Shimla

The prediction was correct and there was a three hour delay on our flight to Chandigarh yesterday morning, which of course threw all the timings out. Lunch became high tea and our journey in a fleet of cars to Shimla had to be undertaken after dark. ‘Hari’ was our driver. A lovely young chap with pretensions to Formula One. He would be a shoe in. It rained hard for the full three and a half hours, but the pace never slackened, overtaking was commonplace, blind corner or not, as the road twisted and turned its way upward into the Himalayan foothills. I had been disappointed that we couldn’t enjoy the views, but before we had reached half way, I was relieved I couldn’t see the sheer drops, that I suspect were there from the twinkling lights below! We arrived here at the Oberon Cecil at 9.15pm and Hari was delighted to be the first car here and fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.
We became further aware of our geographical location this morning when it snowed during breakfast! It was freezing. The snow turned to rain and the mist and cloud rolled in and out, obscuring the fabulous views for which Shimla is famous.
The town is perched high on the mountainside and the air has that undoubted alpine quality, clean and crisp. It was the summer capital of The British Raj from May to October during its rule in India. It would take 45 days to make the perilous journey by horse, mule, cart and carriage from Calcutta staying at staging posts on the way. With the Viceroy and his officials, their families and the attending army would come all the paperwork necessary to run the Indian sub-continent. The East India company found this strategic village as it was then, in the 1830s, by assisting the local Maharajah to fight off the Nepalese. They realised what a superb trading position this was and gradually inveigled the Maharajah to grant them land to set up a Trading Post. It’s proximity to the Silk Route was a huge incentive and advantage. The British followed on and built their summer residences here over the next decade. I have been looking forward to exploring the old town I had read so much about. It is not what I expected. A Scottish architect by the name of Henry Irving designed the main buildings and our first visit was to The Viceroy’s Lodge. I did not expect grim and dour Scottish Baronial architecture, both in and out. This is repeated in all the major buildings, including the Town Hall and the Gaiety Theatre, the latter having welcomed some incredibly famous stars over the last 150 years. Our tour of the former Viceroy’s Lodge proved very interesting however, and gave a strong flavour of how life was lived out here in strict Victorian times. The meetings leading up to India’s independence after the Second World War were held in the library and a solution eventually found, which resulted in partition and the formation of the Muslim state of Pakistan. This is still a contentious issue today, together with the status of Kashmir. We saw documentIon, photographs and the room in which the treaty was signed before being formalised in Delhi. The building became the summer home of the Indian President after independence and is now a research college for post graduate students.
The Mall is the Main Street and the buildings reflect mock Tudor frontages. There is a bandstand and both a Presbyterian and Anglican Church. At the end of the Mall is Scandal Point, so named after the young couple who met here secretly. The Viceroy at the time was Lord Curzon and his daughter Alexandra fell in love with the local Maharajah and he with her. Marrying was of course out of the question, on both sides at that time and their only option was to elope, hence the scandal. Sadly, it did not end happily. They were found and separated; Alexandra was sent back to England in disgrace and never married. The Maharajah was presented with a suitable bride, but apparently never forgot the love of his life.
The British are famous for creating a home from home wherever they find themselves and on thinking about it, Queen Victoria had purchased Balmoral around this time and all thing Scottish and Baronial were very fashionable. It seems to me that the British establishment set out to create a Scottish Highland retreat in the foothills of the Himalayas, complete with names such as Craig Dhu and the like . It is quite extraordinary.
Unfortunately, the weather did not improve during the day and we were glad to retire to the warmth of the Oberoi Cecil. Tomorrow we are due to leave on the Toy Train back to Chandigarh. It is apparently a hard ride, but worth it for the views. I can only hope the weather clears a little so some of the journey is visible. I have purchased a set of thermals. It is amazing what you can find in unexpected places!

PS. We have come across several of these signs on our travels ‘The English Wine Shop’ and been perplexed, as we don’t produce much wine, let alone enough to export to India in bulk. Hari explained today, that it is a euphemism for a whiskey shop, which is very popular here. No doubt a hang over from the days of the Raj.Read more