| 1849 |
Punjab was annexed to the British Raj after the 2nd
Sikh War. |
| 1850 |
Lt. Col. Napier, Chief Engineer of Punjab was enchanted
by the scenic spot in the Chamba state and visualized the project. |
| 1851 |
Selection of the site was finalized. A spot where the
Dain Kund Ridge, at the western edge of the Dhauladhar range of the
Himalayas, breaks into spurs was carved out. Dr. Clemenger of the
49th Native Infantry was in charge of the site development. |
| 1853 |
Thirteen square miles of land comprising
of the five hills Kathalagli, Potrein, Terah (Moli Tibba), Bakrota,
and Bhangora were acquired by the Government of India from the Raja
of the Chamba state. In return, the annual tribute that the Chamba
state paid to the British Government was reduced by 2000 rupees. The
total tribute at that time was 12,000 rupees per a year. |
| 1854 |
Sir Donald McLeod recommended that the estate
be named after Lord Dalhousie, the viceroy of India at that time.
Convalescent Depot was constructed at Kathalag. It was made part of
the Kangra District in the Punjab state. |
| 1860's |
Three level malls around Bakrota, Terah, and Potrein
hills were laid down. The roads that connect these malls are still
the main arteries of the city today. |
| 1861 |
Dalhousie was transferred to the Gurdaspur District
from the Kangra District. |
| 1863 |
St. John's church was built at the G.P.O. (Now known as Gandhi
Chowk) Reverend John H. Pratt was instrumental in raising money
from the Christian community.
|
| 1868 |
A round walk road is build around Dalhousie Cantt (aka
Balun) |
| 1873 |
Rabindranath Tagore spends time in Dalhousie with his
father Maharishi D.N. Tagore. |
| 1884 |
Rudyard Kipling visited Dalhousie. His father John Kipling
was editor of a newspaper in Lahore. He was a summer resident of Dalhousie.
Dalhousie was the summer capital of the Lahore Commissioner. His office
and court along with high British bureaucrats and the gentry of Lahore
moved to Dalhousie in the Spring. John loved Dalhousie and adored
its beauty. However, the young Kipling was not so struck and labelled
it Dull-Housie |
| 1894 |
The St. Francis Church was built at Charing Cross (now
known as Subash Chowk) |
| 1903 |
St. Andrew's Church (AKA The Church of Scotland) was
built at Dalhousie Cantt. |
| 1909 |
St. Patrick's Church was built near the military hospital
at Dalhousie Cantt. The British Army personnel contributed money for
the church. |
| 1910 |
Convent of the Sacred Heart, a residential school for
girls, was started under the Archdioce of Lahore. |
| 1915 |
Sadar Bazar, the main market of Dalhousie, was burnt
down by a ferocious fire. The new Sadar Bazar buildings came up, and
stone was used instead of wood. These 3-4 storey stone houses with
slop |
| 1920 |
Electricity was first distributed. A large generator
using diesel was built to bring the electricity to the elite town. |
| 1925 |
Pundit J.L. Nehru visited Dalhousie. |
| 1920s-1947 |
Dalhousie was at its peak as a tourist destination.
It became a favorite of the elite from Punjab, especially Lahore,
for retreat in the summer. |
| 1947 |
Indian Independence and partition of Punjab resulted
in migration of large, local Muslim population to Pakistan. |
| 1947-1953 |
Dalhousie economy and tourism hit its low point due
to the migration and loss of patronage from the British bureaucrats
and army. |
| 1954 |
Pundit Nehru, prime minister of India, presided over
the centennial celebrations of Dalhousie. He promoted tourism with
his call "Let us go to the Himalayas." |
| 1959 |
Tibet was taken over by China. Dalhousie was picked
to host several thousand Tibetan refugees at the instance of Pundit
Nehru. Most of them have left the town. However, they have left their
influence in the form of road-side rock sculptures and a Tibetan market
near the GPO. |
| 1962 |
Dalai llama visited Dalhousie. He visited again in 1988. |
| 1966 |
With the reorginazation of the Punjab state, Dalhousie
was transferred to the Himachal Pradesh. |
| 1970 |
Dalhousie Public School was started by ???????????? |
| 1971 |
Himachal was elevated from a union territory to a full
state. |
| 1979 |
Dalhousie Hill Top School started by Mr. Dhawan |
| 1980s |
Dalhousie's economy and tourism was elevated from terrorism-related
problems in Punjab and Kashmir. Barasiul Hydroelectric dam construction
is started on the Ravi River near Dalhousie. |
| 1984 |
Chamera Hydroelectric project generating 750 MW electricity
started near Dalhousie. The project was completed in 1994. |
| 1990s |
Dalhousie became a favorite of Bollywood. Many films,
including 1942 - A Love Story, were filmed here. |
| 1997 |
Finally, the ravages done to Dalhousie with the partition
of Punjab have been reversed. It took 50 years to find its old glory. |
| 1999 |
Guru Nanak School started |
| 2001 |
Centennial celebration of Sacred Heart Convent school??????? |
| 2004 |
Quintcentennial celebrated in October |
