Kasauli

Kasauli or Kasuli is a picturesque hill station in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh of northern India. Kasauli town is located at a distance of about 75 km from Shimla, 65 km from Chandigarh and 320 km from Delhi, at an altitude of about 1800 metres above sea level.

The name Kasauli came from Kausalya, a mountain stream which flows between Kasauli and Jabli. The serene place of Kasauli has been mentioned in the epic Ramayana. As per the legends, Kasauli came in to origin when Lord Hanuman stepped here on his way to Sanjeevani Hill to procure the medicinal herb 'Sanjeevani' in order to save the badly wounded Lakshmana.

The history of Kasauli remains obscure till the 17th century. In the 17th century, some Rajput families fled their homes from Rewari, present-day Haryana, due to troubled political conditions. They took refuge in Kasauli village, situated in the foothills of the Dhauladhar Ranges of the lower Himalayas, near a fresh water spring.

In the year 1814, the Governor-General of the British East India Company, Lord Amherst, decided to promote Shimla Hills as the gateway to the British establishments in India. As a result, Col. Tapp who was the political personnel at Sabathu Fort, a rejuvenating place for the British, came to survey the area of Kasauli. Kasauli became a prominent part of the Gurkha expansion in the 19th century after the negotiations done by some local chieftains and the British.

Kasauli became a major garrison town of the British Raj and many locals joined the British Army. During the First Battle of Indian Independence, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, which took place in 1857, Kasauli witnessed an upsurge among its soldiers.

About eighty Indian soldiers, who were stirred by the movement, decided to join hands with the rebels in the Gurkha Regimen. But they were left alone when the rebels from the Gurkha regimen backed out after negotiations with the British. The British authorities could easily crush the rebel movement of Kasauli and the soldiers were given severe punishment.

Since Kasauli is a cantonment town of the Indian Army today, the entry to Kasauli is limited. Some of the famous institutions in Kasauli are the Central Research Institute (1905), Kasauli Club (1880) and Pasteur Institute (1900).   

Kasauli is a quiet and small town set in the backdrop of the Dhauladhar Ranges with natural trails for long walks. Christ Church, Monkey Point, Sanawar, Sabathu Fort, etc. are some of the major attractions in Kasauli. The best time to visit Kasauli is from April to June and September to November.