IIAS opens up for tourists after 11 months
Almost a year since the Covid-19 induced lockdown, the 18th century British-era building of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) in Shimla was opened for visitors on Thursday.
“The building is now open for visitors from 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm. However, they will have to adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOPS) amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Visitors need to carry hand sanitisers and maintain social distancing,” said Akhilesh Pathak, the public relations officer at IIAS.
Built in 1888 and formerly known as Viceregal Lodge, the majestic building on the Observatory Hills 3km from The Ridge, served as the summer residence of the viceroys who governed India between 1886 and 1946 and came to be known as Rashtrapati Niwas, the President of India’s retreat in 1964.
Big draw with tourists
Due to its old-world charm, it is popular with tourists. On an average, two lakh tourists
visited the building annually before the lockdown. The IIAS charges Rs 40 as entry fee from domestic tourists and Rs 85 from foreign nationals. Those who want to see the building from outside alone are charged Rs 20. The government earns an estimated Rs 85 lakh annually from visitors to the building, which was thrown open to the public in 1992 and declared a heritage structure in 1997.
Witness to history being made
During the Raj, several signifi
cant strategies were deliberated upon in the building that served as the nerve centre of the British administration. Thirteen viceroys stayed in the building with Lord Dufferin being the first to move in and Lord Mountbatten the last.
The Simla Conference of 1945 at Viceregal Lodge was attended by the then viceroy, Lord Wavell, and leaders of the Indian Muslim League and the Indian National Congress such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Liaqat Ali Khan, Master Tara Singh and
Mohammed Ali Jinnah. It is said to have laid the foundation of the Partition as the meet was convened by Lord Wavell to find a way out of Jinnah’s insistence for Pakistan. Mahatma Gandhi was in Shimla at that time but didn’t attend the meet. The table where the Partition papers were prepared is carved out of walnut wood and displayed in one of the galleries of the building.
Standing test of time
Viceregal Lodge was designed by British architect Henry Irwin and built in the Jacobethan style during Lord Dufferin’s tenure as viceroy. Its construction started in 1880 and was completed in 1888. Lord Dufferin occupied the lodge on July 23, 1888.
It was built at a cost of Rs 38 lakh with an annual upkeep cost of Rs 1.5 lakh in the 1880s.
The estate stood on 331 acres but today it’s reduced to 110 acres.
The structure draws inspiration from the architectural style of the English Renaissance, and also reflects elements of the castles of the Scottish Highlands. The building is of light bluegrey stone masonry with tiled pitch roofing.