Introduction

Located in the northern state of India, Uttarakhand, Landour is about 35 km from the city of Dehradun and is contiguous with Mussoorie. During the British Era, the twin towns of Mussoorie and Landour were well known hill stations and were widely known as the "Queen of the Hills". The official languages spoken in Landour are Hindi and Garhwali.

History of Landour

History of Landour completes the description of British East India Company rule and the British Government in India in the summer times, as this place is the summer seat to the Europeans.

Formation of Landour : Landour is within Dehradun District of the former United Provinces. The United Provinces themselves were carved out of the former Northwest Province of the vast Bengal Presidency, which stretched from Burma to the Khyber Pass; accordingly, early accounts show Landour as part of Bengal (now West Bengal and Bangladesh), which was technically true though the description was incomplete.

Landour as the British Seat : Landour was initially built by and for the British Indian Army. From 1827 when a sanatorium was built in Landour, the town was a convalescent station for the military, and hence much of Landour is a Cantonment. The original sanatorium is now occupied by the Institute of Technology Management ("ITM") of the DRDO; it is at the eastern end of the Landour ridge.

Landour in Second World War : In the early 20th century, a full British Military Hospital (BMH) was opened, with a medical staff than specialized in tropical diseases; the hospital closed soon after 1947. Also within the ITM premises is the former Soldiers` Furlough Home, a holiday home for British and Irish soldiers and JCOs in Indian regiments who lacked the means to return to Europe regularly. Or, the holidaying soldiers were serving in British regiments on rotation in India, their tours of duty lasting anywhere from 6 to 48 months. In terms of area, Landour Cantonment comprises about two-thirds of Landour; the remainder includes Landour Bazaar, which stretches along the spur that connects to Mussoorie.

Mussoorie-Landour: Twin Tourist Destination : The first permanent building in all of Mussoorie-Landour was also built in Landour in 1825. The house was built by Captain Young, the discoverer of Mussoorie, who was also the Commandant of the first Gurkha (or Gorkha) battalion raised by the British after prevailing in the Gurkha War. Young`s house, "Mullingar" (hinting at his Irish blood), was the family home during the hot summers in the plains. Young`s Dehradun-based battalion, then called the Sirmour (or Sirmoor) Rifles, was initially raised in a Gurkha POW camp in Paonta Sahib in Sirmour District - hence the name. The huge L-shaped building, with an outsized courtyard inside the bend of the "L", sits prominently atop Mullingar Hill in Landour Cantonment.

Landour in 1857 : From 1857, Landour became the permanent seat for the British Army, which led to a spurt in the European population of Mussoorie-Landour, with many families leaving the exposed towns of the Gangetic Plain. Among the Britons who thus moved to Landour were the parents of Jim Corbett.

Climate of Landour

The altitude differential, aided by Landour being partly Tibet-facing, has a marked effect on the temperature, which can be 2 degree to 3 degree Celsius lower than in Mussoorie. During the monsoon, Landour receives almost daily rainfall, often heavy. Additionally, pre-and post-monsoon showers mean a rainy season that can run from May to September, though it can be shorter. Before the rains arrive, the months of April and May are the warmest period, with the temperatures rising to over 30 degree Celsius. The months between December to February are downright cold, especially if one does not receive enough direct sunlight, as on the northern slopes. It can snow anywhere between 3 and 15 times in the winter, at times heavily. In a given year Landour receives perhaps twice the snow that Mussoorie does; it also takes longer to melt especially on the north-facing slopes.

Ecology of Landour

The cantonment of Landour for the most part is carpeted by old-growth forests of deodar cedar, Himalayan oak, chir pine, blue pine, West Himalayan fir, Himalayan maple, rhododendron, Himalayan manna ash and other species of trees. Landour offers a striking view of the Garhwal Himalayas from whose different elevations over 350 species can be seen comfortably. Mammals like leopards, tigers, muntjac, sloth bear, jackals, civets, jungle cats, etc are also found here.

Architecture in Landour

Architecture in Landour gives the clear picturisation of Romantic age England replica and the Indian summer retreat. This spot is now serving as the hill station and the hilly city, very near to Mussoorie.

Landour is similar to other British era hill stations of Northern India. Since Mussoorie-Landour never rivalled Shimla in administrative, political or military terms, there are few official buildings to speak of.

The private homes are largely common, the era of British Government in India pastiches, with pitched roofs (often painted a dull red) and large verandahs are to give importance to the heavy monsoons. Most houses contain architectural echoes both of Home Counties England and of the resort towns of the Scottish Highlands. Many have well-kept gardens.

About the only architecturally significant building was The Castle on the aptly named Castle Hill, now part of Survey of India, where the deposed boy-king Duleep Singh of Punjab, the son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was often "kept" for convalescent purposes between 1849 and 1853. The Amir of Afghanistan too was in the town in quasi-exile at various times in the early 20th Century as the British officials engaged in their customary machinations of map-drawing and re-drawing across the Subcontinent.

A prominent local landmark was the Clock Tower at the start of Landour Bazaar. It was of little architectural merit, but informally marked the boundary between Landour and Mussoorie. This clock tower was demolished in 2011.

Landour has four churches, two of them distinctly Indo-Gothic in style of architecture. Of the four, two remain very much in use: Kellogg Church was built in 1903, once American Presbyterian, now non-denominational, and also home to the Landour Language School and the St. Paul`s Church which was built in 1840, once Anglican, now non-denominational in Char Dukan, where Jim Corbett`s parents, Christopher and Mary Corbett married on 13th October 1859. A third Methodist church in Landour Bazaar fell into disuse after the British era ended and was eventually seized by squatters for commercial purposes by way of `kabza`. The fourth church, which is atop Landour hill, is the once-Anglican St. Peter`s Church, latterly Catholic and now in disuse and occupied by squatters apparently with the `permission` of the church committee.

Eco Tourism in Landour

Eco Tourism in Landour covers the tourist spots like the green hills, azure sky, the chilled lakes and the sweet and gentle breeze. All make Landour a forest of pine trees and the gift of nature to the nature lovers.

Landour is for the most part (unlike largely deforested Mussoorie) carpeted by old-growth forests of Deodar Cedar, Himalayan Oak, Chir Pine, Blue Pine , West Himalayan Fir, Himalayan Maple, Rhododendron, Himalayan Manna Ash and other tree species.

The north facing slopes of Landour have more deodar and fir than other species; the south-facing slopes have more oak than other species. The pines are at lower elevations than Deodar and Fir, true to form.

Among introduced species, the adaptable Platycladus does well, and Oriental Plane too is seen. A logging ban has long been in place in the reserved forests around Landour, and the ban is reasonably well enforced.

The eco tourism in Landour offers the striking views of the Garhwal Himalaya Mountain Range, with a wide vista of up to 200 km visibility on a clear day. The visible massifs and peaks include (West to East) Swargarohini, Bandarpunch, Yamnotri, Jaonli, Gangotri, Srikanta, Kedarnath, Satopanth, Chaukhamba (Badrinath) and even Nanda Devi. At its closest point, Tibet is about 70 miles (110 km) away as the crow flies; it is through Landour that Heinrich Harrer escaped to Tibet during World War II after breaking out of a British internment camp in Dehradun.

The birdlife of Landour is outstanding in its breadth of species. Over 350 species has been seen at various elevations over the course of the year, including both endemic species and migratory species from Tibet, Central Asia and Siberia. Quite a few endemic species of pheasants and raptors are among the more charismatic species that can be easily seen. As for wild mammals, leopards transit the area from time to time; their preys are mainly dogs, including strays from Landour-Mussoorie and the neighbouring villages. Also present are some Jackals, barking deer (muntjac), goral (goat-antelope) and the secretive Sloth Bear. Among smaller mammals, are the Yellow-throated Martens, Civets, Jungle Cats, Himalayan Weasels are seen, and the occasional Flying Squirrel. Pesky rhesus macaques and Hanuman langurs are as present in Landour anywhere.