The Hill Cantonment of Kasauli currently occupies 658 wooded acres astride a long ridge of the Outer Himalayas. Its breath-taking views from an altitude of 6000 feet above sea-level include the Eternal Snows of the Greater Himalayas sweeping across from the North to the east and the vast plains of the Punjab, directly below it, stretching from South to the west.
The cool greenness of Kasauli with its many species of trees, ferns and native flora has long been a balm for the weary soul. It may well have been the towering Chir pines and Deodars of the ridge that originally drew the attention of the men of the Erstwhile East India Company.
In 1827, after occupying Sabathu since the end of the Nepalese War of 1816 and converting the Fort into a convalescent depot in 1818, it was determined that the summer temperatures there were too high to suit the recovering patients and Governor General Lord Amherst set out to locate a more appropriate site. The hills of Kasauli were found to be too heavily forested for practically but the tiny hill village of Shimla, on his personal inspection, proved ideal not only for convalescent depot but as the seat of Government during the hot summers and development of the village began.