Shimla is an all season hill station in north India. During
the months of snowfall the town looks spectacular, while in summer its climate
is salubrious. Its beauty and charm were brought home to us in south India a
few decades ago by the film “Anbe Vaa,” where matinee idol M.
G. Ramachandran went eloquent singing the song “Puthiya Vaanam, Puthiya Bhoomi….” traversing the most popular stretches of the town.
A PACK OF ATTRACTIONS
(By Subbaram Danda)
Shimla has several places of attraction for tourists. Apart from the Hanuman temple on one of its
seven hills, a widely visited site is Viceregal Lodge, which was the venue for talks
between the British rulers and Indian leaders on granting independence to the subcontinent. Its Ridge area is popular among the young and
the old to hang out lazily or walk around leisurely. Its Mall Street and adjacent bazaars are
known for their brisk sales of everything, especially handicrafts and woollen
wear.
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| The Viceregal Lodge |
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| The Ridge area |
The
Viceregal Lodge
It is an imposing Victorian-style edifice built in
1888. Constructed entirely with stone
blocks, it ranks among the British India’s monumental buildings in the
country. It was intended to be the
summer residence of the Viceroy in India.
After Indian independence, it became the Rashtrapati Niwas, official
summer residence of the President of India.
But this status did not last long.
In October 1965, President Radhakrishnan converted it into a prime educational
institution. The building became the
functioning centre of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, a post-doctoral
research facility.
History buffs will be interested to know that in the
summer of 1945, the Viceregal Lodge was the scene of what came to be known as
the Shimla Conference attended by stalwarts like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar
Vallabhai Patel, Maulana Azad and Mohammed Ali Jinna. There a plan was discussed for creating a "self-government" in India. With no consensus
emerging, a major opportunity was lost to have a united India. Mahatma Gandhi had also been there four times.
A conducted tour into a section of the building revealed
interesting facts. A historical exhibit
we could see was a circular table with some chairs around it. It was here that the Shimla Agreement was
signed, which led to the partition of India.
Some articles and photographs of the British rule in India were also on
display.
We also learned that Henry Irwin, who designed the
building, was also the designer of the Mysore Palace. More fascinating was the fact that rainwater
harvesting was put in place even in those days.
Rainwater was collected and stored in two large sumps under the lawns in
front of the building.
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| In the sprawling compound of the Viceregal Lodge |
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| The lawns and deodar trees add charm to the Viceregal Lodge |
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| The Lodge, now Indian Institute of Advanced Studies |
The Ridge
Area
It is an elevated terrain, flat and vast, ringed by
metallic railings. No vehicle is allowed into it. People can go there
only by climbing any of a few fairly steep but well paved approach
streets. All around it there are
impressive buildings, prominent ones being the stone-built Town Hall and the
Christ Church. Statues of national and
local leaders dot the periphery. There
are also neatly tended parks.
It was fascinating to look beyond the railings. We could view plunging valleys and wooded
hills interspersed with colourfully tiled houses. At a distance the snow-capped peaks of the
high Himalayas appeared in a hazy light.
We were told that visitors would throng the place from
early in the morning and the jostling crowds could be seen till late in the
night. In times of snow, the Ridge would
come especially alive. Entire area would
shimmer in snow and people in heavy thermal clothes could be seen skiing there
in gay abandon.
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| The magnificent Jakhu Hanuman statue as seen from the Ridge area |
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| The Christ Church in the area |
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| In front of a prominent restaurant |
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| A sculpture at the Army Training Command near the Ridge area |
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| A statue of the Founder of Himachal, Dr. Y.S. Parmar |
The Mall Street and Bazaars
If one is a shopping enthusiast, this is
the place. At a lower level to the Ridge and on its approach streets shops sell a variety of goods.
Locally-made handicrafts and woollen wear are a specialty. Eateries, including at least one south Indian
restaurant, bakeries, ice cream joints, and cool drink parlours do good
business.
There are a few other tourist
sites, including a museum, a minor waterfall and a golf course. We skipped them. (Ends)
(Our tri-city sojourn will
continue)
May 17, 2018
