History of Murree

 began with its founding in 1851 by Sir Henry Lawrence who was at the time the Governor of Punjab. The city has come a long way since its humble beginnings and has become one of the top resort towns in all of Southeast Asia.

The Founding of Murree

Murree was originally founded in 1851 as a sanatorium for British troops in the area. The permanent town of Murree was constructed in 1853 and the church was sanctified shortly thereafter. One main road was established, commonly referred to even in modern times, as the mall.

Murree was the headquarters of the Punjab Government until 1876 when it was moved to Simla. The area remained a primarily British occupied locale well into the 20th century. Though the early population teetered at a little over 1,000 occupants, in the summer visitors caused the population to soar to nearly 10 times that.

The 1857 War of Independence

In 1857 local Murree tribes staged an attack of the British forces. Their efforts were commendable and led to an agreement from the British to release Murree. The agreement proved to be only temporary as 2 sides of the coup could not agree on the contents of the proposition. Later the British would choose to disregard the agreement all together and reclaim Murree.

British Presence

Even after war ended many Brits found that they enjoyed the cool summers of Murree and began to summer there regularly. Many of the summering British decided to permanently settle in Murree and raise families. Several prominent figures were born in Murree thanks to the heavy British majority. Some well-known Brits born in Murree include Bruce Bairnsfather, a famous WWII cartoonist; Francis Younghusband, an army official and explorer known for his founding of the Bible Society at Murree’s Christian High School; and Reginald Dyer the general infamously responsible for the Amritsar Massacre.

Modern Murree

Murree has remained a popular summer resort for guests from all over the world. This resort at the foot of the Himalayas touts some of the most luxurious accommodations in all of India. It is Pakistan’s largest resort town. There are several hotels and sites to visit in the famous city. The hotel built in 1857 still stands in the center of town and is still used as a house of worship to this day.

The population of Murree has exploded since the 1950s. This has caused massive issues in infrastructure that the Indian government (and now Pakistan government) is constantly working to solve. In spite of this Murree remains a popular resort town visited by thousands of international guests each year.