Out and About in Shimla

Shimla was just a small village in a glade until the arrival of a Scottish civil servant who decided to build a summerhouse here in 1822. By 1864 Shimla became the summer capital of the Raj and until 1939 the entire government would scurry up to avoid the heat of the plains, assisted by the unlikely construction of narrow gauge railway lines, which are still in service today.

Of course Shimla gained further popularity following the catastrophic earthquake that hit Dharamsala in 1905. Shimla lies well off the fault-line.

Shimla is the state capital of Himachal Pradesh, boasts a population of 145,000 people and is quite a sprawling place. It is at an elevation of 2,200 metres. They have endeavoured to maintain the old Raj architecture and shoved in loads of statues of local governors.

Today I have just hung around the central part of town, known as the Mall, Scandal Point and the Ridge. It certainly is a lot more “civilised” than Dharamsala. Puma and Adidas stores rub shoulders with national coffee houses (Barista and Coffee Day) in a clean, pedestrianized area. There is even a Baskin and Robbins and Dominos Pizza! Signs can be found every few metres warning of a Rp500 fine for smoking, spitting and littering, which they must clearly implement. Those with small children can hire pushchairs which come with a standard fit keyboard!

The Himalayan makes a mighty fine backdrop to the pine forests. No wonder it remains one of the truly great hill-stations of India. There are by far more Indian holidaymakers here than international travellers.

There are however similarities to Dharamsala; similar altitudes, flora and fauna and a precariousness for trying to build too many structures on sharp ridges.

Where did Scandal Point get its name? Popular lore is that the king of Patiala had a crush over the daughter of the Viceroy of India. One day while she was taking a stroll in this place, the King of Patiala kidnapped her. From then onwards the place came to be known as the Scandal Point of Shimla. The king was exiled to Chail, 65kms to the south.

I had two important firsts in a while. My first fish (fresh local trout, steamed to perfection in a lemon butter sauce) and a double espresso machiato for months.

Tomorrow I´m heading to the Viceregal Lodge, home to the old Viceroys, the Botanical Gardens and the Himalayan Bird Park.

As always on my travels I include Shimla: A Work In Progress which you can access by clicking here.