Bot at 23:28, 4 September 2022

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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Dagshai
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| other_name = Dagshai & Kumarhatti
| nickname =
| settlement_type = town
| image_skyline = Kumarhatti Dagshai Railway Station.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Kumarhatti Dagshai Railway Station
| pushpin_map = India Himachal Pradesh#India
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Himachal Pradesh, India
| coordinates = {{coord|30.88|N|77.05|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Himachal Pradesh]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Solan district|Solan]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 1734
| population_total = 2904
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code =
| registration_plate =[[List of RTO districts in India#HP.E2.80.94Himachal Pradesh|HP]]
}}

'''Dagshai''', also known as '''Daagh-e-Shahi''', is one of the oldest [[cantonment]] towns in the [[Solan district|Solan]] district of [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[India]]. It is situated on top of a 5,689-foot (1,734-m) high hillock that stands sphinx-like astride the Kalka-Shimla Highway at a point about 11 km from Solan. It was founded in 1847 by the [[East India Company]] by securing free of cost five villages from [[Maharaja of Patiala]] aka [[Bhupinder Singh of Patiala]]. The names of these villages were Dabbi, Badhtiala, Chunawad, Jawag and Dagshai. The new cantonment was named after the last named village, as it was the largest and most strategically located. The name Dagshai, according to a popular local legend was derived from ''Daagh-e-Shahi''. During the [[Mughal Empire|Moghul]] times a ''Daagh-e-Shahi'' (royal mark) was put on the forehead of the criminals and sent packing to the then Dagshai village.{{cn|date=August 2022}}
[[File:Dagshai army barracks and parade ground c1918.jpg|thumb|Dagshai army barracks and parade ground circa 1918; now schools and playing fields]]
<ref>From photo album of Private Robert Victor Soper, Hampshire Regiment; Titled "Our quarters, Dagshai; Kasouli Ridge behind, with Monkey Point 6,322ft"</ref>

==Overview==
{{Unsourced|section|date=August 2022}}
Built by the British as a [[sanatorium]] for [[tuberculosis]] patients, it has a British era graveyard overlooking a valley. It is on the same height as [[Lawrence School, Sanawar|Lawrence School]] [[Sanawar]] near [[Kasauli]], and is a short drive from Dharampur on the Chandigarh [[Shimla]] highway. It is some 65 kilometers from [[Chandigarh]]. Unlike Kasauli it is to the right of the highway while driving towards Shimla. There are two roads up, both steep. And after snow, [[snow chains]] are a must to drive up to Dagshai or getting down from it.
There is an army unit stationed there, a residential only [[Army Public School, Dagshai]] and a private school called Dagshai Public School.

There is a very small civilian town, and the two schools take up most of this hilltop station. There are no hotels in Dagshai, but the place has a lot of picnic spots with grand views. From some spots one can see the entire [[Panchkula]] and Chandigarh lights at night. Also, one is able to see Timber Trail Heights and Timber Trail Resorts, Parwanoo.

There is a railway station on the [[Kalka]] Simla line at Kumar Hatti, from where Dagshai is about 1.5 kilometers uphill.
The next towns in the direction towards Simla are [[Barog]] and [[Solan district|Solan]]. Solan is some 11 km from Kumar Hatti by road, and Dagshai is some 3 km from Kumar Hatti. From Kumar Hatti there is also a road to [[Sarahan]] and [[Nahan]].

== Dagshai Central Jail & Jail Museum ==
The '''[[Dagshai Central Jail & Museum|Dagshai Central Jail]]''' was built in 1849. It is now a museum.

==Irish soldiers' mutiny, 1920==
{{Unsourced|section|date=August 2022}}
Following a [[mutiny]] by [[Ireland|Irish]] soldiers in 1920, in support of the independence struggle then unfolding in Ireland, dozens of mutineers were incarcerated at Dagshai Prison.

On 2 November 1920, mutineer leader James Daly, a 21-year-old private, was executed by [[firing squad]] in the prison courtyard, the last British soldier ever executed for mutiny. His body remained at the Dagshai graveyard until 1970, when his remains were repatriated to Ireland and given a funeral with full military honours.

==Geography==

Dagshai is located at {{coord|30.88|N|77.05|E|}}.<ref>[http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/11/Dagshai.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Dagshai]</ref> It has an average elevation of {{convert|1734|m}}.

==Demographics==
{{As of|2001}} India [[census]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999|archive-date=2004-06-16|title= Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)|access-date=2008-11-01|publisher= Census Commission of India}}</ref> Dagshai had a population of 2751. Males constitute 62% of the population and females 38%. Dagshai has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 88% and, female literacy is 73%. In Dagshai, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

==Religion (2011)==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!| Sr No
!| [[Religion]]
!|Percentage as per 2011 Census<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.census2011.co.in/data/town/800127-dagshai-himachal-pradesh.html|title=Dagshai Religion data census 2011|website=census2011.co.in|access-date=18 September 2022}}</ref>
|-
| 1
! [[Hindu]]
! 94.01%
|-
| 2
! [[Sikh]]
! 3.0%
|-
| 3
! [[Christians|Christian]]
! 1.65%
|-
| 4
! [[Muslim]]
! 0.65%
|-
| 5
! [[Buddhist]]
! 0.62%
|-
| 6
! [[Jain]]
! 0.03%
|-
| 7
! Not stated
! 0.03%
|}

== Residential schools ==
* [[Army Public School, Dagshai]] (ranked 9th among top boarding schools)
* Dagshai Public School (a residential school, started way back in 1957, and affiliated with ICSE).
* Sarvahitkari Shiksha Niketan
* VC children primary school

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in Solan district]]
[[Category:Cantonments of India]]
[[Category:Cantonments of British India]]
[[Category:1847 establishments in British India]]

Dagshai - Revision history

Bot at 23:28, 4 September 2022