Mashobra is a town in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. It is connected to the state capital Shimla 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).

The retreat

Mashobra is notable for housing one of the only two Presidential retreats in India. The other retreat is Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad.

The President visits Mashobra at least once every year, and during this time his core office shifts to the retreat at Chharabra, which is in vicinity of Mashobra. The building housing the retreat is a pure 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. Prime Minister J. Nehru paid them a visit, which is documented in biographies of Lady Mountbatten.

Other places of interest

Mashobra is also popular as a tourist destination. Wildflower Hall located at Chharabra, in vicinity of Mashobra, now a property of Oberoi Hotels, has been residence to Lord Kitchener as well as Lord Ripon during the British Raj. Pankaj Mishra is a famous writer/poet who lives in Mashobra.

Flora and fauna

Mashobra is part of Shimla Reserve Forest sanctuary and catchment area. The natural vegetation comprises pine, oak, cedar or Himalayan deodar, and rhododendron, as well as maple and horse chestnut. The wildlife consists of monkeys, baboons, jackals, kakkar (barking deer), and the occasional leopard, as well as numerous bird species such as the Himalayan eagle, pheasants, chikor and partridges.

References