Portal:Himachal Pradesh/Selected articles/1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shimla , originally called Simla, is a city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is also the capital of the state and a municipality within the Shimla district. Shimla was the summer capital of the erstwhile British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hill Stations" (a term coined by the British). Located in north-west Himalayas at an altitude of 2130 meters (6988 feet), the city of Shimla, draped in forests of pine, rhododendron, and oak, experiences warm summers and cold, snowy winters. The city is famous for its buildings in British style architecture reminiscent of the colonial era. Shimla is connected to the city of Kalka by one of the longest narrow gauge railway routes in India. Shimla is approximately 115 km (71.4 miles) from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 365 km (226.8 miles) from New Delhi, the national capital.
The city is named after the goddess Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Kali.
