Shimla Bazaars

 Bazaars in Shimla.

Shimla, the city in the clouds is built on a 45 degree slope with two sides of the slope meeting at the Ridge. It is surrounded by seven hill spurs and makes it an ideal place for rest and recreation. So the British started to build, starting with the Lt. Pratt Kennedy, the Political Officer, who built the first ramshackle retreat for the British soldiers to recover. The Kennedy house came into existence in about 1827/28 and, after that every British man of any standing wished to build something resembling a retreat here. From 1830 to 1835, more than 30 houses were built. A hundred Britons settled there during the summer. The Governor General and Commander-in-Chief also toured the area and they all loved it.

That is all well and good, but how do they get food and other basic necessities for their daily lives? There were no roads and no transportation routes for supplies. The only way was to transport provisions on the back of the labor force from Fort Sabathu, 40 miles away, across the hills and the valleys. The place now being called Simla, the British wished to build a home away from home. When the Governor General Lord Amerhest came for a visit in 1827 to 1830, he brought enough supplies on the back of 300 laborers to last a month. 

There was a requirement for a supply system. Locals could help if they were given incentives. That is when one of their British surveyors in the Beas region found a highly mercantile society of Sud/Sood in Jaswan (now Kangra). This community will bring the supplies as long as the price is right and help is given to open a supply center (bazaar). To that, Lt. Kennedy agreed. Large quantities of supplies cannot be transported over a 45-60 degree climb from Sabathu. Even mules need a pathway and a smoother ascent. Hence a new route has to be developed. My ancestors and ancestors of the present generation of Suds/Soods in Simla hit upon a different route. They will purchase supplies in Hoshiarpur rather than Umbala (Ambala) and bring them to Nadaun, then to Bilaspur and finally to Simla. The slope is gentle on this route and only once the river must be crossed, but it could be done. The mules would be their sturdy carriers. It's a 6 days travel with mules. The British were pleased with the plan. To them, the mercantile community had demonstrated its value. They have to be encouraged. 

Now Simla began to grow. The population grew from 20 to 30 British built houses in 1835 to 100 houses in 1841 and to 300 houses in 1860 and 1200 by the turn of the century. The British needed sundry help. That came from the nearby villages. Also came the builders, carpenters, stone masons, carriage repair guys, leather makers, clothiers, pharmacist, hairdressers, cooks, eatery owners, and only one meat shop who independently sourced his supply (cow slaughter was forbidden by the local Rajaha’s decree). This supply route remained operational until 1850 (20 years) and was later abandoned in favor of a carriage route built from Kalka to Simla. This emergency carriage track was completed after 1850 to transport the government from Calcutta to Simla as the viceroy moved with his staff each year to a cooler climate. 

A bazaar had to be developed. In 1830, the supply entrepreneurs located themselves at the behest of the British, to a clearing, now known as The Ridge. Ramshackle shops extended from the Ridge to what we call the Scandal Point today. These were vacated in the winter when the British left town. They came back in the spring, and so did the traders.

The British Resident wanted to move this bazaar some place else. A fire incident of 1875 helped. The whole bazaar was burnt down. Now started the search for a new venue for the bazaar. The British proposed that the new bazaar should be located on the sunny side of the slope now known as the Lower Bazaar. The Ridge and the slope near where The Mall stands today and the other side of the slope would become an exclusive British reservation. No local will be allowed to build or live on that side. A municipal committee was put in place to regulate all buildings.

Hence, that is how, where The Mall is today came into existence. It was built for the exclusive use of the British. Only the British or their authorized agents owned or ran shops. The locals weren't even allowed to come in after 3:00pm. Until 1930 that was the norm. They reluctantly changed it after Mahatma Gandhi walked onto the Mall and forced the Brits to change. The Mall when built consisted of just about from the Sacandle Point area, to the about Gaiety Theatre area. As the population of both the British and the locals grew it expanded both ways (There were 10,000 people, of which about 1200 were British in 1881). The British went shopping at the Mall on a very sophisticated British-style promenade. Locals shopped at the Lower Bazaar.

The Lower Bazaar was at a lower elevation on the slope with only foot path to connect to the Mall. Subsequent staircases were built to facilitate the link. These linking stairs still exist today. Most supplies sold at the Mall were sourced from the Lower Bazaar merchants, hence a huge bunch of porters/coolies were needed to ferry them up and down. The Lower Bazaar, shopping was built in a level to facilitate shopping, and it followed the contours of the hill. A few big merchants (mostly Suds/Soods) who fulfilled both British and local people’s supply needs were the main entrepreneurs who also built and rented out stores and homes along the Lower Bazaar. The shops included everything from cloth merchant, grocery shops, shoe stores, haircut salon and whatever a common man needs. Soon people came from far and nearby for shopping. It grew in importance. In the early 1900s, it became the largest shopping district in the neighborhood. 

With the arrival of the Indian aristocracy in Simla in the wake of the British in late 1890s the Mall also experienced a two-way horizontal expansion. Sometimes you could see the British and the local Rajahs rubbing their shoulders on the Mall or partying at one house or the other. All were supplied by the Mall dealers who in turn were supplied by Lower Bazaar wholesalers. For ease of the wholesale, a Gunj Mandi (or simply Gunj) was built in a clearing next to the Lower Bazaar on a slightly lower elevation in 1880s. My ancestor worked there when as a boy, my grandfather arrived from the village looking for work. 

The other commercial districts were also created like Ram Bazaar, Middle Bazaar, Lakkar Bazaar and Cart Road etc. as more and more people arrived in Simla. Now the interesting part, the British were forced to connect the Lower Bazaar and the Mall as there was a tremendous need to move goods between the two shopping enclaves. The connection happened near the Telegraph office on one side and near Ladies Park (now Rani Jhansi Park) on the other side. Now carriers can deliver provisions to the Sahibs who lived on the opposite slope on the other side. 

Hence, this is how all these bazaars came into existence over a period of 70 years. The British left in 1947, but whatever they organized as a city is still intact. It is in a bit of a state of disrepair, but still intact. Today, The Mall is no longer reserved for the rich and powerful. It's where everybody goes shopping. The Lower Bazaar is still the heart of the regular shopping where everything you need is sold. It is crowded during shopping hours. The Gunj to a lesser extent is a preserve of wholesalers. The retailers have invaded it, hence the Gunj has lost its importance. 

That is my beloved Simla. Now you know how the bazaars of Simla (now Shimla) came into existence.