SA Travel Diaries: Discovering Dagshai by Vedant Chandel

An aerial view of Dagshai

 My visit to the small hill town of Dagshai, began in the unlikeliest of scenarios, when a close acquaintance, an alumni of APS Dagshai, a noted school of the army cantonment, was paying me a visit in Chandigarh. 

The Catholic Cemetery blanketed in moss and ferns

A mere 60kms separate the two cities, and the road up until the mountaintop offers an unparalleled experience for avid travelers like myself. By late afternoon we arrived in Dagshai, with the sun kissed town looking as radiant as the shy afternoon sun itself.

The Heritage Museum

 The road treads past the memorial of Maj. Uday Singh at the very entrances of the town, alongside the wall which bore the insignia of every regiment of the Indian Army that had been posted at Dagshai, followed by campus of APS entirely built by during the British occupation if the region. The style of architecture was predominantly Tudorbethan and Neo- Gothic, which could be distinctly associated to the period of Colonial India.

The Heritage Museum was amongst the best sources of drawing out information about the cantonment town. With large graphic boards arranged in a chronological order the museum walls enumerated the tales that unfolded in the town.

The Central Prison, Dagshai

Behind the museum stood the most intriguing building of the town,  the Dagshai Central Jail. The prison was constructed in 1849, and prisoners from as early as the Moghul times were sent to Dagshai. Other to be executed at the Dagshai jail included several Irish freedom fighters and revolutionaries of Kamagata Maru. 

The Façade of St Parick's Church, Dagshai

About 4kms South-East of the school campus stands the large St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, the oldest garrison church at Dagshai. The large Gothic stone structure, with heavy slate roofing and wooden ceiling put together using choona mitti held its own amongst the Mock-Tudor houses of the area. The Roman Catholic Cemetery in the vicinity has also attracts attention of the authorities as it dates back to 1850, and houses the graves of several noted Anglo-Indian dignitaries of the era, in a serene valley of vibrant moss and fern covered grounds.

The Dark Hallways of Dagshai Prison

The life of the town interests at the 21 Charing Cross which leads the traveller on to different tracks, each more enthralling than the other. The rest if the sleepy town offers more to the mind of a traveller than most of the other sought after chaotic destinations in the region. On our way back we made a stop at the local store set up by Madras Regiment for a taste of the most authentic and overwhelming Southern meal, and later at the school campus café for a freshly baked batch of cupcakes. Thereafter, at the time of dawn I got to witness the most glorious of sunsets from the hilltop of the sleepy town of Dagshai. I can safely remark that with my extensive exploration of the Dagshai, it is one of the most poignant, nuanced and harmonious creations of man and nature.