Mall region about 4 km (2.5 mi) from the center of town. According to the Ramayana, when Lord Hanuman was returning from the Himalayas after acquiring the "Sanjivani Booty", one of his feet touched the hill; that's why the top of the hill is in the shape of a foot. On clear nights a view ofChandigarh can be seen from Monkey Point.[citation needed]
Beja State was one of the 18Simla Hill States, situated just below Kasauli to the west and bordered by Mahlog, Patiala, Kuthar and the Bharauli tract of Simla District around Sabathu. Beja included 45 villages, over an area of 13 km2 or 5 mi2 with 1,131 subjects.[citation needed]
Theprincely state ofMahlog was founded in 1183. Its original rulers were ruling earlier nearKalka when Mohamad Gauri attacked that area then they shifted to the Mahlog area. Initially 193 villages were in its jurisdiction but later over 300 villages were included. It was one of the biggest Princely State of Simla Hill States under the British Raj.[citation needed]
Kasauli travel guide from Wikivoyage