Rothney Castle Shimla

On the way up to the Jakhu temple, you can peep through the gates to see the glass verandas of this 19th-century mansion that was built for colonial reformer and naturalist Allan Octavian Hume (1829–1912). Hume assembled the world's largest collection of stuffed Asiatic birds here before donating it to the British Museum. He also found time to start the Indian National Congress (in 1885).The house is not open to visitors.