The Remote Sentinels Of India

The aloof guardians of India are studded with magnificent trees and lush green hills. Some are relatively new, while others were present since the very emergence of the earth as a planet, these hills in India stand with their heads held high in the skyline. From protecting the country and keeping it away from possible harm to becoming summer getaways for the British, these beautiful hill stations of India carry tons of stories and cultures in their cradle. While we might not be able to explore these hill stations on foot, we have brought you a peek into their history and abundant culture.

From the beautiful hills of India; Image Source: Travel Triangle

For centuries together, India has been famous for the numerous hill stations that are not only stunning to look at but also have a history that dates back to the 1800s and beyond. Spread across the country, these paradises thrived under the rule of the British Raj. Dances, bridge gatherings, hunts, and elaborate brunches were commonplace in India's legendary hill outposts.

The people from the colonial era built these settlements in the nineteenth century, extending from Munnar and Coorg in the South to Manali and Shimla in the north. They made sure to create a 'home away from home' that could give them a sense of belonging and emotional support whenever they missed their home. Apart from this, these hill stations were like safe havens for them to escape the heat and humidity of the Indian subcontinent.

Monikered the 'Summer Orientals of India', these places attracted a huge British crowd from all over the subcontinent. Along with the development of these regions, they soon became a symbol of social, cultural, and architectural development. The Tudor-style cottages were laden with lace drapes, well-kept gardens and lawns, spiky roofs, and most importantly, pleasant weather that could relax anyone wanting to retreat from their busy lives in the cities.

When the colonial style architecture was amalgamated with neo-gothic designs, it gave rise to some beautiful bungalows. Studded with materials from the local Indian market like sandstone, shisham wood, red bricks, and the vast glass windows that gave the view of the eternal beauty and bright sunlight that would provide the necessary warmth. The hill stations looked like any regular city, ready to cater to the needs of the British in any way possible. The presence of gymkhanas, high-end bungalows, hotels, churches, golf courses, and clubs made the hill stations look like a slice of paradise that the British had created for themselves.

The fancy and high-maintenance cabins also had elaborate names like Eagle's Retreat, Pinewood Rest, and Tipperary, which showcased not only the foreign influence but also brought about a view that suggested the British were more advanced than Indians. However, these hill stations did not emerge magically out of nowhere. There are stories and reasons behind the emergence of these havens. One by one, let's explore these stories while trying to bring out the beauty and mystery behind these paradises.

When the British entered the Indian subcontinent, their rule was mainly characterized by acquiring vast territories, plundering the country's riches, and expanding the East India Company. But at the same time, we cannot deny that the British have contributed to making some of the finest developments in India. One such development was the making of the hill stations. Dale Kennedy, in her book, The Magic Mountains: Hill Stations and the British Raj, Capitalism, Nature, Socialism, has rightly identified hill stations to be the most curious monuments which relate to the British colonial presence In India. They have had an equally strong influence on the British as well as India.

There were many reasons behind the British escaping to these cold lands, away from the prying eyes of the Indians. One of the primary reasons was to provide the British with the services of a sanitorium. This wasn't possible in India's small towns and villages that dealt with every disease with essential medicines and herbs. After the firangis faced the horror of the 1857 rebellion, they wanted to make distance from the ‘disease-laden land by escaping to the health havens of the Himalayas’. The rebellious behavior of Indians made the British fearful of the dangerous lifestyle in India. Further, they also feared the deterioration of their lifestyle that could be brought about due to the weakening land of the Indian subcontinent.

As we read in some of the previous paragraphs, The British thought these hill stations to be a replica of their own country. Their attempt to build a 'home away from home' could give them the ‘English vibe’. Lord Lytton, the first Baron of India, a famous writer, and politician, made the following remark about Ootacamund, presently known as Ooty, as having "such beautiful English rain, such delicious English mud."

The first and foremost hill station in India was Shimla. Officially declared as the 'summer capital of India,' Shimla was a pivot of political and military power during the revolt of 1857. Mussoorie, too, was one of the well-known sanitariums during the mid-1920s. Not only Shimla, Mussoorie, and Ooty, but there were more than hundreds of subsequent hill stations that reminded the British of their home, with streams, valleys, mountains, and lakes. The stations were often built at fifteen hundred to twenty-five hundred meters when the weather was agreeably British. Many were found in biodiversity hotspots with distinct flora and wildlife and microclimates.

Dale Kennedy has described three stages of the evolution of hill stations in India, including high refuge, high refuge to hill station, and hill station to the town. The earliest settlements, primarily as sanitoriums, appeared in the 1820s. There was a surge of new hill stations in the 1840s and 1850s, with the major thrust being placed to relax and recoup from the harsh existence on the plains. There was a stabilization phase in the second part of the nineteenth century, with few additional hill stations. The late nineteenth century witnessed the peak of hill stations with the opening of vast and expensive public-building projects that threw light on the political significance of the official stations.

Though in the days of yore, the hill stations were beautiful to look at. Peaceful surroundings, lush green hills, fantastic weather, and whatnot- everything beautiful could be found in these hill stations. However, today, these hill stations are nothing but crowded places full of garbage and unruly tourists who don't care for their surroundings. With rampant tourism, traffic jams, and water shortage, these hill stations look beautiful only on Instagram posts. But with your naked eye, one can see the deteriorating condition of these places.

Rohit Sethi, the founder of Seclude Hotels, says, "A hill station was imagined to be peaceful and calming. Chip packets, empty bottles, and construction materials are incorporated into the general scenery. You attempt to conceal it in your perfect Instagram photo, but the eye notices it, the brain dismisses it, and the heart beats for only a small amount of time. Why can't we perceive the ugly before the beautiful? India's hill stations live on tourism, and so should they. What is absent is empathy and affection for the hills, which comes from inside at times and requires enforcement at others."

When one enters the magical hill stations of India; Image Source: Indian Luxury