Why did Viceroy Lord Curzon establish a golf course at Naldehra, near Shimla and rename his daughter after the place?

The  Naldehra Golf course, Himachal Pradesh, India themanali.com

 lush green  Naldehra Golf Course,HM.:Wikimedia commons/
Subhashish Panigrahi

Perching  atop at an altitude of  2,200 meters  above msl at a serene place  in the foot hills 
of the lower Himalayas is India's oldest Golf Course Naldehra that measures 4285 yards on an undulating gentle rolling  meadows; Once a 9 hole course, it later was expanded to 18-hole one with 16 greens and 18 tees. Located in a picturesque place with idyllic surrounding, it is  just 22 km from the capital town Shimla, the State of Himachal Pradesh.  Lots of people, attracted by the cool climate and quiet environment,  make a beeline in the summer season to this place to play golf and enjoy other  tourist attractions around this place.

We can not get into  the establishment of the first and oldest golf course in India without going briefly into the growth of  near by Shimla, once  the famous summer capital of  the British Raj where important decisions had been taken up by the senior British officers on the future course of action to be taken  during intense freedom movements across the subcontinent.  In the early colonial days, the pleasant climate and the quiet misty hills playing hide and seek with the passing clouds, drew the attention of the British who needed respite from the unbearable hot summer months on the plains.  British elite began to hike near-by trails in the early 19th century. Between 1813 and 1830, lots of changes had taken place and in the 1830s, with the construction of countless houses by the British it became an important summer hill resort  and a center of education and entertainment. The growing hill station of Shimla  saw the visits of higher-ups  from the English company - the Governors-General and Commanders-in-Chief of British India. Lots of  young British officers, fatigued by summer heat, boredom and loneliness,  became regular visitors to socialize with the elite families; young European ladies followed suit seeking suitable suitor  for them up on the cool hill of Shimla.  Thus the hill station turned into a hub of  social activities  for the Europeans and there  was no dearth of  balls, parties, and other entertainment extravaganza  to keep the sun-soaked Europeans  engaged to shake up the ennui. 

 Naldehra location map, India. himachaltourist.com

Naldehra golf course, near Shimla, HP.golfpass.com

By the end of 1840s, Indian business communities had begun to move in  from the plains of Hindoostan (Hindustan) to cater to the needs of the growing European population and to reap profits. . During the great rebellion  of 1857 by the Indian soldiers that began in the cantonment of  Meerut, MP in the northern states and  that shook the entire EIC 's misrule, fear was writ on the face of the European population.  The English company's atrocities against the natives already reached a crescendo. The revolt was finally suppressed after 1858, and soon the British Crown administration, London  dismissed  the EIC's operations  and took control over the Indian subcontinent.  

The man  who was instrumental in shifting the summer capital to Shimla from Calcutta in 1864 was  viceroy John Lawrence.  Initially, it was a cumbersome process to move the entire administration to the hill , that too with no proper road( twice both up and down) during the summer time from  Calcutta (Kolkata) more than 1000 km.  Robert Bulwer-Lytton (Viceroy of India 1876–1880), staying in a rented house, began to plan and  started constructing  the buildings to house various departments, including the Vice regal lodge  designed by Henry Irwin in  European  style. It was completed after his tenure by his successor Lord Dufferin in 1888. Later Shimla became the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian army as well as other departments during the summer season,  By 1884 more than 1000 houses came up on the hills of Shimla. The hill station and near-by places gained popularity as well as easy accessibility with the introduction of  Kalka–Shimla railway line in 1903 now a   UNESCO World Heritage Site (2008).

Naldehra golf  course close  to Shimla. moberoihotels.com

Shimla, 1887- 1889, India. en.wikipedia.org

Above image: Shimla's "Lower Bazaar" in a photograph taken between 1887 and 1889......

The most important patron of near-by Naldehra was Lord George Curzon, who served as the Viceroy of India  between January 1899 –  November 1905; a regular visitor to this place, then a wooded area. The other one was  Lord Lytton, Viceroy who had spent much of his time here. Lord Curzon was so mesmerized by the boundless beauty of this place, a perfect   place  to camp and relax, he found  it to be an ideal  location  to set up a golf course  on the hill. Close to Shimla, it  would be  an engaging recreation for the European community  to relax themselves under the cool shadows of the tall trees dominated by cider and pine. Indeed, a  golf course in a secluded place for fun and casual social contact, was an added advantage. For the Europeans on the plains, it was a boon  to escape from the ravages of scorching sun, monsoon rains and mosquitoes.

Lingering charm of this place  and its close resemblance to a Scottish country side made lord Curzon work on the golf course as early as possible. He was so much obsessed with this place, he used to spend lots of time here and,  in memory of it, he renamed  his third  daughter's  middle name as Naldera. Her full name was Alessandra Naldera Curzon by his first wife, an  American mercantile  heiress  Mary Victoria Curzon, Alexandra's place of conception was  Naldehra (of course after a round of golf here). Now, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh  is busting at seams with heavy  vehicular traffic and influx of more people seeking the comforts of pleasant climate.

  Naldehra Golf Club.near Shimla, India. india.com/

Though it is one of the  toughest and challenging  golf courses in India, I have read in the media that  people, who have been to  Naldehra say that it is a delightful experience to play on this golf course -. long sloping glade surrounded by greenery, countless tall Deodar trees from all sides, forming an ideal ambiance to  be away from the stressed urban space. The 68 course, four new greens and a host of tree hazards in the back nine. make it a tough game for the good golfers; Surprisingly there is a big list of  many hole-in-ones in the book of board of honors,; the Naldehra golf course can be exciting and can do things to your handicap.

Delhi to  Naldehra, India. .inkl.com

Himachal Tourism maintains this region  and the visitor has to  pay green fees for the day or take temporary, annual and life membership. The course is open through the year; the monsoon months between July and September are suitable  for golfing since the highly watered turf becomes springy and the yardage increases.

https://mysterioushimachal.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/naldehra-origin-of-the-name-of-naldehra/his beautiful place named his third daughter Alexandra Naldehra.

https://www.india.com/travel/articles/visit-indias-oldest-golf-course-in-naldehra-in-himachal-pradesh-34183

https://www.india.com/travel/articles/visit-indias-oldest-golf-course-in-naldehra-in-himachal-pradesh-3418318/