Shimla (; ; ), also known as Simla, is the capital city of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, located in northern India. Shimla is bounded by Mandi and Kullu in the north, Kinnaur in the east, the state of Uttarakhand in the south-east, and Solan and Sirmaur. The city has rich history as in 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India, succeeding Murree, northeast of Rawalpindi. After independence, the city became the capital of Punjab and was later named the capital of Himachal Pradesh. It is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational centre of the hilly regions of the state. As of 2011, the city had 171,817 residents; and is one of the lowest populated capital city in India.