Dagshai
Encyclopedia
Dagshai is one of the oldest cantonment
towns in the Solan
district of Himachal Pradesh
, India
. It is situated on top of a 5689 feet (1734 mtr) high hillock. That stands sphinx like astride the Kalka-Shimla Highway at a point about 11 Km from Solan. It was founded in 1847 by the East India Company
by securing free of cost five villages from Maharaja of Patiala
aka Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. The name of these villages were Dabbi, Badhtiala, Chunawad, Jawag and Dagshai.
The new cantonment was named after the last named village, as it was the largest and most strategically located.
The name Dagshai, according to a popular local legend was derived from DAGG-E-SHAHI. During Moghul times a DAAG-E-SHAHI (Royal Mark) was put on the forehead of the criminals and sent packing to the then Dagshai village.
for tuberculosis
patients, it has a British era graveyard overlooking a valley. It is on the same height as Lawrence School
Sanawar near Kasauli
, and is a short drive from Dharampur
on the Chandigarh Simla
highway. It is some 65 kilometers from Chandigarh
. Unlike Kasauli it is to the right of the highway while driving towards Simla. There are two roads up, both steep. And after snow , snow chains are a must to drive up to Dagshai or getting down from it.
There is an army unit stationed there, a residential only Army Public School, Dagshai and a private school called Dagshai Public School.
There is a very small civilian town, and the two schools take up most of this hilltop station. There are no hotels in Dagshai, but the place has a lot of picnic spots with grand views. From some spots one can see the entire Panchkula
and Chandigarh lights at night. Also, one is able to see Timber Trail Heights and Timber Trail Resorts, Parwanoo
There is a railway station on the Kalka
Simla line at Kumar Hatti, from where Dagshai is about 1.5 kilometers uphill.
The next towns in the direction towards Simla are Barog
and Solan
. Solan is some 11 km from Kumar Hatti by road, and Dagshai is some 3 km from Kumar Hatti. From Kumar Hatti there is also a road to Sarahan
and Nahan
.
freedom fighters were executed here prompting Mahatma Gandhi
to rush to an on the spot assessment of the situation. Four revolutionaries of Kamagata Maru were also executed at Dagshai. Presently this jail is being maintained by MES under GE S/H Kasauli.
of Irish
soldiers in the British service at 1920, in support of the independence struggle then unfolding in their homeland, dozens of mutineers were incarcerated at Dagshai Prison. On November 2, 1920, mutineer leader James Daly - a 21-year-old private - was shot by a firing squad in the prison courtyard, the last member of the British Forces to be executed for mutiny. He was buried at the Dagshai graveyard until 1970, when his remains were repatriated to Ireland and given a funeral with full military honours (See The Connaught Rangers#Mutiny in India, 1920).
, Dagshai had a population of 2751. Males constitute 62% of the population and females 38%. Dagshai has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 88% and, female literacy is 73%. In Dagshai, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
towns in the Solan
Solan
Solan is a town and a municipal council in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located south of state capital Shimla. The place is named after the Hindu goddess Shoolini devi. Solan was the capital of erstwhile princely state, Bhagat...
district of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is situated on top of a 5689 feet (1734 mtr) high hillock. That stands sphinx like astride the Kalka-Shimla Highway at a point about 11 Km from Solan. It was founded in 1847 by the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
by securing free of cost five villages from Maharaja of Patiala
Maharaja of Patiala
The Maharaja of Patiala was a maharaja in India and the ruler of the princely state of Patiala in Punjab. The first Maharaja of Patiala was Baba Ala Singh , who was granted the title by Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan in 1764....
aka Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. The name of these villages were Dabbi, Badhtiala, Chunawad, Jawag and Dagshai.
The new cantonment was named after the last named village, as it was the largest and most strategically located.
The name Dagshai, according to a popular local legend was derived from DAGG-E-SHAHI. During Moghul times a DAAG-E-SHAHI (Royal Mark) was put on the forehead of the criminals and sent packing to the then Dagshai village.
Overview
Built by the British as a sanatoriumSanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
for tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
patients, it has a British era graveyard overlooking a valley. It is on the same height as Lawrence School
Lawrence School, Sanawar
The Lawrence School is situated in Sanawar, adjacent to Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, India. It was founded by Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence of the Indian Army of British India and was established on 15 April 1847.The school has educated many notable people...
Sanawar near Kasauli
Kasauli
Kasauli is a cantonment and town, located in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The cantonment was established by the British Raj in 1842 as a Colonial hill station, from Shimla, from Chandigarh, and from Panchkula, and lies at a height of .-Demographics:According to the...
, and is a short drive from Dharampur
Dharampur
Dharampur, was a princely state ruled by Sisodia Rajput rulers, which acceded to the Union of India June 10, 1948. It is now loacted in Gujarat, India....
on the Chandigarh Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
highway. It is some 65 kilometers from Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
. Unlike Kasauli it is to the right of the highway while driving towards Simla. There are two roads up, both steep. And after snow , snow chains are a must to drive up to Dagshai or getting down from it.
There is an army unit stationed there, a residential only Army Public School, Dagshai and a private school called Dagshai Public School.
There is a very small civilian town, and the two schools take up most of this hilltop station. There are no hotels in Dagshai, but the place has a lot of picnic spots with grand views. From some spots one can see the entire Panchkula
Panchkula
Panchkula is a planned city in Panchkula district, Haryana, India. It is a satellite city of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It also shares seamless border with Mohali district in Punjab. The prestigious Chandimandir Cantonment Headquarters of the Indian Army Western Command, is also located in...
and Chandigarh lights at night. Also, one is able to see Timber Trail Heights and Timber Trail Resorts, Parwanoo
There is a railway station on the Kalka
Kalka
Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. The name of the town is derived from the goddess Kali. The town is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. It is on the National Highway 22 between Chandigarh and Shimla,...
Simla line at Kumar Hatti, from where Dagshai is about 1.5 kilometers uphill.
The next towns in the direction towards Simla are Barog
Barog
Barog is a small village in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.-History:Barog was settled in the early 20th century during the building of the narrow gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway. It is named after Barog, an engineer involved in building the railway track in 1903.Barog, the...
and Solan
Solan
Solan is a town and a municipal council in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located south of state capital Shimla. The place is named after the Hindu goddess Shoolini devi. Solan was the capital of erstwhile princely state, Bhagat...
. Solan is some 11 km from Kumar Hatti by road, and Dagshai is some 3 km from Kumar Hatti. From Kumar Hatti there is also a road to Sarahan
Sarahan
Sarahan is small town in Himachal Pradesh of India. It is the site of famous Bhimakali temple, dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali, presiding deity of the rulers of the former Bushahr State. The temple is situated about 180 kilometers from Shimla and is one of 51 Shakti Peethas. The town is...
and Nahan
Nahan
Nahan नाहन is a town in Himachal Pradesh in India and is the headquarters of the Sirmaur District.- Geography :Nahan is located at . It has an average elevation of 920 metre- Demographics :...
.
Dagshai Central Jail
The Dagshai Central Jail now being used as office for Junior Engineer and Godown by the Military Engineering Service (MES) was built in 1849. This jail came into limelight when a number of IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
freedom fighters were executed here prompting Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
to rush to an on the spot assessment of the situation. Four revolutionaries of Kamagata Maru were also executed at Dagshai. Presently this jail is being maintained by MES under GE S/H Kasauli.
Irish soldiers' mutiny, 1920
Following a large scale mutinyMutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
soldiers in the British service at 1920, in support of the independence struggle then unfolding in their homeland, dozens of mutineers were incarcerated at Dagshai Prison. On November 2, 1920, mutineer leader James Daly - a 21-year-old private - was shot by a firing squad in the prison courtyard, the last member of the British Forces to be executed for mutiny. He was buried at the Dagshai graveyard until 1970, when his remains were repatriated to Ireland and given a funeral with full military honours (See The Connaught Rangers#Mutiny in India, 1920).
Geography
Dagshai is located at 30.88°N 77.05°E. It has an average elevation of 1734 metres (5,689 ft).Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Dagshai had a population of 2751. Males constitute 62% of the population and females 38%. Dagshai has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 88% and, female literacy is 73%. In Dagshai, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Residential schools
- The Army Public School, Dagshai
- Dagshai Public School (a residential school,started way back in 1957, and affiliated with ICSE).
- Sarvahitkari Shiksha Niketan