It is really painful to know how the first draft of partition was discussed between Nehru and Jinah among others here. The two were responsible for the millions of deaths and millions others uprooted for good. Even after six decades I am still waiting to go back and visit my birth place. The table used to discuss the draft of Partition is kept for display.
You may like to look at the mansion constructed in 1884-88 with lot of wood work in Burmese Teak and Deodar. Even today it has the same concealed wiring with same old switches, the ceiling continus to be supported by sprinklers of yesteryear's, same furniture with changed upholstery though. Beautiful unpolished Walnut wood ceiling, still in excellent condition.
The Ball room has been converted into Library which has millions of books for the scholars.
The Viceregal Lodge richly captures the colonial era of the British administrators. Built in a semi baroque style of architecture, the imposing structure gazes over the expanse of Summer Hill. A home to successive Viceroys who moved here from Calcutta and, later, Delhi, every summer with their entourage, the estate spreads over 100 acres or so with cottages dotting the slopes edged by pine and rhododendron forests. The Lodge has 5 levels with the entrance at a vast wood paneled lobby displaying an ancient chandelier. Burma teak of the best quality is used in the reception area and the balustrades to the staircases. A walnut carved ceiling dresses the interior where the Shimla pact was signed. The small museum has engaging photos of national leaders who negotiated the freedom of India. Every stone speaks of history and one can imagine that benign ghosts lurk in the dark hallways opening off.
The Viceregal Lodge is located on the Observatory hills. Also known as Rashtrapati Niwas, it was formerly the residence of the British Viceroy Lord Dufferin, was the venue for many important decision, which changed the fate of the sub-continent. It is quite befittingly the only building in Shimla that occupies a hill by itself. This rambling Scottish baronial edifice was designed by Henry Irvine, architect to the Public Works Department of the colonial government in India. The south facing entrance portico sees the visitor into the reception hall. The hall is marked by a grand staircase which springs from the right and spirals up three full floors. Facing the main entrance is the grand fireplace. A gallery with well-appointed teak paneling is the central space of the building around which the other rooms are arranged. The state drawing room, ballroom, and the wood-panelled dining room – decorated with coats of arms of former Governor-Generals and Viceroys – lead to the gallery at the lower level. Verandas and terraces surround the entire building at different levels. Those at the lower level link the lodge to the magnificent grounds while those on other floors provide superb views of mountains. Way back in 1888 this Lodge had electric light – when nobody else in Shimla did – and, would you believe it, an indoor tennis court! The lodge had extensive facilities including huge kitchens; separate rooms for storing table linen, plates, china and glass; laundry; an enormous wine cellar; a room for empty cases; boilers for central heating and running hot and cold water in the bathrooms.
Pretty much as in Delhi’s Viceregal Palace, the Viceroy hosted lavish parties and entertained the royal princes and nawabs in style. Several momentous decisions were taken in this building. This was the venue of the Simla Conference in 1945. In 1947 , the decision to partition India and carve out the states of Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), was also taken here.
After independence, the Lodge remained the summer retreat of the President of India. In the early 60s the President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, a leading philosopher and writer, and the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to make it a scholars’ den where the best minds would find an ideal retreat. That’s when the Indian Institute of Advanced Study moved into the Lodge in 1965. Obviously enough, some of the interiors had to be changed to accommodate the needs of the Institute. The state drawing room, ballroom, and dining room, for example, have been converted into a library; the Viceroy’s office is now the IIAS Director’s office; and the conference hall is now a seminar room for research scholars. Without the large contingent of Viceregal attendants and the resources, the ambiance of this large estate is very different from what it used to be in the days of the Raj. The institute seems like the perfect setting for lively intellectual debates and discussions. The list of Fellows of the Institute includes names the Burmese Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Sun Kyi, who was a fellow here in 1986. Source- HP Government.
The water sprinkler system has been installed right from the building to save the wood work from fire and is still functioning.
In so far as the interior is concerned, it is the elaborate wood-work that has stood the real test of time. Along with the paneling and plastering of the staircase with its heavy newels and handrails is remarkable. A massive shipment of teak was procured from Burma for this purpose and supplemented, wherever required, by local cedar wood (deodar) and walnut. During the time of Marquis Curzon, many parts of the building came in for major refurbishing. The carving in the dining room was completed, and a replica of the screen that stood behind the Emperor of China's throne was added. In the old Council Chamber, that later became the billiards room, portraits of every Governor-General and Viceroy were hung. A collection of Indian arms was displayed on the walls of the main gallery.
Lord and Lady Dufferin moved into the building on 23 July 1888. It was the newly installed electric lighting in particular that Lady Dufferin found a pleasure. A fortnight later, the Dufferins gave their first entertainment. Sixty-six people sat down for dinner at the table, and while the electric light was enough, candelabra were used to ornament the table. And the large dimensions of the new building could host over 800 guests that were to attend state balls in the coming years.
The electric switches are the same as they were first installed and the wiring is concealed in cost in conduits. The copper insulated wire have never been replaced.
The Viceroy Lodge was not just an architectural charming building it was filled with the latest technology of the Victorian era and some were the first examples in the India subcontinent. The Viceroy Lodge had a complex piping system to provide both hot and cold water and gathered rain water to be stored under the lawns in the front of the house. Hidden in the grounds was a large steam generator which provided the lodge with electric lighting, the first such building in Shimla. It is also reported that the first ever light switch was also install in the Viceroy Lodge which was first switched on by Lord Dufferin’s wife. This may or may not be true but the Viceroy Lodge was a shining example of Britain’s technological supremacy during the British Raj era.
The conference table where the ist draft of Partition was discussed.
The ceiling made of local walnut creek wood with original Chandler, has been maintained well till now.
Tourist having government sponsored tour of the Lodge
The tourists including Harvinder are seriously observing the table which was part of the decision.
Well maintained furniture even after 134 years
Viceregal Lodge in 1888.
A rare pictures with naughty Nehru winking at his supposedly Lady love Mountbatten.
Baldev Singh, Acharya Kriplani, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lord Mountbatten, Mohammad Ali Jinah, Liaquat Ali Khan.
dr Rajinder Prasad, Jinah, Master Tara Singh, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Maulana Azad among others at the entrance .
Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan coming out of the conference from the Lodge.
A poly-chrome decorated brass dial original clock still working, needs winding up once in a week. The Dutch Grandmother's clock,wound up once in a week, is still functioning showing moon status and the day of the week. There is also a big chair which was once used by the Viceroy.
Queen Victoria
Maulana Abdul Klamath Azad being carried by for man in the hand cart.
Sarojini Naidu
Dr Rajendra Prasad being brought in the hand cart.
Mahatma Gandhi being carried in hand cart
The original power conduit pipes and Fuse boxes
At the entrances now which houses now Indian Institute of Advanced Studies since 1965
The hand cart on show
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