Shimla, in the foothills of the Himalayas, is the capital city of the province of Himachal Pradesh in northern India.
It is a colourful city, the houses on the hillside painted all different hues which complements beautifully with the verdant mountainous backdrop.
Driving towards Shimla we were treated to stunning views of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains which are 300 kilometres away but seemed closer. The air was certainly fresh and the climate was far milder than that of Delhi. (I have to say it was notably cleaner too, although there was some litter in the gutters.)
Forests of pine trees line the roadside alongside terraced fields, reminiscent of those I saw in Maderia, the difference being none had been abandoned. Apple trees grow alongside other fruit trees on these plateaus and I jokingly debated with my guide as to whether these apples were tastier than the ones growing in my orchard!
I had my first encounter with yaks which were on the side of the road ready to greet tourists and tolerate their photo being taken, some tourists getting up in the saddle on their broad backs.
Horses were being led along the roadway too as a means for tourists and others to navigate the steep hillsides. We were quite happy in our 4x4 white jeeps.
Shimla was once the summer capital of British India due to its mild climate, and my fellow travellers and I visited the Viceregal Lodge which is typical house of the British Raj. It reminded me of stately homes in the midlands and north of England and I could easily imagine the Victorians taking tea on the lawn, or playing croquet, maybe tennis or cricket in the grounds, although I later learned there was a tennis court within the lodge itself!
It was the summer home of the Indian Viceroy who governed India between 1888 and 1946. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs inside the house and we were only shown a couple of rooms which were bereft of furniture, but filled with display boards revealing the history of the Shimla Conference in 1945, which discussed plans for Indian self-government.
The wooden panelling in the entrance hall is magnificent and I’m glad to say the house is still in use as an Institute of Advanced Study. It was only when I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum on my return to London that I saw furniture and artefacts that may have graced the rooms in its heyday.
A fellow traveller had kindly given me a copy of Kim by Rudyard Kipling, a work I read decades ago when I was studying the classics. Shimla, or as Kipling calls it Simla or Shamleagh, features in the book. He describes the lower part of the town as a “rabbit warren” where “veranda communicates with veranda, alleyway with alleyway, bolt-hole with bolt-hole”.
We were staying in the Radisson Hotel overlooking the hillside and, being someone who after ten days was finding the crowds exhausting and a little claustrophobic, I decided to take the afternoon off and therefore didn’t venture into the town. Maybe I missed out, maybe I didn’t, but I needed some space to myself and I enjoyed a couple of hours sitting outside reading Kim, enjoying the sunshine and the stunning views.
Shimla “is a place of miracles” writes Kipling, and in one of the final chapters of the book Kim listens to the local people who tell him “there is no place like our hills”. I wouldn’t fully agree with that statement as the mountains where I live are equally fabulous, but being in the foothills of the Himalayas was definitely a treat and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
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We left Shimla on the Toy Train, an experience like no other which features in my previous blog. To catch up, please click on the link:
I mention in this blog my visit to Madeira. Please click on the link to learn more.
My visit to the Viceroy’s House reminded me of another British Raj house I visited in Sri Lanka: the misnamed Richmond Castle. You can read of its sad history in this blog:
And to learn of my other experiences in the fascinating country which is India, please click on the links below:
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