Mashobra

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Mashobra is a town in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh, India, located about 2,146 meters above sea level. It sits near Shimla and is connected by the historic Hindustan–Tibet Road, built in 1850. The area lies at roughly 31.13°N, 77.23°E.

Historically, Mashobra belonged to the princely state of Koti and became a popular weekend retreat for Shimla’s colonial residents in the late 19th century. It now hosts one of India’s two Presidential retreats, where the president visits each year and the nearby government offices move to the wooden retreat at Chharabra during those visits. In 1948, Mountbatten and Lady Edwina stayed there, and Jawaharlal Nehru visited.

Mashobra is also a tourist destination, with Wildflower Hall at Chharabra (now part of Oberoi Hotels). Nearby Carignano, a villa near Mashobra, was turned into a weekend resort in 1920 and features in Anita Desai’s novels. Notable people with ties to the area include writer Pankaj Mishra, filmmaker Amit Khanna, and diplomat Navtej Sarna.

The town is part of the Shimla Water Catchment and Wildlife Sanctuary. Its natural vegetation includes pine, oak, cedar (deodar), rhododendron, maple, and horse chestnut. Wildlife includes monkeys, langurs, jackals, barking deer, leopards, and birds such as the Himalayan eagle, pheasants, chikor, and partridges. The area also hosts the Himalayan International School at Chharabra.