We all know that Kasauli is a charming hill station which has retained its pristine glory. This has been my favored getaway for the last 3 decades. Now , at times the mind wanders... down the memory lane and conjures up images of what it would have been in the pre-independence era? My mind could just visualize the gora Sahibs and their memsahibs and babalogs on the mall.
This time I decided to dig into the past and see what I could come up with.
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| View of upper road , Kussowlie, 1867 |
Kasauli was one of chain of cantonments built in the 1840's to garrison troops in preparation for a war against the Sikh (probably for the first Anglo-Sikh war of 1845). After the Sikh kingdom had been annexed, they felt that the place was too pretty to remain a garrison so they happily developed it as a hill resort..it was a sleepy cantonment where army sahibs spent summer holidays.
The British paid local Rana Rs 5000 for the land.
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| Red gable roofed military barracks (1850's) |
That time it was know as kussowlie.
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| Native market bazaar and Depot building above it |
Principle means of transport over the hills was pony or tonga..I believe there were hand driven rickshaws pulled by Indian coolies who operated them barefoot.
Who built the first cottage here?
Sir Henry Lawrence, a British official, used to visit Sabathu along with his wife. On the demise of his daughter, he decided to bury her body on the Kasauli ridge.
I went on a search for Sunny Side...I asked people around and discovered it is ahead of Hotel Maurice and Alaysia Hotel on the lower mall.. where the mall splits for Manki point and Kheterpal marg..take the kachcha road that goes up...and lo and behold .. found the piece of history..
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| Sunny side as it stands today retaining its pristine glory |
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| Looked after by caretakers, owned by a gentelman from Chandigarh |
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| Sunny Side- First bungalow built in Kasauli |
On a sultry August morning in 1841 a group of mourners walked home, weighed down by deep sorrow. They had just buried a
n infant, Letitia Lawrence, in a quiet place below Kasauli. Her grief stricken parents, Henry and Honoria Lawrence, then decided to build a cottage in Kasauli from where they could see their daughter's grave (Sunny Side). From this melancholy beginning arose the hill station of Kasauli which still retains its somewhat mournful silence
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| Henry Lawrence |
The residence of the present Station Commander was built for Maj-Gen. Gilbert in 1845, and is still being properly maintained. A hill overlooking this cottage has been named after General Gilbert, and is known as Gilbert Hill. A micro-wave station has now been built on this hill.
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| Walter Gilbert |
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| Residence of the serving Brigadier-built for Maj Gen. Gilbert in 1845 |
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| Gilbert Trail- named after Maj Gen. Gilbert - a good trek |
The famous military hospital was constructed in 1856 and it serves military personnel and their families. Kasauli played a very important role in the sepoy mutiny of 1857. During the uprising of 1857, on April 17 soldiers at Ambala cantonment were forced to use greased cartridges. On May 15 the forces stationed at Jatog revolted and refused to obey the orders of their officers. At Kasauli the government wanted to shift the treasury to the European barracks. The Gorkhas got annoyed and looted the treasury and moved to Jatog and set fire to some of the tents of the Commander-in-Chief.
Not much interaction happened between the sahibs and the Indians.Upper mall had the best bungalows
built- which was totally out of bound for the Indians...neither was the Kasauli club allowed to permit Indians. Am sure our folks could see the gora/ fair maiden when out shopping on the mall..
An italian family Alasia Bestoso owned a store which stocked foreign delicacies. outside there was a statue of black cockier spaniel probably marking a grave for their pet..the family also owned Alasia Hotel- also meant only for whites.
The highest hill in the range- the Goras called it Tapp's nose- as from a distance it looked like the snout of a squire.This is what we know as Monkey point today.
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| Tapp's nose-named after surveyor Colonel Tapp- today's Monkey point |
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As per mythological tale , lord Hanuman rested for a while on one of the peaks of kasauli-when carrying sanjeevani buti- where now stands the Hanuman mandir/famous m
onkey point.
Kasauli was know for the Pasteur institute (which made anti rabies serum) and its TB sanatorium. At the time there was no cure for Tuberculosis and it was believed that the pine scented air of kasauli was good for the diseased lungs.There was also a brewery owned by the father of notorious General dyer, perpetrator of Jallianwalla bagh massacre. It still distills whiskey.
Three churches were constructed in Kasauli during the British times. The Christ Church on The Mall is linked to a very interesting story. When the Gorkhas revolted, some of them looted Rs 20,000 from the treasury. This amount was somehow taken away by two British soldiers, and due to fear, they buried it under a tree in the church compound. When Mr Griffiths was the priest, one of the soldiers wrote a letter about the treasure. One priest also tried to find the treasure but could not succeed, and the treasure still remains a mystery.
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| Christ Church - Estd 1844....then... |
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| Christ Church...now... |
Things began to change during World War II..the sahibs went off to war leaving memsahibs,babalog aayah bearers..they were lonely and eager to befriend the Indians..with the sahibs gone Indians began to take evening walks on the upper mall..greeting were exchanged followed by invitation..( process of integration) and became irreversible..English also sensed that their rule of India was coming to an end...sahibs began to sell their bungalows and furniture for the proverbial song..Sperrn villa, which was bought by Sir Teja Singh Malik for mere 13,000..most of other houses were bought by sardars who did not change their old name.thus kasauli still has Dunedin, Ivy logdge, Daisy banks and Roscommon and many more...
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| charming cottages-legacy of the British |
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| another beautiful cottage |
The landscape of kasauli has also changed but little as compared to the rapid commercialization happening elsewhere..the modest Pasteur institute has grown into CRI ,making all kind of serums..beside it stands the TV tower and a few peaks away a micro wave station with a dish antenna to convey information from our frontier post to army HQ..forest fires are a threat...and not enough water..This situation can be redeemed by water harvesting. People want to build houses here..they are not permitted to build on the area under army control. Thankfully this helps it to retain its charm and glory.
Many people believe that tourism facilities should be upgraded to attract more tourists- I believe the opposite to be true- Let Kasauli be as it is- frozen in time.
Acknowlegments: Tribune/Ankur Bansal
Khushwant Singh
Old pictures : Kasauli club
