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Shimla's history is intimately linked to India's. The British
discovered Shimla in the form of a little village in 1819 and
made it the summer capital of the Indian empire; building in a
style reminded them of Victorian home. 1903 saw the completion
of the narrow gauge 'toy train' railway up to the city to aid
this process. It was during lord williaw Bentinck's time that
Shimla was truly acquired by the government of India.
In 1819 Shimla was discovered by the British and it gained
popularity in 1864 and it was announced as the summer capital of
India. 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 Godden Shyamala and gave it the
name Shimla. But some historian contradict is saying that Shimla
is derived from the word 'Shyamala', meaning the blue house
based on a house built by blue slate by a fakir which is another
name of goddess kali. There would not have been a story of
Shimla if the Britishers had not discovered it. A report of 1836
declares that most European products, ranging from fine fabrics
to French sauces, scot sardines, English sweets and even fine
horses were all available in Shimla. In Shimla the mode of
travel for ladies was the jam pars and horses for men. The jam
pars were like a chair, usually covered and attached to two or
four men. Wheeled carriages were not allowed as well as were not
feasible in Shimla till as late as 1840s. In the period of 1848
- 56 Lord Dalhousie spent two seasons in Shimla but did not
quit. He wrote in a letter "this place has been greatly
overrated is clin every thing else". The tone of Shimla's social
life is the 19th century was normally set viceroy & his lady. In
1876 peter hott, the government house was occupied for the first
time in 1876 by the fashionable viccroy couple, the lyttors.
Peter hott created a reputation for hospitality, particularly
for the quality and quantity of exotic drinks served there. The
gaiety theatre opened in 1838 but it was lady lytton who brought
it of age almost40n years later. Theatre opened in the town hall
building in 1887. In November 1903, Shimla was connected by the
railways. It was a monumental event that changed Shimla for
ever. In a year, Shimla constructed 1400 new cottages, hotels
like cecil, grand, metropole followed in their modern form.
Within 5 years of the coming of the railways, the summer time
population of Shimla had averaged to 38,000 of whom 7000 were
Europeans. Among the first non official permanent residents were
the members of the dyer family who then owned the brewery at
solan.
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