Dagshai
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Dagshai, also known as Daagh-e-Shahi, is one of the oldest
cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...
towns in the
Solan Solan is a city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of Solan district. It is located south of the state capital, Shimla. Solan has an average elevation of . The city is situated between Chandigarh (joint cap ...
district of
Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. It is situated on top of a 5,689-foot (1,734-m) 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 The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
by securing free of cost five villages from Maharaja of Patiala aka
Bhupinder Singh of Patiala Sir Bhupinder Singh (12 October 1891 – 23 March 1938) was the Maharaja of Patiala and a cricket player. Singh's reign as Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala, in British India, lasted from 1900 to 1938. He was a member of the Phulki ...
. The names 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 ''Daagh-e-Shahi''. During the Moghul times a ''Daagh-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
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...
for
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
patients, it has a British era graveyard overlooking a valley. It is on the same height as Lawrence School
Sanawar The Lawrence School, Sanawar, is the oldest Private school, private boarding school in Himachal Pradesh, which is located in Kasauli near Solan, Solan city. Established in 1847, its history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the most pre ...
near
Kasauli Kasauli is a town and cantonment, located in the Solan district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The cantonment was established by the British Raj in 1842 as a Colonial hill station,Sharma, Ambika"Architecture of Kasauli churches" ''The ...
, and is a short drive from Dharampur on the Chandigarh
Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...
highway. It is some 65 kilometers from
Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
. Unlike Kasauli it is to the right of the highway while driving towards Shimla. There are two roads up, both steep. And after snow,
snow chains Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices fitted to the tires of vehicles to provide increased traction when driving through snow and ice. Snow chains attach to the drive wheels of a vehicle or special systems deploy chains which swing under ...
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 Army Public School is a boarding school located in Dagshai, India. It lies on top of the Dagshai Hills. General K Sunderji and General R S Dayal established the school in 1986 under HQ Western Command. It is a co-educational residential School ...
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 (ISO: ''Paṁcakulā'') is a city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district in Haryana, India. It is a satellite town of the state capital Chandigarh. Panchkula is a border city with Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh ...
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 is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. It is near Panchkula city. The name of the town is derived from the Hindu goddess Kali. Kalka is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring st ...
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 is a hill station, near City of Solan in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The station lies on UNESCO World Heritage Site Kalka–Shimla Railway. Set in the mountains Barog is just from Chandigarh on the Kalka-Shiml ...
and
Solan Solan is a city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of Solan district. It is located south of the state capital, Shimla. Solan has an average elevation of . The city is situated between Chandigarh (joint cap ...
. 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 is a small town in Himachal Pradesh of India. It is the site of the Bhimakali Temple, originally known as Bhimadevi Temple (Bhīmā Kālī), dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali, presiding deity of the rulers of the former Bu ...
and
Nahan Nahan is a town located in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of the Sirmaur district. It was formerly the capital of the princely state of Sirmur State, Sirmur. Nahan is also known as the "Tow ...
.


Dagshai Central Jail & Jail Museum

The Dagshai Central Jail was built in 1849. It is now a museum.


Irish soldiers' mutiny, 1920

Following a
mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...
by Irish soldiers in 1920, in support of the independence struggle then unfolding in Ireland, dozens of mutineers were incarcerated at Dagshai Prison. On 2 November 1920, mutineer leader James Daly, a 21-year-old private, was executed by
firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...
in the prison courtyard, the last British soldier ever executed for mutiny. His body remained at the Dagshai graveyard until 1970, when his remains were repatriated to Ireland and given a funeral with full military honours.


Geography

Dagshai is located at . It has an average elevation of .


Demographics

India
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
, 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.


Religion (2011)


Residential schools

*
Army Public School, Dagshai Army Public School is a boarding school located in Dagshai, India. It lies on top of the Dagshai Hills. General K Sunderji and General R S Dayal established the school in 1986 under HQ Western Command. It is a co-educational residential School ...
(ranked 9th among top boarding schools) * Dagshai Public School (a residential school, started way back in 1957, and affiliated with ICSE). * Sarvahitkari Shiksha Niketan * VC children primary school


References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Solan district Cantonments of India Cantonments of British India 1847 establishments in British India