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Indian Institute of Advanced Study
The Indian Institute of Advanced Study, on Observatory Hill in Shimla, is the former Viceregal Lodge — site of the 1945 Simla Conference on India's self-rule.
What it is
On Observatory Hill, one of the seven hills Shimla is built across, this Victorian-era mansion was built for the viceroy Lord Dufferin, in office from 1884 through 1888, and known as the Viceregal Lodge. Designed by Henry Irwin of the Public Works Department, it had electricity as early as 1888, well before the rest of the town. After independence it was renamed Rashtrapati Niwas and became a presidential summer retreat, before being converted in the 1960s into today's research institute.
Getting there
About 9 minutes by road from the edge of Shimla, roughly 4 km — one of the closer stops on the one-day loop.
The visit
Two of modern India's most consequential meetings happened inside this one building: the 1945 Simla Conference, which discussed self-rule, and the 1947 decision that ultimately split the subcontinent into separate nations. Casual visitors see the entrance hall and manicured gardens; a guided tour covers the teak-panelled interior and the building's fuller history in much greater depth. A small bookshop and cafe, in the former fire-station complex, round out the grounds.
> interior that made this building historically significant in the first place.
When to go
April to June or September and October, matching the rest of Shimla's clearer, drier windows — the gardens are at their best outside the heaviest monsoon rain.
Around it
The Ridge, Christ Church and Jakhoo Temple fill out the same one-day loop from Shimla.
Plans that include this
All 3 plans that stop here →
Day plan · First visitClassic
One day in Shimla — the Ridge, Christ Church and Jakhoo
A single-day Shimla loop: the Ridge, Christ Church, the former Viceregal Lodge, and Jakhoo Temple's giant Hanuman statue. Free, copyable itinerary.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
See the plan →
1 night · 2 days · First visitClassic
Two days in Shimla — the Ridge and Kufri
A two-day Shimla plan: the Ridge, Christ Church and Jakhoo Temple on day one, then Kufri and Tara Devi Temple on day two. Free, copyable plan on HimLocal.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
See the plan →
2 nights · 3 days · First visitClassic
Three days in Shimla — the full circuit
A three-day Shimla plan: the colonial town core on day one, quieter temples and a waterfall on day two, Kufri and Tara Devi Temple on day three.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
See the plan →Nearby places
Questions people ask
What was the Viceregal Lodge used for?
Built for the viceroy Lord Dufferin, who held the post through the late 1880s, it went on to house every viceroy and governor-general who followed him. The 1945 Simla Conference on self-rule and the 1947 decision that split off Pakistan and East Pakistan were both reached inside these same walls.
Why is it now called Rashtrapati Niwas?
After independence the building was renamed Rashtrapati Niwas and served as the president's own summer residence, until years of neglect led Dr. S. Radhakrishnan to repurpose it as a research and scholarship institute instead — today's Indian Institute of Advanced Study.
Can visitors go inside the Indian Institute of Advanced Study?
Casual visitors can walk through the reception area and grounds; the rest of the building, including its teak-panelled interior, is seen only on a guided tour. A small bookshop and cafe sit on the premises for anyone waiting between visits.