Mussoorie is a hill station situated in the foothills of the Himalaya ranges in north Indian state of Uttaranchal. It is also known as "Queen of Hills".

Having an altitude of about 2000 meters, Mussoorie, with its green hills and varied flora and fauna, is a fascinating hill resort. Commanding snow ranges to the north-east, and glittering views of the Doon Valley and Shiwalik ranges in the south, the town presents a fairyland atmosphere to the tourists.

Its history dates back to 1827 when Captain Young, an adventurous British military officer, together with a Mr Shore, the resident Superintendent of Revenues at Dehradun explored the present site and jointly constructed a shooting lodge. This laid the foundation of this holiday resort which now has few rivals. Mussoorie is famous for its scenic beauty and hectic social life. It provides all kinds of amusement and every facility for domestic and foreign tourists.

Its name is derived from a shrub "MANSOOR" behind the house of the Captain. Some believe that perhaps that is reason behind the name of the town, which is also known as MANSOORI among the natives of the surrounding area.

Mussoorie is conveniently connected by road to Delhi and major cities. It is called the "Gateway" to Yamunotri and Gangotri Shrines of Northern India. The closest rail station is Dehradun. Taxis are easily available for Mussorie as are buses at regular intervals.

Mussorie also has the Lal Bahadur Sastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), the honing ground for young bureaucrats of India, who carry the destiny of India. This picturesque institute is located about 7kms away from the Mall Road.

The best time to visit is from mid-March to mid-November though the downpours could be an inhibiting factor in the monsoon months of July to September.

In the colonial days, the town housed schools for the children of British army personnel. Today, there are many boarding schools in Mussoorie and its suburb Landour. Some of the better known schools include:

• Oak Grove: mostly for children of Indian Railways employees
• St. George's College
• Wynberg Allen
• Woodstock School
• Landour Language School
• Mussoorie Public School
• Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School

Mussorie has a beautiful nature walk known as "Camel's Back Road". This road takes its name from mountain outcrop in the shape of a camel's hump. There is also "Gun Hill" where cannons were kept for the defence of Mussorie. The oldest Christian church in the Himalayas, St Mary's, is situated above Mall Road, and is currently undergoing restoration. A Cable car goes to the top of Gun Hill from the town centre. Kempty falls is a nice picnic spot. Lal Tibba is another tourist spot of Mussoorie.

Beautiful Dhanaulti is about 24 kilometers from Mussorie.

Rialto and Picture Palace were two nice movie theatres, however they are now closed.

Parking in Mussorie is a big problem. The Road leading to Landour from the Picture Palace has parking spots on both sides. Mall road does not allow entry of motored vehicles till after 10 in the night.

Mussoorie also had India's largest roller skating rink.

During British time, Indians and dogs were not allowed on the mall road. Motilal Nehru, father of Jawahar Lal Nehru, used to break this law every day, whenever he was in Mussoorie, and would pay the fine.

External links

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• A Tribute to Mussoorie
• Photographic Gallery of Mussoorie
• Wynberg Allen School
• St. George's College (Official)
• St. George's College aka Manor House (Tribute)
• Woodstock School
• Landour Language School
• Oak Grove School

Cities and towns in Uttaranchal | Indian hill stations

Mussoorie | Mussoorie