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Shimla History



The History of Shimla dates back to the year 1819. Before that Shimla was under the rule of the Gurkhas. It was after the Gurkha War that the British soldiers founded a dense forest near the temple of Goddess Shyamala and gave it the name Shimla.

But some historians contradict it saying that Shimla is derived from the word "Shyamalaya" meaning the blue house based on a house built by blue slate by a fakir.

The Story of Shimla would not have been there if the Britishers had not discovered it. It was only in 1819, that the then Assistant Political Agent of Hill States, Lt. Ross built the first British residence- a wooden one. Later Lt.

Charles Patt Kennedy followed him by building a two storey pucca house named "Kennedy House". After 1830, Shimla became the hot spot among the Britishers. For men it was the favorite hangout to rejuvenate after the Gurkha War while for the women it was a relief from the hot and humid climate as well as mosquito-invaded plains. An account of Shimla History would be incomplete without the different names such as "Viceroy's Shooting Box, Abode of the Little Tin Gods and Mount Olympus" given to it by the Britishers. But the most famous of all was "the Queen of all Hills".

It was due to this fascination of the Britishers for Shimla that it was made the "summer capital" in 1864.

After the Independence, Shimla was made the capital of Punjab, but in 1966 it was named as the capital of Himachal Pradesh.



Last Updated on : 4/26/2012







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