The 1857 Indian War of Independence stirred the hearts of the Kasauli Guard, numbering about eighty Indian soldiers. Receiving news that the Gurkha Regiment at nearby Jutogh has also risen in revolt, the garrison at Kasauli set out to join them. Before the two could combine and pose a serious threat, the British agent talked the Gurkha Regiment into submission, on promise of a general pardon. The Kasauli Guard found themselves completely isolated. So far from being pardoned, they were severely punished for their insurgence.

SETTLEMENTS

The settlement of Kasauli really began with the efforts of Sir Henry Lawrence, who also started the famous Lawrence School at Sanawar. He and his wife built themselves a cottage named Sunny Side. It was the first cottage to be built at Kasauli and stands to this day.

Kasauli remains a cantonment where the army is a living presence; one reason why everything is so clean. The heart of Kasauli, mercifully, has not been overrun by hotels and apartment blocks.

PLACES TO VISIT

The highest point at Kasauli, known as Monkey Point, is now with the IAF and the site of new family apartment blocks for IAF personnel. Monkey Point commands a panoramic view of the hills, valleys and plains below, with the meandering Sutlej and, far away, the city of Chandigarh.

Lawrence School at Sanawar, six kilometers away, rich in tradition and a world in itself, also attracts tourists. The temple of Nahari Devi, which overlooks a waterfall, is also worth a visit. Nothing has so far affected the fall, not the severest drought or driest summer.

Around town, one can look for the graves of the two Chinese POWs who died here. Or try to find out the names of the two brothers who perished fighting the forest fire that ravaged Kasauli at the turn of the century. Or find the old time mailbox with a cast iron crown on top, a relic of the British Postal Service.

RECREATION

The two main walks around Kasauli, the Upper and Lower Mall are beautiful. The residents of Kasauli walk a lot, for Kasauli was always short on city attractions and meant for getting about on your own two feet, in communion with nature or if you are lucky, a walking partner. The somewhat steep Upper Mall takes you past an important landmark, the Kasauli Club. Founded in 1880 as the ‘Kasauli Reading and Assembly Rooms’, it was later converted into Kasauli Club. Initially the club provided accommodation to men only, women not being permitted unless it was very cold or if accommodation was going a-begging. Famous for its six tennis courts, its lavish ‘tennis teas’ and gala Saturday Nights, the club suddenly found itself posed for dissolution in 1947. But saved by the breadth of a hair, it survived to celebrate its centenary in 1980.

GETTING THERE

Delhi is connected to Chandigarh by air. From Chandigarh it is a little more than an hour by road to Kasauli. Buses connect Kasauli to many major cities of north India. Private taxis are also available between; to Kalka and proceed by bus to Kasauli, less than an hour away.

WHERE TO STAY