Resorts of the Raj: Hill Stations of India

by Vikram Bhatt

During their long occupation of India, the British built four metropolises. Within easy reach of these, nestled in the cool mountains, they built resorts to which they could escape for rest and recreation. Soon these became the summer capitals of the governors. This led to the vast network of roads, rail links and communications that allowed the British to rule from these comfortable surrounds. This became a major legacy of the British rule in the country, yet little has been published about them.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating & Informative! An Excellent Read! Loved It!

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of pictures abound in this short book about the British Raj Hill Stations of India. Truly the Britishers were keen to recreate "home" where ever they were in the countries they had invaded and turned into colonies. In recent times there are still sights of these grand houses, not all have been swallowed up by nature. Huge amounts of money were wasted on finding locations to accommodate sanatoriums only to find there were problems with the surrounds and so the area had to be abandoned and another to take its place. As with South Africa there were significantly less colonisers than native population and yet these few Britishers ruled over vast amounts of land and over people's lives. According to the author the British Raj left behind the blessings of "democracy", "language" and other forms of government as well as trains. Of course the intention of the Britishers was that the Indian inhabitants not enjoy any one of those legacies when they were originally constructed. Since Independence all these things have been left to the people of India to utilise. The cottages, mansions and other buildings in the Hill Stations are sparingly used by the people and for those that wish it a form of upkeep is in place. From these pictures it is a bygone era frozen in time. One can only wonder at the men, women and children that flocked here pretending they were at home and for the servants a slight welcome relief from broiling outside attempting to keep the sahibs and memsahibs cool in hot weather when they were on the plains. Architecturally these buildings are remarkable to look at, however, they are a monstrosity of human legacy. A glaring reminder of the wealthy over the poor and a stark reminder also of the remains of invasion, terror and slavery of a minority over a majority.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having known that my ancestors spent a considerable amount of time at the Hill Stations of Bangalore and Ootacamund and some time at others. I was pleased to see pictures and to know what life was like there. I would like one day to perhaps travel to India and visit the two hill stations in particular.