Chakrata

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Chakrata
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Presidency: Bengal
Coordinates: 30.69°N 77.86°E
Altitude: 2,118 m (6,949 ft)
Present Day Details
Place Name: Chakrata
State/Province: Uttarakhand
Country: India
Transport links

Chakrata is located in the Dehra Dun District, between Mussoorie and Simla. It was established as a cantonment in 1866 and first occupied in 1869.

Kailana which is located nearby, was established at the same time as an Army Convalescent Depot. Its function may have changed changed, as circa 1891, "The troops here consist of two bodies of men. A whole regiment is quartered upon two hills known as Chakrata proper. On an adjacent hill, called Kailana, which is about two-and-a-half miles from Chakrata , some 750 men (small detachments from several regiments and batteries), known as "details" are located. The "details" generally march up some ten or twelve days later than the regiment". [1]

The station was isolated and the hills considered to have particularly steep gradients. [2]

There was a brewery located a few miles down hill of Chakatra,[3] the Cart Road Brewery.

Spelling Variants

Modern name: Chakrata
Variants: Chakratta/Chakrauta/Chuckrata/Chhuckrowta

FIBIS resources

Kailana in 1933

550 men of the 1st Black Watch spent three months at Kailana in 1933. The first part of the journey from Meerut to Kailana was made by train to Dehra Dun. From here the trip uphill was by bus, to Kalsi via Jumnipur. Kalsi rest camp lay in a perfect setting at the bottom of the thickly clad lower slopes of the Himalayas. Kalsi was also well known for its bat like mosquitoes. All of the baggage would be offloaded from the buses on to A.T carts and then in the cool of the evening a route march was begun to Saiah. Saiah rest camp was besides an ice cold stream, which had its source in the Pindari glacier. An early start the next day brought the troops to the bottom of the infamous "Short Cut" - a narrow and very steep hill road leading to Kailana camp.
As usual sport dominated the activities here along with Khud walks but there was unfortunately only one football pitch. Soldiering was confined to route marches and musketry, which were often interrupted by torrential rain or made impossible by the terrain. Other amusements were few. The Bazaar was indifferent and the Soldiers Club many weary miles away which was made worse by the complete absence of the "tat". [2]

External links

Historical books online

References

  1. "On the Cause of Enteric Fever in India" by H Skey Muir M. D., page 25 1891 Archive.org
  2. 2.0 2.1 Indian Hill Stations Visited by the 42nd Regiment 1931-1935 from Ian Davidson's The Black Watch Archive. The information was based on the Red Hackle Regimental Journal. Retrieved 24 January 2015
  3. Chapter: "My early childhood days" c late 1920s, ‪Biography of a Soldier Doctor ‬by Parampal Singh Coonar Google Books