Few years back when I visited one of our offices in Shimla I saw a desk calendar published by Centre for Skill development & Engineering Consultancy, The Institution of Engineers (India).
The calendar has pictures of Shimla taken earlier and pictures of same places, taken in 2017.
This calendar is a treat to my eyes as the Old fascinates me.
I asked my colleague whether he has another copy of the calendar, but to my amusement he handed over his calendar to me.
Nice of him and many many thanks to him.
I thought of sharing these pictures on this page and also sharing the information about these places which was printed on the calendar.
The Christ Church on the Ridge
These are two pictures of the Christ Church. The black and white picture was taken in 1857, the year in which it was opened. The Christ Church, Shimla built in the Neo-Gothic style in 1857, to serve the Anglican British community, the the second oldest church in northern India. The Church is situated at The Ridge.
This Church was designed by Colonel J. T. Boileau in 1844. It took 11 years to complete the church. The clock adorning Church was donated by Colonel Dumbleton in 1860. The Porch was added in 1973. Five fine stained glass windows represent the Christian virtue of Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Patience and Humility.
The coloured picture of Church taken in 2017, shows mushrooming of concrete jungle in the backdrop of the Christ Church.
The Oldest Post Office in Northern India
The following picture is of Post Office in Shimla. This is the oldest post office in Northern India, Shimla. General Post Office (GPO) was constructed in 1882 on the site of a tailor's shop known as the Conny Cottage and this building of Post Office was also known as Conny Cottage. It was purchased from a person named Mr. Peterson. The building of the Shimla GPO is a timber framed structure which is an eclectic mix of part-Alpine, part-Gothic and the part-Tudor styles.
The first Post Master of this post office was Mr. F. Dalton and Mr. L. Piggot was the last Post Master of British Era who retired in December, 1946.
In 1992, the Shimla GPO was declared as one of the six heritage Post Office building in India.
The design of the post office changed with the passage of time and as per the needs, which can be seen in the following pictures
The Lakkar Bazaar
The Lakkar Bazaar is a market place extending toward the north-eastern side beyond the Ridge. It is famous for wooden toys made by a small group of Sikh carpenters who settled there a century ago from Hoshiarpur a district in Punjab.
It has a wide range of artefacts, pashmina shawls, woollens and handicrafts to offer to its visitors. The old building of the Regal Cinema, located here was once called the Theater of Prince of Wales. The famous Roller Skating Rink is located in this building.
This Lakkar Bazaar reminds me of my first visit to this British Era Summer Capital in December, 1987. One can find beautiful pieces of utensils, jewellery boxes and the famous key rings, wall hangings made of wood.
The famous painting of Sohni Mahiwal, the legendary lovers of Punjab, which was initially painted by Sir Sobha Singh, is replicated on these small pieces of wood.
Shimla in 1884 and .......🔻
.......Shimla in 2017. Trees have gone. Small houses now replaced with concrete buildings. The Christ Church standing as witness
Shabbily erected Concrete jungle over the hills🔰😢
Horse Carriage or Rickshaws loaded Ridge in Shimla in 1903......
A view of Mount Jakhoo in 1903.
Jakhoo Hill is 2.5 km east from the Ridge and at a height of 2455 meter above sea level. An anciet Lor Hanuman temple is there and every year a big festival is held on Dussehra. In Hindu Mythology, the flat summit of Jakhoo Hill Shimla was caused by Lord Hanuman's sudden arrival while hunting for Sanjivani Booti to revive Lakshman.
I remember in my Hindi syllabus in Primary classes I read a chapter on Jakhoo. In that chapter, there was a story of monkeys living and conversing with humans in their sign language. Both understanding each other. I forgot the chapter now but few images of the chapter are stored in my memories.
Monkeys and other animals are living side by side with the human population but now the humans have forgotten the language with which they can converse with these creatures.
Humans have even forgotten the medium of conversation amongst themselves😒
In 2010, a giant 108 feet high idol of Hanuman was unveiled at Jakhoo, overlooking the entire city.
Annadale - a suburb of Shimla and an army area.👇👇
There are different version in naming this area as Annadale. One is that when British came to Shimla for its selection as Summer Capital of India, they saw this place and found it similar to Annadale valley in Dumfriesshire or County of Dumfries in Scotland, thus decided to name it Annadale.
And the second version is, when Captain Charles Pratt Kennedy visited Shimla after he was given the charge of selecting a place for summer capital of India, he was so mesmerized with its natural beauty that he named it after his lady love Anna. Interesting
Presently this place is being utilized as a helipad and for army exercise, parades and sports etc.
Visiting Annadale is entirely a different experience. It is so serene and peaceful that once one visits here, he forgets the hustle and bustle of cities. This portion is one of the most beautiful places of Shimla. But here also, trees are falling and concrete jungle is coming up. 👇👇
👇👇 The Barnes Court in 1882
Barnes Court, now commonly known as Raj Bhawan or Governor's house derives its name from Sir Edward Barnes, British Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army (1831-1833). This Tudor style heritage building is an architectural marvel spread over an area of 9,647 sqmt. The building is witness to several historical events including inking of the Shimla agreement between the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Pakistan counterpart Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972. It was here that the neews of the great Uprising of 1857 was given to General Anson.
From the Literature available about this Barnes Court, it is not know from any of the official records that which Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab, first lived in “ Barnes Court”, yet the list of Commanders- in – Chief indicates that it was occupied by Sir Edward Barnes in 1832. After a break, from 1849 to 1864, it was again the residence of various British Commanders-in- Chief, General Napier, General Gomm, General Anson, General Campbell and General Rose.
The Barnes Court in 2017👇👇
The Shimla Mall in 1890 👆👆
Mall Road once regarded as Fine Street of London, is social lifeline and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Shimla. The traffic less road is located over a stretch of 5 Kms. The main shopping hub is about 1.5 kms and have restaurants, bars, cyber cafes, banks, hotels, clubs besides General Post Office, Municipal Corporation and office of Fire Services.
The Mall Road was constructed during British Colonial Rule under supervision of Lord Lytton, it is located a level below the ridge.
Earlier, it feels good to roam on the Mall Road but now it is so much crowded that one can not move without rubbing shoulders with others.
The Shimla Mall in 2017👇👇
The Oakover -
Oakover, is one of the earlier houses built in Shimla. This is the Official Residence of the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister. a historic building, was once a residence of the rich and powerful Maharaja of Patiala. Earlier, Patiala was a princely state till 1947. There is an interesting story that why the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala was banned to visit Shimla during the Colonial Raj after which he built a bunglow at Chail in Himachal Pradesh. And from this bunglow he can overlook this summer capital as it was at a higher location.
Oakover, is one of the earlier houses built in Shimla. This is the Official Residence of the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister. a historic building, was once a residence of the rich and powerful Maharaja of Patiala. Earlier, Patiala was a princely state till 1947. There is an interesting story that why the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala was banned to visit Shimla during the Colonial Raj after which he built a bunglow at Chail in Himachal Pradesh. And from this bunglow he can overlook this summer capital as it was at a higher location.
Overcast heavily with oak trees all around, this sprawling mansion has two gates. The stretch of road alongside the mansion between Chota Shimla and Shimla was once upon a time referred as the 'Khyber Pass'
The bifurcation near the eastern gate leads to the Raj Bhawan on one side and Civil Secretariat on the other.
The Oakover in 1903🔻
The Oakover in 2017🔰🔰
The Kalka Shimla Railway -
The Kalka - Shimla Railway was started in 1903 to connect Shimla with the rest of the India rail system. Initially it was proposed to build 2 ft narrow guage track which was increased to 2 ft 6in (762 mm) later on.
The Chief Engineer of the project was H. S. Herrington. The construction was started by privately funded Delhi-Ambala-Kalka Railway Company. Later on when it became difficult for the company to manage it, the government purchased it on 1 January 1906 for 17,107,748 rupees.
At the time of construction, 107 tunnels and 864 bridges were built. Now it has has 20 beautiful stations, 103 tunnels, 912 curves, 969 bridges. The train has an average speed of 25 - 30 km per hour.
Bridge No. 541 is the Highest Arch Gallary Bridge.
This toy train starts from Kalka, a foothill in the Shivalik Range and runs through Taksal, Gumman, Koti, Sonwara, Dharampur, Kumarhatti, Barog, Solan, Salogra, Kandaghat, Kanoh, Kathleeghat, Shoghi, Taradevi, Jatogh, Summerhills before it completes its journey at Shimla.
There are five toy trains on this route and these are:-
1️⃣ Kalka - Shimla Passenger which starts at 3.30 and reaches Shimla at 8.55
2️⃣ Shivalik Deluxe Express which starts at 5.45 and reaches Shimla at 10.35
3️⃣ Kalka - Shimla NG Express which starts at 6.20 and reaches Shimla at 11.35
4️⃣ Him Darshan Express which starts at 7.00 and reaches Shimla at 12.55
5️⃣ Himalyan Queen which starts at 12.10 and reaches Shimla at 17.30
This Railway was declared a heritage by the Himachal Pradesh Government in 2007 and in 2008 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site
A feel pride that I have travelled in this train twice. During Monsoon season, travelling in this train is a wonderful experience.
It is good that the number of coaches have been increased in this train. This Arch Gallery Bridge now looks very beautiful the way it is being maintained.
The Viceregal Lodge as impressive as its name was a summer residence of Viceroys during Colonial Rule of British. Later on, in 1947 it became The Rashtrapati Niwas (Residence of President of India) for summers as the Presidents of Independent India also followed the British tradition which ended in 1960.
It stands on the Observatory Hill which is the second highest point in Shimla. This Lodge was designed by British architect Henry Irwin and built in Jacobethan stle during the regime of Lord Dufferin. Its construction started in 1880 and was completed in 1888.
Lord Dufferin occupied the Lodge on July 23, 1888. In 1960s the builidng was handed over to the Institute of Advane Studies. It houses some of the most ancient articles and rare photographs going back to the times of the British rule in India
Even today it stands impressively but sad to see that trees and other plants have vanished with the passage of time😢🤔
After seeing these pictures it can be assessed that how we have changed. The sense of dressing has changed drastically keeping the pace with the vanishing natural resources as well as human values. We have outgrown in number thrown every thing in margin, on this planet which I feel is not a development.
During one of our visits to Shimla, my sister purchased the black and white pictures of Shimla for her drawing room.
All these pictures are available at Himachal Studio, The Mall Shimla (Pictures of Past) and Studio 7, The Mall Shimla (Pictures of Present)
