Mashobra
title: "Mashobra" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["tourist-attractions-in-shimla"] topic_path: "general/tourist-attractions-in-shimla" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashobra" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mashobra |
| settlement_type | town |
| image_skyline | Mashobra 2.jpg |
| image_caption | Mashobra skyline |
| pushpin_map | India Himachal Pradesh#India |
| pushpin_label_position | right |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location in Himachal Pradesh, India |
| coordinates | |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | India |
| subdivision_type1 | State |
| subdivision_name1 | Himachal Pradesh |
| subdivision_type2 | District |
| subdivision_name2 | Shimla |
| established_title | |
| unit_pref | Metric |
| elevation_m | 2146 |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| demographics_type1 | Languages |
| demographics1_title1 | Official |
| demographics1_info1 | Hindi |
| demographics1_title2 | Regional |
| demographics1_info2 | Mahasu Pahari (Keonthali) |
| timezone1 | IST |
| utc_offset1 | +5:30 |
| postal_code_type | PIN |
| postal_code | 171 007 |
| area_code_type | Telephone code |
| area_code | 0177 |
| registration_plate | HP HP-03, HP-51 |
| :: |
| 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 = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = India | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Himachal Pradesh | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = 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 | demographics1_title2 = Regional | demographics1_info2 = Mahasu Pahari (Keonthali) | timezone1 = IST | utc_offset1 = +5:30 | postal_code_type = PIN | postal_code = 171 007 | area_code_type = Telephone code | area_code = 0177 | registration_plate = 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 (erstwhile Simla) through the historic Hindustan–Tibet Road built in 1850 by Lord Dalhousie.
Geography
Mashobra is located at . It has an average elevation of 2,146 metres (7,041 feet).
History
During the colonial period, Mashobra was a part of the princely state of Koti. Towards the end of the 19th century, Mashobra developed into a popular weekend resort for the elite residents of Shimla, the summer capital of the British Raj.
Retreat
Mashobra is notable for housing one of the two 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.
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
File:Mashobra Sunset.jpg File:Mashobra Himanchal Pradesh.jpg|Cycling Trail in Mashobra Mashobra is also a tourist destination.
Wildflower Hall at Chharabra, now a property of Oberoi Hotels, has been residence to Lord Kitchener as well as Lord Ripon during the British Raj.
At 3 km from Mashobra is Carignano, a picnic spot that was a villa of Chevalier Federico Peliti, 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.
Pankaj Mishra is a writer/poet who lives in Mashobra.{{cite web | title = Pankaj Mishra | url = http://www.pankajmishra.com
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
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Entrance_,Shimla_Water_Catchment_Wildlife_Sanctuary,_Himachal_Pardes,_India.JPG" caption="Entrance, Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, [[Himachal Pradesh]], India"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Inner_view_of_Shimla_Water_Catchment_Wildlife_Sanctuary,_Himachal_Pardes,_India.JPG" caption="Inner view of Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh, India"] ::
Mashobra is part of Shimla Water Catchment and Wildlife Sanctuary. The natural vegetation comprises pine, oak, cedar or Himalayan deodar, and rhododendron, as well as maple and horse chestnut. The wildlife consists of monkeys, Langurs, jackals, kakkar (barking deer), and the occasional leopard, as well as numerous bird species such as the Himalayan eagle, pheasants, chikor and partridges.
Educational Institution
Himalayan International School at Chharabra is a major residential school in Mashobra.
References
References
- "Language and dialect of Himachal Pradesh".
- [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/11/Mashobra.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Mashobra]
- Buck, Sir Edward John. (1904). "Simla, Past and Present". Thacker, Spink.
- "Official mention and description in Rashtrapati Bhavan site".
- (8 November 2003). "Travelogue in TIME".
- "Travelogue in Outlook magazine".
- "Oberoi hotels website about Mashobra".
- "Federico Peliti's 19th Century India".
- "Far away from crowds".
- (7 June 2013). "Department Notification No. FFE-B-F(6)-11/2005-II/Shimla Water Catchment". Government of Himachal Pradesh Department of Forests.
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