Shimla in the context of "Cut-and-cover"

Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northwestern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the remaining directions. Chandigarh constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which also includes the adjacent satellite cities of Panchkula in Haryana and Mohali in Punjab. It is located 260 km (162 miles) northwest of New Delhi and 229 km (143 miles) southeast of Amritsar and 104 km (64 miles) southwest of Shimla.

Chandigarh is one of the earliest planned cities in post-independence India and is internationally known for its architecture and urban design. The master plan of the city was prepared by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, which built upon earlier plans created by the Polish architect Maciej Nowicki and the American planner Albert Mayer. Most of the government buildings and housing in the city were designed by a team headed by Le Corbusier and British architects Dame Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry. Chandigarh's Capitol Complex—as part of a global ensemble of Le Corbusier's buildings—was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO at the 40th session of the World Heritage Conference in July 2016.

A hill station is a type of hill town, mostly in colonial Asia, but also in colonial Africa (albeit rarely), founded by European colonialists as a refuge from the summer heat. As historian Dane Kennedy observes about the Indian context, "the hill station (...) was seen as an exclusive British preserve: here it was possible to render the Indian into an outsider". The term is still used in present day, particularly in India, which has the largest number of hill stations; most are situated at an altitude of approximately 1,000 to 2,500 metres (3,300 to 8,200 ft).

The Simla Agreement, also spelled Shimla Agreement, is a bilateral peace treaty and framework agreement signed between India and Pakistan on 2 July 1972 in Shimla, the capital of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It followed the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which began after India intervened in a civil war in East Pakistan on Mukti Bahini's side against Pakistani state forces.

The treaty's official purpose is stated to serve as a way for both countries to "put an end to the conflict and confrontation that have hitherto marred their relations" and to conceive the steps to be taken for further normalization of India–Pakistan relations while also laying down the principles that should govern their future interactions.

This list of the highest cities in the world includes only cities with a population greater than 100,000 inhabitants and an average height above sea level over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).

Mandi (formerly known as Mandav Nagar) is a major city and a municipal corporation in Mandi District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated 145 kilometres (90 mi) north of state capital, Shimla in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 880 m (2,890 ft) Mandi is connected to the Pathankot through National Highway 154 and to Manali and Chandigarh through National Highway 5. Mandi is approximately 163 km (101 mi) from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 395 km (245 mi) from New Delhi, the national capital. In the 2011 Indian census, Mandi had a population of 26,422. Mandi district is currently the 4th largest economy in the state. Mandi has the second highest sex ratio of 1013 females per thousand males, in the state.

It serves as the headquarters of Mandi District and Zonal Headquarters of central zone including districts namely Kullu, Bilaspur, and Hamirpur. As a tourist place, Mandi is often referred to as "Varanasi of Hills" or "Choti Kashi" or "Kashi of Himachal". Also, Mandi is the starting point for a trek of the region, Prashar lake trek. From Mandi, trekkers go to Bagi village, which serves as the base village for Prashar lake. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi is a premier institute located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Mandi town.

Panchkula (ISO: Paṁcakulā) is a city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district in Haryana, India. It is a satellite town of the state capital Chandigarh. Panchkula is a border city with Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. The origin of the name Panchkula came from "the place where five irrigation canals meet". It is approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of Chandigarh, 105 km (65 mi) southwest of Shimla, 44 km (27 mi) from Ambala and 259 km (161 mi) northeast of New Delhi, the national capital. It is a part of the Chandigarh capital region or Greater Chandigarh. The Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula metropolitan region collectively forms a Chandigarh Tricity, with a combined population of over two million.

The city hosts the Chandimandir Cantonment, the headquarters of the Western Command of the Indian Army. It is a planned city like Chandigarh, with a sector system.

Murree is a mountain resort city in the northernmost region of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Lying in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range under the western Himalayas, it is located in the northeast of the capital city of Islamabad. The town was built in the mid-19th century and served as the summer capital of the British Punjab, allowing British troops to escape the scorching heat of the plains of Punjab. It has an average altitude of 2,291 metres (7,516 ft).

Construction of the town was started in 1851 on the hills of Murree as a sanatorium for British troops. The permanent town of Murree was constructed in 1853 and a church was consecrated shortly thereafter. One main road was established, commonly referred to as "Mall Road". Murree was the headquarters of the colonial Government of the Punjab Province during the 1873–1875 summer; later the summer capital was moved to Shimla.