Mussoorie- The Queen of Hills

Image Source:  Tibetan school Mussoorie has a special place in Tibetan history as it was the first place where Tibetan spiritual leader ‘Dalai Lama’ came after he escaped from Tibet. On April 20, 1959 Dalai Lama with his followers reached Mussoorie where temporary arrangements were made for their stay in Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). Though the Dalai Lama left after a long stay, the Tibetan continued to stay in Mussoorie and the new area flourished with a large number of foundations/organizations and schools. In present Tibetan makes up a large number of population in Mussoorie. They have a separate school as well as a big market popularly known as ‘Tibet Market’.

Image source:  Gurkhas In 1959 the amalgamation of Mussoorie to Uttarakhand took place. Before that around 1803 Gurkhas were known as rulers of the regions. Umar singh Thapa and his gang conquered the whole region including Mussoorie. They could not execute their huge plan, made for the territory. In 1814, Gurkhas came into a direct battle with the Britishers which turned out to be worse for Gurkhas and soon they accepted their defeat. Earlier Mussoorie was a part of Saharanpur district and in 1819, East India Company successfully captured the whole region. According to the stories told by old locals, before the British it was almost a vacant place with few shepherds who used to visit with their flock of animals. Mussoorie is usually called ‘Mansoori’ by locals due to the shrub called ‘Mansoor’ indigenous to the area.

Image Source:  Sainji village People here are very welcoming and soft hearted. They spent their lives being dependent on agriculture. New generation is now shifting from agriculture to business which is very common for the people living in tourist places. The main language spoken by the local people is Garhwali and Jaunpuri but they use other languages also like Hindi and Kumauni. If we talk about clothes and dress up, local people usually follow western culture but people living in nearby villages wear traditional attire- ‘ghagra and khilka’. Usually the houses in villages are ‘pukka houses’. It's a tradition in some villages to hang corn outside their house. Cuisines  from hill stations cant be compared to any other food. It's so delicious and yummy. Every type of food is available in Mussoorie from continental, Chinese to Italian but some local dishes like chille, aske, pinole and baadi have different fan base and usually made by villagers during some special festival.  Ever

If you are visiting Mussoorie, then there are a few places you should visit and it is worth spending time there. Kempty fall, Mussoorie Image source: Shot by me Mussoorie trip is incomplete without visiting Kempty fall, situated at the height of 1,364m. The site was developed in the 1830s by British officers and now has become a popular tourist attraction in Mussoorie. The gigantic waterfall is the main attraction of the place. Situated 15 km away from Mussoorie, it is the most fascinating picnic spot. The place has many fancy shops. It's perfect for the people who like to follow the trend. Garma garam Maggie and kadak chai are the best part of the entire day after visiting the whole place.   Lal Tibba, Mussoorie Image source: lal tibba Lal Tibba is considered as one of the highest viewpoints in Mussoorie. This vantage point is situated at an altitude of 2,275m and is 6km far away from the main city. The word ‘Lal Tibba’ itself means ‘red hill’ which refers to the beauty of the sk

Image source: shot by me 1. Most of the buildings in Mussoorie are more than 150 years old, during the time of British rule. Though these buildings look old, they add beauty to the place. 2. Horse riding has been very popular here since the time of britishers. Some people still use it to cover the journey from one end to the other. 3. Even a small shopkeeper earns more than 1 lakh rupees during the tourist season in  Mussoorie, so the place works as a source of employment for many people. 4. During British rule, Indians were not allowed to visit Mussoorie as it was clearly written on a board ‘ Indians and dogs are not allowed’. Later this rule was broken by Moti Lal Nehru. 5. famous author Ruskin Bond is from Mussoorie and he has a big shop there. Every Saturday evening he sits in his shop and meets people.