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We arrived just before closing but the guard allowed us to enter and I am so glad he did as some of us are serving Prison Officers. Small prison area, exercise yard, the main building had very small cells and on the wooden floor are written the words Welcome. So different to the luxury jails we have now, prisoners of today would not offend again if kept in places like this. Built in 1849, cell size 8 x 12 feet with a 1 x 2 foot window. 54 cells, 11 of which were for staff, 16 were solitary. If you are interested in prisons then give this a visit, it does not take long but interesting. Just down the road is a grave yard. You would not want to come back to this as a prisoner that is for sure.…
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Date of experience: March 2020
2 Helpful votes
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+1
DAGSHAI I was visiting Dharampur, a small town on the way to Shimla when I heard about Dagshai and the old ‘Angrezon ke zamame ki jail’ there (A jail of the British era). So, out I went exploring this not so famous town. I was in for a surprise… it turned out to be one of the oldest cantonment towns, based in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. Its route is along a small diversion on the right from the Shimla Kalka highway close to Dharampur, about 11 km from Solan. The town has no hotels, no restaurants, no shopping areas for the tourists. Along with a few daily need shops there’s just one tiny eating joint and a small café outside the Jail and the museum. It’s the only place of interest for a tourist in Dagshai and is currently being used by the Military Engineering Service (MES). It was built in 1849 and is one of the scariest places I have been to. As we enter there are two very small open air compounds which were along the corridor leading to the actual jail hall. The heavy metal door that closes behind u as u enter is ever looming. The first thing that strikes u is that the whole place is absolutely dark. The army officer who showed me around had to use a flashlight. I entered into a large hall, with walls about 30 ft high and with small windows near the roof for the scarce ventilation. The unique feature of the jail was the wooden flooring. It was 2ft above the ground level and hollow within. This was to ensure, that no move by a prisoner goes unheard, to deter them from escaping. The hall had a number of small cells with bars like doors, with another solid metal door after a gap of about a foot, with just a tiny window for ventilation. Each cell held about 3-4 prisoners, and the notorious ones who gave trouble were made to stand between the two doors for hours, ensuring extreme physical discomfort as they could not sit nor move. The road had no population around it and there was just thick vegetation on one side and deep valleys on the other. It was a bit foggy and it drizzled now and then, so I couldn’t get the complete view on my way up. But the feel was just out of the world. Beautifully maintained paths, strategically placed benches to enjoy the scenic views…and yes the touch of the cantonment was very much there. All along the way, there were boards displaying the details of the army men who had sacrificed their lives for the nation and were awardees. But on my way back, as if the God was hearing me, the weather took a turn and the sun came out. And thank God it did, or I would have missed it all. The panoramic view that u get at so many points is to die for. Such immense beauty in abundance, and the range of mountains giving u peace and joy.…
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Date of experience: April 2018
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Response from AXETTI, CURATOR at The Dagshai Jail Museum
Responded Mar. 8, 2019
Thank you for your review. We are now in the process of expanding the Museum with additional displays and exhibits. Please do visit again. CURATOR
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It is some 65 kilometers from Chandigarh. Unlike Kasauli it is to the right of the highway while driving towards shimla
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Date of experience: September 2018
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It is a single day outing in Dagshai cantonment situated 50 kms from Chandigarh. It has a historical importance when Mahatma Gandhi was held here for some days. Now made into a museum it does give you chills going inside and seeing the cells did not have any light and total darkness. Lot of bats in the old rooms plus old furniture still lying around. Do visit if you wanna see how an old Jail looks like…
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Date of experience: September 2017
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+1
Chandigarh to dagshai distance is 55 km, , 75 min journey, nice place for half day trip or picnic. Jai museum is a place to see the best architecture of English time. Other things to visit are church n ashram and big ground for playing games
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Date of experience: September 2017
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