Cantonments of India

It started with opening of trade factories in offices either pre-occupied by other colonists, or a small building on the outskirts of the city back in the 17th century. The British slowly expanded by fortifications that was eventually followed by the establishment of cantonments - military districts to control, train, engage and manage their armies in the Indian subcontinent. More than five decades of cantonments starting from the earliest at Barrackpore in 1772, the British established their military bases all across the subcontinent. At present, there are 61 cantonments in India out of which 6 were created post-independence. The choice of places were at the climatic conveniences of the English officers - mostly in the hilly areas. States and districts stretching from Chamba, Garhwal, the Punjab Hill States, Tehri-Garhwal and Almora would have a range of cantonments that made the English a comfortable summer retreat, with having the base centred around Simla - the summer capital of British India. Hence the choice of naming some of these cantonment towns as pure English styled - Lansdowne (natively known as Kaludanda), Dalhousie, Landour (named after a Welsh town called Llanddowror), Clement Town, etc. 

The British divided the Indian subcontinent into four key military divisions, listed as following:

1. Northern Command
1. Lahore - Ferozepore, Ambala, Jullunder, Lahore
2. Rawalpindi - Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Abbottabad
3. Peshawar
4. Kohat
5. Waziristan
2. Western Command
1. Baluchistan - Baluchistan, Zhob
2. Sind-Rajputana - Naseerabad, Sind
3. Eastern Command
1. United Provinces - Delhi, Dehra Dun, Bareilly, Lucknow, Allahabad
2. Presidency and Assam
4. Southern Command
1. Bombay
2. Poona - Ahmednagar, Poona, Secunderabad
3. Central Provinces - Jhansi, Mhow, Jubbulpore
4. Madras - Madras, Bangalore

The cantonments were garrisoned in these districts that allowed them to exercise their control both directly (on provinces) and indirectly (on Princely States). When Burma was part of India between 1886 to 1937, it had three British cantonment towns at Maymyo (currently, Pyin Oo Lwin), Mandalay and Rangoon (currently, Yangon), where the Rangoon cantonment played a key role in the 1857 Indian mutiny. In fact, the cantonments at Cawnpore (Kanpur) and Lucknow witnessed massacres at the hands of both British and Indians that changed the course of the 1857 rebellion and were key placeholders in the destruction of the East India Company rule in the country. The Siege of Cawnpore and Lucknow led by General Wheeler and charged by Nana Sahib of the Marathas costed hundreds of lives on either side, where the English witnessed for the first time an enraged Indian action against the tyranny of the Company, and although the rebellion was suppressed, the Company had nothing left to continue in the country. Hence the incidents at the cantonments of Cawnpore, Barrackpore (from where it actually started) and Lucknow are pivotal in shaping the 1857 mutiny. 

There are other stories related to cantonments as well. During the First World War, heavy Indian troops were deployed from the Lahore division of the Northern Command, and thus the cantonment saw mass-recruitment of soldiers. The Company provided lands to build houses and cottages for themselves in these cantonments, hence one could find English styled houses even today that are either converted as hotels or tourist cottages. But the cantonments were more than just European names and architecture. In fact, these cantonments were law-making bodies in itself, some of which were applicable to the whole country. There were numerous civic and administrative laws set; police administration being one law that was governed from these cantons. An army government that was applicable to the three presidencies - Bombay, Madras and Bengal - they functioned according to laws set between 1864 to 1867. By 1910, these laws were also involved in taxation, the only municipal law that it covered. 

There also existed a cantonment by the name Mariaon Cantonment in Lucknow, somewhere between 1722 to 1739. This establishment was organised during the reign of Saadat Ali Khan, the first Nawab of Oudh (or Awadh) and the British had shifted their residency from Gomti River to Mariaon (today, Madiayon, Lucknow). But it saw its end during the 1857 mutiny where the whole cantonment was pulled down and destroyed by Indians. 

Chhattisgarh has none and Odisha has just one cantonment. This is probably because of being surrounded by tribal and forest regions and a constant volatile atmosphere for the British, as their Raj was constantly challenged by the natives. Several glorious battles and warfares have been fought in the dense jungles of Gondwana that may have prohibited the English to establish any of their establishments here. During the British days, districts such as Raipur, Drug and Bilaspur in today's Chhattisgarh, and Koraput, Ganjam, Sambalpur and Cuttack in Orissa were directly administrated under the British under Central Provinces and Orissa respectively. Remaining portions of both these states were Princely States and yet, there appears to be zero British settlements in Chhattisgarh or Orissa. 

Similarly, in NE India, except for at Shillong, Solmara (Tezpur district, Assam), Narengi (in Guwahati, Assam) and Missamari (Sonitpur district, Assam), there aren't any other cantonments. This is primarily because the entire northeastern region was clubbed under one single province of British Assam, with Assam States as the Princely States of Manipur, Khasi Hills and Tripura. A little stretching towards the northern part of West Bengal, we have cantonments at Binnaguri (Jalpaiguri district), Siliguri, Lebong (Darjeeling district) and Jalapahar (Darjeeling district) close to Sikkim border. 

One peculiar feature of these cantonments were the English-styled bungalows and residential quarters the British erected in the vicinity. Some of the prominent names can be listed down among countless of them. Inverarm House in Shimla which is now Himachal State Museum, built in the 1860s, was once housed by Lieutenant Colonel Lord William Beresford during the Raj era, is a majestic colonial-styled cottage that was converted into a museum in 1974. The 'Government House' at Nainital, which is now the Raj Bhavan, served as a summer retreat to the former United Provinces government as Nainital was the province's summer capital. A massive Gothic-styled Scottish castle inspired architecture, it was erected in 1897, flaunts its majestic colonial era days. The oldest church in north India, St. John's Church at Meerut, was built between 1818 to 1821, was used as a British garrison in the Meerut cantonment. Down south, the Wellington Barracks provided armed support and military training to the troops for the Southern Command and continues to do so even today. 

Talking about residential bungalows, plenty of such names exist in the country. Built in 1887, Bronson's Bungalow (and later Spencer's Bungalow) at Bangalore (or Bengaluru) got converted into Taj West End five-star hotel in 1984. Rosaville Cottage in Shillong is now a heritage hotel and open to tourists. The 19th century Officer's Bungalow at Shimla is now Clarkes Hotel, a grand heritage hotel nestled in the beautiful Himalayan valley. And there are countless such examples where a particular English era cottage is now a heritage hotel. 

Concluding, India's cantonments have evolved from being colonial strongholds symbolizing imperial control to modern hubs of defense and urban development. They serve as living reminders of India’s complex past, showcasing the intersections of military strategy, rebellion, and administration. Today, these spaces balance their historical legacy with contemporary military and civic significance, reflecting the nation’s journey through colonial rule to independence and beyond.

Image gallery

Below here are images of some of the cantonments photographed in the previous centuries. I hold no copyright of these images and have sourced from various places on the internet. 

Barrackpore Cantonment

Dehra Doon Cantonment

Mhow Cantonment

Deolali Cantonment

Sagar Cantonment

Bangalore Cantonment

Below here are screenshots from a Google Maps project I created marking cantonments in India. The images shows just the cantonments in the Himalayas as the British had populated the hills the most, as compared to other regions. The states these cantonments belong are mentioned as well. P.S. the maps shows cantonments only of India and excludes Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya

Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Punjab

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab

Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh

These maps here are sourced from various vintage maps. The choice of places are random and each map belong to the early 20th century, a time-period chosen as the sources were clearer than others. All three maps here are hand-made.