Mussoorie
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Mussoorie
{MansTiri). Hill station and sanitarium in Dehra Dun District, United Provinces, situated in 30° 27' N. and 78° 5' E. It stands on a ridge of the Outer Himalayas at a height of 6,000 to 7,500 feet above sea-level, among beautiful and varied mountain scenery, and forms practically one town with Landour, where there is a convalescent depot for troops. The population of the municipality and cantonment in the cold season has varied from 2,753 '" 1872 to 4,852 in 1881, 7,175 in 1891, and 6,461 in 1901. In September, 1900, the population within municipal limits was 14,689, of whom 7,420 were Hindus, 3,424 Musalmans, and 3,660 Christians (mostly Europeans and Eurasians). The cantonment population was 3,711, of whom 1,516 were Christians.
Mussoorie became a sanitarium in 1826, the year before Landour was made a convalescent depot for troops, and has gradually become one of the most popular health resorts in Northern India. Up to 1900 it was reached h\ road from Saharanpur, 58 miles away, but the opening of the Hardwar-Dehra Railway has made it more accessible. Dehra is about 7 miles from Raj pur, at the foot of the hills, from which Mus- soorie is reached by a bridle-path 7 miles long or by a cart-road of
14 miles. During the hot season the members of the District staff reside for part of each month at Mussoorie, and it is the summer head- quarters of field parties of the Trigonometrical Survey of India. The Mussoorie municipality was constituted in 1850. During the ten years ending 1901 the receipts averaged Rs. 71,800, besides loans from Government, amounting to Rs. 1,16,000, for water-works and sewerage. In 1903-4 the receipts were i-6 lakhs, including tax on houses and land (Rs. 32,000), tolls (Rs. 50,000), conservancy tax (Rs. 19,000); and the expenditure was 1-4 lakhs, including conservancy (Rs. 28,000), water-supply (Rs. 13,000), general administration (Rs. 22,000), roads (Rs. 26,000), interest and debt (Rs. 7,000). The Bhilaru sewage shoot for the disposal of refuse is the most important sanitary work, carried out recently at a cost of Rs. 70,000 : schemes for an improved water-supply and electric lighting are under consideration.
Mussoorie exists chiefly as a health resort, and the only manufacture 15 that of beer at two breweries, which employed 131 men in 1903 and made nearly half a million gallons of beer. It is of great importance as an educational centre for European and Eurasian children ; and there arenine.schools for boys and five for girls of these classes, with about 600 boarders and 200 day scholars, besides a school at Landour. A Roman Catholic cathedral is under construction.
