“HISTORY
SHIMLA”
Shimla was
the summer capital of the supreme Govt. of Punjab and of the Army headquarters.
It is situated on the lower Himalayas. It is at an elevation of about 7500 feet
above sea level. Its latitude is 31 degrees 6’N and 77 degrees 13’E. The
territories of nearly thirty minor chiefs surrounded it.
The various suburbs were distinguished by names
such as Burra Shimla, Chotta Shimla, Prospect Hill, Elysium, Baluganj, Summer
Hill, Kaithu and Jhakoo.
To the North and the East lies a network of mountain chains. To the North lie
the mountains of Kullu and Spiti and the Central range of the Eastern Himalayas
stretching eastwards. The nearest peak is that of Cheru, on the confines of
Kullu and Mandi; 27 miles as the crow flies.
It is said
that the spot now occupied by Shimla was a sea on whose surface icebergs
floated, melted and dropped the stones which they carried on their surface, or
embedded in their substance.
In 1804 the
Gurkhas who suffered a defeat on the hands of the Sikhs at the battle of
Kangra, commenced to ravage the states and the hills surrounding Shimla. The
Gurkhas built several forts in Baghal state. Jagatgarh now known as Jutog and
Sabathu, Dhami, and one on the hill of Sanjouli bazaar were some of the
fortresses built by them. The invaders had conquered all posts between Jumna
and Sutlej, and from their capital of Arki ravaged the neighbouring hill
states.
Subsequent
to the appeal of the people, and out of necessity for their own welfare the
British fought with the Gorkhas in 1815. With their army of 3000 men, and aided
by a majority of the hill chiefs they overtook the Gorkhas. Many of the Gorkhas
joined the British forces upon being conquered where they loyally served the
British army. Sir David Ochterlony rewarded the hill chiefs with the
restoration of their land, rights and privileges.
The Maharaja
of Patiala gave the British Sabathu, Kotegarh, The village on the base of Kalka
and the military posts of Kasauli. 1st Gurkha rifles was formed when
the lost soldiers showed an interest towards serving the British Army in these
military posts occupied by the British.
Shimla receives its name from Shyamla, a house
built of blue state, erected by a fakir on Jhakoo. However many people who stated that Shimla or
‘Shumlah’ is the actual word from which the name was derived contradicted the
above theory. The original settlement in Shimla originated from to the East of
the Secretariat, above the Ripon hospital.
It is
claimed that the three Gerard brothers in India made Shimla known to the world.
Alexander Gerard (scientist and a surveyor), Patrick Gerard (meteorologist),
and James Gilbert Gerard (Bengal Medical Service; a keen explorer) were
reported to have surveyed the regions of Shimla. The first two brothers served
In Sabathu. The attainment of these three brothers was mentioned in the German
scientific journal at that time. Many a writer was overwhelmed by the beauty of
the forests and the climate provided by the hills of Shimla.
The Maharaja
of Patiala and the Maharaja of Keonthal were the owners of the majority of the
land that consisted of Shimla. The British army was looking towards a strategic
point where it could form a station. So, Major Kennedy formed a deal with the
two Rajas. A certain portion of the land taken was compensated with money and
the allotment of land from the regions that was conquered. The now famous
‘Kennedy House’ was the first British establishment formed in the regions of
Shimla subsequently.
An officer,
who was serving in the heat stricken plains for some years, was posted in
Shimla with the duty of handling all the political obligations. The beauty and
the climate of Shimla mesmerized him. Subsequently his friends who visited him
decided to built their own houses. Hundreds of trees cut down on mountaintops
by mountaineers, constructing cottages (60) for these people.
Lord
Combermere took the first steps towards the development of Shimla. He
constructed a broad, level, fine road around the Mount Jhakoo. It was worked
entirely by the Hillmen and was skilfully done. He also constructed a bridge
made of pines, and under it a water tank was constructed to meet with the
demand for water. The bridge was known as the ‘Combermere Bridge’.
The visitors
were all enamoured by the trees and the wild flowers found in Shimla and nest
to the station (Kennedy House). Slowly but surely, the vicinity was stripped of
all the trees and the wild plants leaving way to more construction.
Once or
twice in early days, Shimla was entirely cut off for two or three days from the
plains due to excessive rainfall. Shimla being made, as the summer capital of
the supreme government did not suit well with the press due to this fact as the
functioning of the government was hindered from time to time. From Kalka, until
the new cart road, originally called the Hindustan Tibet road, was finished in
1856. The Mode of transit used was ‘Jampans’ and ‘Ponies’, and the entire
luggage was carried off by coolies or mules. The ‘Jampan’ was really a sedan
chair fitted with curtains - slung on poles born by bearers who carried the
passenger at an even level.
The rail network (Kalka-Shimla) towards Shimla was
started in November 1903. On the mountain where the ‘Taradevi’ temple stands, a tunnel was
constructed under this hill to ensure stability for the route proposed. The
workers unhappy, due to the construction stated that the Goddess of the shrine
would never let the tunnel be completed. When the tunnel was half completed, a
rumour about a hundred feet snake being present in the tunnels led to a lot of
excitement amongst them. It was later found out that the object in question was
a steel pipe being passed into the tunnel so as to allow the workers fresh air
for them to breathe.
The rail
network however did not prove to be a big success; the Secretary of the state
as well as the Delhi Abmbala Company incurred huge costs and loses continued
for a few years and slowly a small portion of profits was realized.
