CAPF AC 2021 Q107: Modern History – British Administration & Economic Policies
- (a) To serve as winter capitals for the British
- (b) To serve the needs of the British army
- (c) To source timber from forests
- (d) To set up sanatoria
Answer: (b) To serve the needs of the British army
Explanation
Why hill stations were first set up
How to think: the key word is initially.
Hill stations later became sanatoria and summer capitals.
But NCERT says their founding was first connected with the needs of the British army.
| Hill station | Founded in connection with |
|---|---|
| Simla | The Gurkha War (1815-16) |
| Mount Abu | The Anglo-Maratha War of 1818 |
| Darjeeling | Taken from the rulers of Sikkim in 1835 |
Their uses, in order:
| Stage | Use |
|---|---|
| First | Strategic places for billeting troops, guarding frontiers and launching campaigns |
| Later | Sanatoria, where soldiers rested and recovered from illness |
| Later still | Summer capitals; Simla became the official residence of the commander-in-chief and the summer seat of the Viceroy |
Answer: (b) To serve the needs of the British army.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Hill stations became summer, not winter, capitals, and only later.
- (b) CORRECT. They were first founded for the needs of the British army.
- (c) Incorrect. Timber was not the reason hill stations were set up.
- (d) Incorrect. They were developed as sanatoria later, not initially.
Key point
Hill stations (NCERT, Themes III): initially for the British army; Simla (Gurkha War 1815-16), Mount Abu (Anglo-Maratha War 1818), Darjeeling (from Sikkim, 1835). Later sanatoria and summer capitals; in 1864 Viceroy John Lawrence moved his council to Simla.
Remember
Hill stations: first for the army, later for health and summer.
Common mistakes
- Marking sanatoria, which was a later use and not the first purpose.
- Missing the trap word winter; the hills were for escaping the summer heat.
- Ignoring the word initially, on which the whole question turns.
Exam tip
Educated guess: look at when the first hill stations appeared: right after the Gurkha and Maratha wars. Places founded straight after wars were founded for soldiers.
Sources
- NCERT Class XII History — Themes in Indian History Part III, Chapter 12: Colonial Cities (the first hill stations)
- Dane Kennedy, The Magic Mountains: Hill Stations and the British Raj (1996)