Shimla Walks with Sumit

18/05/2026

John Theophilius Boileau was a Military Engineer and an architect, during British India. He is known for making many roads in India, restoring Taj Mahal and many other monuments. He established an observatory in Shimla and also designed the Christ Church.

04/05/2026

Start from Amritsar and enter the hills from there. Gradually drive deep into the hills and enjoy the changing culture, people, language, religious beliefs, food, attire, lifestyle, dialects, and living standards. The itinerary using these places can be customised as per your requirement of time and number of days. This is an amazing blend of everything. You begin with Sikhism, then move to Buddhism, followed by Hinduism and then Colonialism, where you end at Shimla.

Looking forward to seeing you in Himachal Pradesh.

02/05/2026

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Dinesh Dhiman, Saurabh Krishna, Vikas Negi, Pratibha Rai, Rajesh Sharma, Rakesh Thakur, Titano Interiors, Sunandini Sharma, Yashwant Singh Chauhan, Hitesh Thakur, Abay Sood, Ghanshyam Dass Verma, Rupesh Chettri, Tapender Kapur, Suneel Negi, Sanjeev Nag, Pankaj Sharma, Abhimanyu Saagar, Kalpana Nath, Wild Tracks

02/05/2026

Penelope Chetwode arrived in India when she was seventee and immediately fell in love with this country. Her father Philip Chetwode was a senior military officer. In 1930 he became the Commander in Chief of the British Indian Army. They came to Shimla।in 1931 and Penelope or Penny and her mother decided to do a tour from Shimla to Kullu on a mule. It was organised by Geophery Kelly, the ADC to her father. In 1962, Penelope Chetwode returned to India and decided to do the same tour again, on her own. She hired two mules and traveled on them from Shimla to Kullu via, Narkanda, Luhri, Anni, Khanag, Jalori Pass, Jibhi, Larji, Aut, Bajaura, Kullu Manali and to Rohtang pass. After that she started bringing tourist groups to travel in this area and do the same trek. She always stayed at Chapslee with Kunwar Ratanjit Singh and enjoyed his Victorian lifestyle. In 1986 she died in a village called Mutisher, near Khanag and was cremated by the villagers. In 1992, her granddaughter Lycett Green came here and installed a plaque in the name।of her mother in the lawns of the Forest Rest House in Khanag.

18/04/2026

Alexender Coutts was a tailor to the Viceroy, of India, Lord Dufferin, and a nature lover. In 1884 He acquired a big piece of land in Mashobra, near Shimla and planted the first fruit orchard of Shimla Hills

17/04/2026

Coutts Garden was the first Apple Orchard in Shimla • Shimla Walks Stories

17/04/2026

Eve and Mark came to Shimla all the way from London, only to scatter the ashes of Eve's grandmother. She studied in Loreto Convent in Shimla, commonly known as Tara Hall. Eve's grandma left India at the time of the Indian partition and went to Hampton, but she could never forget her time in India, particularly in Shimla. Every single day she mentioned Shimla in her talks and always wished to be taken to the Himalayan foothills after her death.

Eve found us through an article that mentioned us with my name as Sumit Raj Vashisht, and contacted us nearly six months ago. It has always been a pleasure for me to help the Brits coming to Shimla looking for their family roots.

15/04/2026

There is a Sun Dial at the rear side of the Viceregal Lodge in Shimla. This was installed in 1937. Unfortunately the Gnomon and the Style used to cast shadow are missing for decades but the authorities must understand its historical value and reinstall it.

06/04/2026

5 reasons to take the Heritage Walk in Shimla - with Shimla Walks

Walking gives you a chance to visit local attractions. And, after a day's heritage walk in Shimla, everything had twice its usual value.