Known as the place where the British finally struck the deal for independence and partition of India ... altitude 2000 meters, it is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. The town is best known for it's famous "Mall" ... the main shopping street that extends for more than a kilometre, littered with British colonial architecture and the occasional quaint curio shops. Very much tourism oriented, Shimla is most attractive when it snows, or at night with the thousands of lights dotting the sides of the mountains.