Shimla

Shimla lies in the south-western ranges of the Himalayas

Shimla (Hindi: शिमला; Punjabi: ਸ਼ਿਮਲਾ; English pronunciation: /ˈʃɪmlə/; Hindi: [ˈʃɪmlaː]), also known as Simla, is the capital and largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Shimla is also a district which is bounded by Mandi and Kullu in the north, Kinnaur in the east, the state of Uttarakhand in the south-east, and Solan and Sirmaur. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India, succeeding Murree, northeast of Rawalpindi. After independence, the city became the capital of Punjab and was later named the capital of Himachal Pradesh. It is the principal commercial, cultural and educational centre of the hilly regions of the state. As of 2011, the city had 171,817 permanent residents, and was one of the least populous capital cities in India.