Simla as the ‘summer capital’ of the British Raj
In 1863, the Viceroy of India, John Lawrence, decided to shift the summer capital of the British Raj to Shimla.[15] He took the trouble of moving the administration twice a year between Calcutta and this separate centre over 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) away, even though it was difficult to reach.[18] Robert Bulwer-Lytton (Viceroy of India 1876–1880) made efforts to plan the town from 1876, when he first stayed in a rented house, but began plans for a Viceregal Lodge, later built on Observatory Hill.
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