Annadale, also spelled as Annandale, is a part of

Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

city, in the Indian state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

. It is a flat valley bottom which includes a helipad as well as a golf course. Annadale has also an army cantonment, now memorialized in an Army Heritage Museum. Due to its lush green environment, historical importance and geography, it is also known as the "Heart of Shimla".

Etymology

The region in which Annadale is located was first documented in 1834, in the East Indian United Service Journal. When British officers saw the area for the first time, they found it similar to the Annandale valley in

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the hi ...

or County of Dumfries in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and decided to name it after the Scottish location because most of the officers hailed from the Scotland's Annandale. According to another story,

Charles Pratt Kennedy Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Pratt Kennedy (died 25 May 1875) was an officer in the Bengal Artillery (later Royal Artillery) from 1808 to 1865. He is considered the founder of Shimla, summer capital of British India and now the capital city of Him ...

, the political agent of the British government who was assigned to find a suitable place in India for selecting the

Summer Capital A summer capital is a city used as an administrative capital during extended periods of particularly hot summer weather. The term is mostly of relevance in historical contexts of political systems with ruling classes that would migrate to a summ ...

, came to Shimla hills in 1822. He was so impressed by the beauty of the dale that he named it after "Anna" his lady love back in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is perhaps for this reason, that it has been spelt as both 'Annandale' and 'Annadale' in documents pertaining to Shimla.

History

British Raj

Annadale was first used by

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

and then the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, which is why natives originally called it "''Company Ka Baag''". It was a place of enjoyment and entertainment for the British, offering fancy dress shows, picnics, and birthday celebrations. Every year a National Championship of

Polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

was organised there. Cultural and social festivals were organised there including

Gymkhana Gymkhana () (, , , , ) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held. "Gymkhana" is an Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the ...

, fete champetre and sports such as

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

and

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

. Under the British Army, the grounds were also used for training and

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

s. A funfair was organised in September 1833 to raise funds for setting up a school at

Sabathu Sabathu (also known as Subathu) is a cantonment town in Solan district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Himachal Pradesh. It has a historic association with the Anglo-Nepalese War, and is now the centre of the 1st Gorkha Ri ...

for native girls. In 1839, the first Fancy fair was organised there. The Durand Football Tournament was started in 1888 in Annadale by

Mortimer Durand Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, (14 February 1850 – 8 June 1924) was a British diplomat and member of the Indian Civil Service. He is best-known as the namesake for the Durand Line, which serves as the international border between Afghanistan an ...

. It was interrupted during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The venue was shifted to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

in 1940.

After independence

Gymkhana, polo, football, hockey, cricket matches, and other cultural and social festivals were organised in Annadale after

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

Dussehra Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed o ...

was the main event organised, attracting people from the city, but in 1972 a clash between army and police created enmity between the military and civil administration. After this incidence, the event was shifted to

Jakhu Temple Jakhu Temple (also Jakhoo Temple) is an ancient temple in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman. It is situated at Jakhu Hill, Shimla's highest peak, east of the Ridge at a height of above sea level. Ev ...

. Another major event was the 1971 plenary session of the

All India Congress Committee The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is the presidium or the central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress. It is composed of members elected from States and union territories of India, state-level Pradesh Congress Commit ...

. In addition, a national women's field hockey championship was also organised there. A

Yajna In Hinduism, ''Yajna'' or ''Yagna'' (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐd͡ʒɲə ) also known as Hawan, is a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedas, Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature ...

was organised by Gayatri Parivar in 1994. In 2006, the Army established a

war museum A military museum or war museum is an institution dedicated to the preservation and education of the significance of wars, conflicts, and military actions. These museums serve as repositories of artifacts (not least weapons), documents, photographs ...

on the periphery of the ground.

Geography

Annadale is located 2 km away from

Shimla Railway Station Shimla railway station (station code: SML) is a railway station in Shimla in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The station is the terminus of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kalka–Shimla Railway. Shimla railway station is located at an altit ...

. Annadale lies exactly below Kaithu locality. The area is situated between lush green mountains and Deodar trees. If The Ridge is taken as a center point then as the

Jakhu Jakhu Temple (also Jakhoo Temple) is an ancient temple in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, dedicated to the Hindu deity Hanuman, Lord Hanuman. It is situated at Jakhu Hill, Shimla's highest peak, east of The Ridge, Shimla, the Ridge at a heig ...

is on the steep slope up on the hill at the distance of 1.6 km and Annadale is down the hill from The Ridge at the distance of 3.2 km. Annadale has spread from the forest area of

Glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. The word is Goidelic in origin: ''gleann'' in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, ''glion'' in Manx. ...

, area below

Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The seat of the Assembly is at Shimla, the capital of the state. There are 68 Members of Legislative Assembly, al ...

to Gol Pahari Park near Kashyap Niwas.

Importance of the ground

The Annadale ground is the wide flat valley bottom which is situated in a valley bottom. It is a scenic ground which can be seen from many hilltop locations of the city.

Golf course

The Annadale ground also has a golf course, making it the only one in the city.

Helipad

Annadale Ground has a lot of importance in the city mainly due to its lead serving helipad. Every VIP or celebrity lands there whenever they come to Shimla, because Shimla Airport is 20 km away from the main city. Only The

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

usually lands at Kalyani helipad in

Chharabra Chharabra is a suburb situated approximately 8250 feet (2514 m) above sea level, 13 km from Shimla, India, on National Highway 22 (India), National Highway 22 (Hindustan-Tibet Road). It has the summer retreat of President of India, the summ ...

because of the President's retreat location being there.

Disaster management purposes

The Ground has been used by

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

for Disaster management purposes since the past. The ground has been used for conducting various disaster relief and management exercises mainly because Shimla and its adjoining areas are earthquake prone. Annadale Ground has the strategic significance for the Army from the national security perspective. The ground's significance for disaster management was witnessed in

2011 Sikkim earthquake The 2011 Sikkim earthquake (also known as the 2011 Himalayan earthquake) occurred with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and was centered within the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, near the border of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, at on Sunday ...

Landmarks

Army Heritage Museum

The Army Heritage Museum in Annadale was established in 2006. It contains historical weapons, arts and many war memory objects. It is located close to the Annadale ground near the forest area.

Shri Ram Mandir

Annadale has Shri Ram temple near Annadale Chowk.

Gan Devta Mandir (Devra Mandir)

Gan Devta temple or Devra temple is the temple dedicated to the family deity of the locals and it is one of the oldest temples in Shimla, it is located near Army Heritage Museum.

Controversy

Annadale was embroiled in a controversy from 2005 to 2012, when the Himachal Pradesh Government proposed to build an international cricket stadium in the area, but the

refused this proposal by saying that it would damage the scenic charm and nature of the valley. In 2011, the government made an idea to ask the people of Shimla about this decision, in which the board was placed on The Ridge, on which the people who supported the proposal are required to sign on the board. Most people supported the concept by signing on the board, but the government still needed to heed the Army's demand by cancelling the plan. The cricket stadium proposal was then shifted to

Dharamshala Dharamshala (, ; also spelled Dharamsala) is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It serves as the winter capital of the state and the administrative headquarters of the Kangra district since 1855. The town also hosts the Tibeta ...

, where the HPCA Stadium was later built.

References

{{Commons category, Annadale, Shimla Tourist attractions in Shimla Neighbourhoods in Shimla