Mall Road, Shimla

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The Mall Road, Shimla
The Mall Road, Shimla

Mall Road is the main street in Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh, India. Constructed during the British colonial rule, the Mall road is located a level below the ridge. The offices of municipal corporation, fire service, and police headquarters are located here. Automobiles, except emergency vehicles are not allowed on this road. For this reason, the locals — and tourists — are often found strolling on this road in the evenings.

Mall road has a number of showrooms, department stores, shops, restaurants and cafes. A Himachal emporium that offers handicraft products of Himachal Pradesh like locally designed woollen cloths, branded cloths, pottery items, and jewellary is also located here.[1] There are at least three books shops including one that sells old books.

Contents

[edit] Attractions

[edit] Scandal point

Scandal point, as seen from the Ridge, Shimla
Scandal point, as seen from the Ridge, Shimla

Scandal point is where the Mall road joins the ridge road on the west side. The name, scandal, arose from the commotion caused by the supposed elopement of a British lady with the Maharaja of Patiala during the British Raj.[2] A statue of Lala Lajpat Rai (no relation to the scandal), is also located here. Next to Scandal Point there is General Post Office, Shimla.

[edit] Gaiety Theater

Gaiety Theater, located on the Mall, was opened on the 30th of May, 1887. Many popular film personalities like K.L. Saigal, Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Raj Babbar, Anupam Kher, Manohar Singh, and Naseeruddin Shah have performed on its stage.
Today, the Gaiety is primarily known for its social club. Schools in Shimla use this theater for performing arts.[3] The theater has been renovated with the original structure untouched to keep its heritage preserved while making it more attractive.[4]

[edit] Kali Bari Temple

The temple was built in the year 1845. It is dedicated to goddess Kali. It is believed that an ancient temple of Shamla i.e. goddess Kali existed near Jakhoo. In the temple a wooden image is worshipped locally.[5]

[edit] Town Hall

The recently renovated Municipal Corporation building of Shimla adds to the surrounding architecture reminiscent of the pre-independence era. The Building is preserved in its original form. The large steps and the entrance to this building is a common site for pictures depicting the Mall at Shimla.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Shimla, Mall Road quick infoshot @ surfindia.com. Surf India. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
  2. ^ Bradnock, Robert W. (2000). Indian Himalaya Handbook: The Travel Guide. Footprint Travel Guides, pp 150-159. ISBN ISBN 1900949792. 
  3. ^ Shimla Heritage. Shimla Official web site. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
  4. ^ Gaiety Theater gets facelift. The Tribune, Chandigarh, India. Retrieved on 2003-09-09.
  5. ^ The Mall. himtimes. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.