The oldest cantonment town in the rugged Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India, is Dagshai or Daag-e-shahi. This tiny village, perched on a hilltop 5,689 feet above sea level, is worthwhile visiting at least once in a lifetime to see what a true unusual attraction is like. In the year 1847, the East India Company set the township’s foundation. This episode happened after Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, relinquished control of the five villages of Badhtiala, Chunawad, Dabbi, Jawag, and Dagshai to the East India Company.

The town has a prison as well, where the Irish soldiers who mutinied in 1920 were housed. Numerous structures from the British era may be found in the hill station, which serves as an army cantonment area. An army unit is stationed in the town, along with a residential Army Public School and a private school called Dagshai Public School. The two schools take up the majority of the hilltop because the town is so small. However, the town has some fascinating sites that make the trip both entertaining and educational, like the church and the Dagshai cells jail.

There aren’t any hotels in Dagshai, but there are plenty of places to go on a picnic with friends and family.

Best times to visit

The months of March through May, as well as October and November, are the ideal times to travel to the town of Dagshai.

How to reach

Only 19 kilometres separate Dagshai from Kasauli, and 11 of those kilometres are on the Kalkaji–Shimla route, which runs via Solan. Additionally, the location is 28 kilometres from Parwanoo and is reachable through National Highway 22. To get there, one can just take a bus or cab.