1.http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HC/2011/07/31/ArticleHtmls/TRYST-WITH-A-DEVTA-31072011584001.shtml?Mode=1
The ‘Jattar’ is a sacred religious Hindu tradition in Himachal Pradesh, during which a deity, locally
called ‘devta’, travels on a journey from his abode to a devotee’s house, where he has been invited and
blesses his devotees. This tradition goes back hundreds of years – it is believed that the Gods promised
their followers their protection, and through the Jattar they fortify the sense of security. Devotees usually
call for a Jattar as a result of the fulfillment of their ‘mannat’ (vow). However, if there is any birth or
death in the family of the inviting devotee within the last eleven days before the planned Jattar, the devta
declines the invitation. There is a lot of mystique around this revered ritual, as it involves the
manifestation of the god in one of his worshippers.
I had been in one of the devotees’ house during the Jattar of the Dev Badeogi (Dronacharya) devta in the
village Panetu near Tattapani for which the afore-mentioned God is the ‘Sthan/Gram devta’. The Dev
Badeogi devta’s Jattar occurs twice in a year, the first, called ‘Laual’, occurs during early summer when
the devta graces the people of the area near Tattapani and Shaaog and the second, called ‘Pratha’, in
September when he travels to Thali near Sunni.
On the appointed day, the devta and his ‘kaardhaar’ (devotees who take care of the various rituals of the
Jattar) arrived at the house in the evening, with the approaching dusk. As the procession approached the
house, all the villagers, with their heads covered by 'dupattas', caps or handkerchiefs, assembled to see
their holy god and offer their prayers. For the people of Himachal, it is imperative to have their heads
covered in the presence of Gods. There was an air of anticipation in the air, which increased with the loud
and rhythmic beats of the ‘dhol’ and ‘nagada’ (local percussion instruments), and the thickening air due
to the smoke and aroma of the burning incense, all of which accompanied the devta’s convoy.
The devta is accompanied by a group of about ‘kardhaar’ as he passes through the various houses and
areas. A few of these people are priests who dedicate their entire life to serving the deity; others renounce
their domestic lives temporarily for these thirty days when the devta is out of his abode, his shrine. Some
of these people are young men, who play the musical instruments while some are responsible for the
‘vahan’ (the vehicle of the God). This is in the form of a Palanquin or ‘palki’, which houses the actual
shrine of the Dev Badeogi.
The shrine is made of ‘Ashthadhaatu’ (an alloy of eight metals) with the benign face of the multiple-
garlanded deity on the different phases of the shrine. Shielding the face of the devta is a miniature
umbrella made of gold. Four smaller golden umbrellas are placed a little lower to protect the many faces
of the devta. At the bottom of the palki, several coloured cloths are tied with their loose ends flowing
below, lending a very vivid look. Accompanying this ensemble is a large umbrella, called the ‘Chhattar’
which is made of a rough textured cloth and supported by dull yellowish metallic thick strings and a
pointed cone at a top, which are actually made of gold. The Chhattar, is the shield against evil, and during
all ceremonies, it is rotated continuously to fend off any evil energy that may be present. The young
members are responsible for this unceasing circular motion, and usually replace each other after long
periods of constant rotation. A couple of other people carry an earthen pot inside which incense is kept
burning during all times of the Jattar.
When the devta’s troupe reached the threshold of the premises, the beats rose to a crescendo, the
‘Chhattar’ was rotated even faster. A priest, clad in white dhoti and kurta, a “tika” (vertical mark) of
vermillion on his forehead, who had been calm till the previous moment, started to shake, his whole body
in a frenzy. His hands flailed of their own accord, his eyes rolled in all directions without control and due
to his seemingly uncontrollable movements, his cap fell and his long oiled tresses curls swung in
abandon. It is believed that the moment the priest’s head becomes bare; the devta enters the priest’s
bodily form. This is the ‘Khel’, when the devta addresses his followers in tangible appearance.
A plate with rice grains, corn and incense was placed before the priest; his hands moved and picked some
rice grains and scattered them in all directions. He spoke to the head of the inviting family, in the local old
‘Pahari Hindi’ dialect, regarding the origin of life, gods, death, strength, and about protection of his
followers from evil. As the family members bowed their heads in reverence, suddenly, the shaking ceased
abruptly, the deafening beats lowered in intensity and the priest came out of the trance, completely
normal. Though somewhat skeptical of the authenticity of this entire scene, I found difficult to envisage
the motivation behind this act, if it was an act, given the complete faith that seemed to pervade all the
involved people.
Before the devta can be seated, another ritual had to be completed – that of the sacrifice of a goat. This act
works like a final acceptance of the invitation. So, in the midst of the unceasing thumps on the drums, the
goat, which had been fed generously for the last couple of days, was beheaded with a single swift motion
of a knife by one of the kardhaar.
With the exception of the head which now belonged to the priest, the remnants of the goat were cooked in
a separate fire outside, eaten by some of the kardhaar. The family head then led the devta and his priests
towards the temporary ‘pandal’ constructed for the devta. Since the God does not enter the house, neither
will he be seated on the ground, an elevated platform was created with wooden planks placed on bricks,
and covered by mats. The head of the sacrificed goat is kept below the platform, next to the earthen vessel
with the burning incense, creating an aura of indescribable power which seemed to awe all present.
After some time, when every arrangement had been settled, the priests performed the evening Aarti – the
ceremony where the devta was greeted with the purifying flames of the ‘diya’ (earthen oil lamp) and the
intoxicating fumes of incense. At the same time, a small brass bell was also rung continuously, while all
assembled sang the bhajan ‘Om Jai Jagdish hare’. After the subsequent puja, ‘Dhaam’ (food cooked in
huge quantities and served to guests for an occasion) was served to all the villagers and invited guests.
The cooking arrangements had been made on a slope outside, where, beneath the shelter of a tarpaulin
sheet, traditional Pahari dishes were being cooked in big brass vessels kept on wooden fires. The
adjoining plain area of the slope was also covered from the top and three sides, with the ground carpeted
with jute mats. People sat along in rows, while hot food was brought in fresh from the makeshift kitchen
and served in paper plates on the ground in front of them. After all the guests and family had completed
their meal, the hosts organized the sleeping arrangements for the kardhaar. The priests always slept at the
side of the devta, whereas others were scattered between the house and the ‘pandal’.
The final ritual of the evening is the ‘Bhel’; this is tantamount to the lullabies sung before sleep. After
calm had settled in the night, the musicians started playing a specific rhythm and melody, different from
the evening. The major part of the music was played by the nagada, (local elongated version of the
trumpet) which added a unique quality to the loud chorus of the drumbeats, finally reaching a climax after
half an hour or so. It was surreal – the small gathering amongst the mountains, the crickets giving the
background score, the hypnotizing sounds of the instruments; thus ended the evening.
The morning rituals consisted of ‘Snan’ (bathing ceremonies) which were the exclusive rights of the
priests only, where the devta and the complete palanquin bathed figuratively, actually dabbed with a wet
cloth, and then the garlands and the colorful cloths are arranged. It is only after this ceremony that the
priests had breakfast, a significant part of which, the hundred odd ‘bhaturu’ (local version of bread), was
prepared by the ladies (of the house and neighbours) in the interior kitchen. The rest of the meal,
consisting of potato curry and “suji ka halwa” (semolina cooked with ghee, sugar and dry fruits) was
prepared in the temporary external kitchen outside.
The next tradition of the Jattar was the ‘Naachna’ or the dance, where the devta is said to dance in joy
and celebration. It started with the gradual playing of the percussions in a slow tempo. Four of the
kardhaar gently lifted the palanquin, all in unison, and started moving in simple coordinated steps – a
couple of steps forward, a couple backward. Despite the weight on their shoulders they moved in perfect
harmony and even switched places with others without breaking the pace. The untiring steps, along with
the beats, soon took on the quality of a trance as it continued on and on for about thirty minutes. It is
believed that this particular ritual happens only if the devta wishes it; otherwise it may so happen that the
palanquin becomes inexplicably heavy that it cannot be lifted at all, let alone moved with.
The main event of the Jattar is considered to be the ‘Jhaada’ which occurred after the dance. When the
priests and the devta were reseated at the platform, again, with the background music of the percussions
and the fumes of the incense, one of the priests fell into the possessed-like spell as the devta seemed to
occupy his physical body. The music stopped as soon as he started chanting some phrases and scattered
rice grains in all directions. At this time, the family members sat in front of the raised pedestal, and one
by one, each person moved to face the devta, gave him ‘dakshina’ (offerings given to one venerated), as
he uttered some words about their protection and security, blessed them and gave some grains as Prasad.
A few members even asked specific questions regarding the family future, to which he gave some
responses which may or may not have optimistic
Sometime after all the people had finished asking their questions, the priest’s frenzy gradually ebbed; he
became completely normal the moment one of the other priests placed his fallen cap back on his head.
After some time, it was time for yet another rite; the ‘Pooda’, which is done for agricultural well being of
the family. For this, two priests, along with the family and onlookers, walked to the fields (which were
divested of any crops at that time) with the ubiquitous beats of the drums. One of the priests wore a white
dhoti below a bare chest, looking formidable, not because of his built but due to a miniature axe hanging
from a belt on his waist. That axe is the ‘Raksha Kavach’ of the devta, or the shield for protection. As
everyone sat down on the uneven ground, both the priests went into the now-familiar trance, their eyes
piercing into the onlookers, but not really seeing them. The actions of both were uncannily similar.
Standing, they started chanting, to call the spirit of the devta to their physical bodies. As the spirit of the
devta manifested, they seemed to gain more strength and their movements became even more random.
This time, there was a certain sense of anger in the behavior of the two possessed priests. Their hands
found a plate which contained grains, roti, and halwa and scattered all there was into the parched earth.
They uttered some indecipherable chants, in loud thunderous voices. Through these actions, the devta is
believed to bless the earth to turn in fertile. With the receding of the percussion’s volume and tempo, and
the re-placing of their respective caps, they priests came back from surrealistic state and sat down quietly,
ending this visit from the devta too.
In the course of the afternoon and evening, the devta danced twice more, once before the lunch Dhaam
and finally before leaving. This dance can only be performed an odd number of times, so the family had
decided on three. With the approach of the darkening evening, it was time for the devta to depart; another
new family to bless and celebrate with. As the final 'naach' occurred, all the four handles were held by the
family members, while the ladies of the house tied small silver chhattars to the handles and also tied more
colourful cloth, called ‘purojini’ to the palanquin. As the Jattar to this family successfully ended,
everyone to their ‘Sthan devta’. Before the procession left for another house, one of the priests again
scattered the rice grains offered in a brass plate, as a final blessing to.
The authenticity of this revered ritual of manifestation can always be doubted by cynics. However, when
one remembers that the villagers of these mountains are god-fearing, it is difficult to imagine that the
priests would engineer all the trances for their own gain at the risk of inviting the wrath of the gods. For
the locals, the Jattar transcends the conventional concept of a god and his/her worship, and strengthens
their faith in their devta.
2. http://112.196.11.34/dailypost/Details.aspx?id=1341&boxid=28984&uid=&dat=2011-07-31
A Date with the 19th Century
Even the path to the entrance of the Institute of Advanced Studies is beautiful - the curved roads rising in
a gentle slope, with the stone walled boundary on the left and graceful pines on the right hiding the
majestic view of the mountains beyond. My experience of visiting this erstwhile Viceroy's lodge was even
better due to the misty weather and the scattered fog which played around at the whims of the winds.
Originally built as a residence for the viceroy Lord Dufferin (late 1800s), this little piece of history is one
of the lesser known attractions of Shimla. More than a hundred years old, this magnificent structure is
now a place of research and education of subjects like Humanities and Social Sciences. Fortunately, a
small part of it has been kept open to tourists and history lovers so that they can get a whiff, look and feel
of the late nineteenth century.
Entry into these permitted rooms is only in the company of guides who give tours of the interiors at
regular intervals. As I entered the building, I felt like I had been transported into another era; along with
the guide, the beautiful varnished wooden architecture, the heavy curtains, the Victorian style of furniture,
seemed to narrate stories of the past. Despite the length of time that had passed, the interiors are
remarkably well preserved; the polished wooden wall paneling, the meeting rooms (in one of which the
famous Simla Conference of 1945 was held), the paintings, the banister leading to the second floor –
everything seemed to be unchanged with the years. All these silent spectators of history seemed to awe
visitors into hushed whispers, as if not wanting to disturb their dignity and memories.
As the guide walked us through the last hundred or so years of this mansion’s existence, I was charmed
by the black and white photographs of English families; the women decked up in their flowing gowns and
hats, while the men stood tall and proud - remnants of the British rule of India. When the nation was torn
in the throes of the fight for independence, this tranquil place must probably have been a welcome retreat
for the many officers that resided here during those turbulent times. When the tour ended and I walked
out the door, I felt as if I was returning from another world and another time.
The area outside, with its extensive lawns, well maintained gardens built on multiple levels, old fountains
with the typically European structures, gives one the ideal setting to get away from the crowds, and spend
a quiet time in the heart of the beautiful erstwhile summer capital. Benches are scattered across the
grounds; for active visitors, there are a lot of paths through which one can walk across the various levels
of the gardens.
Once called the Viceregal lodge, the mansion was built on one of the high peaks called the Observatory
hill, it provides a splendid view of the Himachal mountains below the western sky. The best time to visit
is evening (as I had unknowingly done) when one can feast one’s eyes on a resplendent sunset amidst the
clouds and faraway hills. As the evening progressed, the clouds floated above the valleys to finally rise to
the sky, while the golden sun descended to the horizon.
The charmingly quiet surroundings, coupled with the lovely weather of Shimla, the slight chill in the air,
the fiery orange sky, made this short trip one of unbridled pleasure, away from the jarring sounds of car
horns, shops and the twenty-first century – a perfect date with history.
The ‘Jattar’ is a sacred religious Hindu tradition in Himachal Pradesh, during which a deity, locally
called ‘devta’, travels on a journey from his abode to a devotee’s house, where he has been invited and
blesses his devotees. This tradition goes back hundreds of years – it is believed that the Gods promised
their followers their protection, and through the Jattar they fortify the sense of security. Devotees usually
call for a Jattar as a result of the fulfillment of their ‘mannat’ (vow). However, if there is any birth or
death in the family of the inviting devotee within the last eleven days before the planned Jattar, the devta
declines the invitation. There is a lot of mystique around this revered ritual, as it involves the
manifestation of the god in one of his worshippers.
I had been in one of the devotees’ house during the Jattar of the Dev Badeogi (Dronacharya) devta in the
village Panetu near Tattapani for which the afore-mentioned God is the ‘Sthan/Gram devta’. The Dev
Badeogi devta’s Jattar occurs twice in a year, the first, called ‘Laual’, occurs during early summer when
the devta graces the people of the area near Tattapani and Shaaog and the second, called ‘Pratha’, in
September when he travels to Thali near Sunni.
On the appointed day, the devta and his ‘kaardhaar’ (devotees who take care of the various rituals of the
Jattar) arrived at the house in the evening, with the approaching dusk. As the procession approached the
house, all the villagers, with their heads covered by 'dupattas', caps or handkerchiefs, assembled to see
their holy god and offer their prayers. For the people of Himachal, it is imperative to have their heads
covered in the presence of Gods. There was an air of anticipation in the air, which increased with the loud
and rhythmic beats of the ‘dhol’ and ‘nagada’ (local percussion instruments), and the thickening air due
to the smoke and aroma of the burning incense, all of which accompanied the devta’s convoy.
The devta is accompanied by a group of about ‘kardhaar’ as he passes through the various houses and
areas. A few of these people are priests who dedicate their entire life to serving the deity; others renounce
their domestic lives temporarily for these thirty days when the devta is out of his abode, his shrine. Some
of these people are young men, who play the musical instruments while some are responsible for the
‘vahan’ (the vehicle of the God). This is in the form of a Palanquin or ‘palki’, which houses the actual
shrine of the Dev Badeogi.
The shrine is made of ‘Ashthadhaatu’ (an alloy of eight metals) with the benign face of the multiple-
garlanded deity on the different phases of the shrine. Shielding the face of the devta is a miniature
umbrella made of gold. Four smaller golden umbrellas are placed a little lower to protect the many faces
of the devta. At the bottom of the palki, several coloured cloths are tied with their loose ends flowing
below, lending a very vivid look. Accompanying this ensemble is a large umbrella, called the ‘Chhattar’
which is made of a rough textured cloth and supported by dull yellowish metallic thick strings and a
pointed cone at a top, which are actually made of gold. The Chhattar, is the shield against evil, and during
all ceremonies, it is rotated continuously to fend off any evil energy that may be present. The young
members are responsible for this unceasing circular motion, and usually replace each other after long
periods of constant rotation. A couple of other people carry an earthen pot inside which incense is kept
burning during all times of the Jattar.
When the devta’s troupe reached the threshold of the premises, the beats rose to a crescendo, the
‘Chhattar’ was rotated even faster. A priest, clad in white dhoti and kurta, a “tika” (vertical mark) of
vermillion on his forehead, who had been calm till the previous moment, started to shake, his whole body
in a frenzy. His hands flailed of their own accord, his eyes rolled in all directions without control and due
to his seemingly uncontrollable movements, his cap fell and his long oiled tresses curls swung in
abandon. It is believed that the moment the priest’s head becomes bare; the devta enters the priest’s
bodily form. This is the ‘Khel’, when the devta addresses his followers in tangible appearance.
A plate with rice grains, corn and incense was placed before the priest; his hands moved and picked some
rice grains and scattered them in all directions. He spoke to the head of the inviting family, in the local old
‘Pahari Hindi’ dialect, regarding the origin of life, gods, death, strength, and about protection of his
followers from evil. As the family members bowed their heads in reverence, suddenly, the shaking ceased
abruptly, the deafening beats lowered in intensity and the priest came out of the trance, completely
normal. Though somewhat skeptical of the authenticity of this entire scene, I found difficult to envisage
the motivation behind this act, if it was an act, given the complete faith that seemed to pervade all the
involved people.
Before the devta can be seated, another ritual had to be completed – that of the sacrifice of a goat. This act
works like a final acceptance of the invitation. So, in the midst of the unceasing thumps on the drums, the
goat, which had been fed generously for the last couple of days, was beheaded with a single swift motion
of a knife by one of the kardhaar.
With the exception of the head which now belonged to the priest, the remnants of the goat were cooked in
a separate fire outside, eaten by some of the kardhaar. The family head then led the devta and his priests
towards the temporary ‘pandal’ constructed for the devta. Since the God does not enter the house, neither
will he be seated on the ground, an elevated platform was created with wooden planks placed on bricks,
and covered by mats. The head of the sacrificed goat is kept below the platform, next to the earthen vessel
with the burning incense, creating an aura of indescribable power which seemed to awe all present.
After some time, when every arrangement had been settled, the priests performed the evening Aarti – the
ceremony where the devta was greeted with the purifying flames of the ‘diya’ (earthen oil lamp) and the
intoxicating fumes of incense. At the same time, a small brass bell was also rung continuously, while all
assembled sang the bhajan ‘Om Jai Jagdish hare’. After the subsequent puja, ‘Dhaam’ (food cooked in
huge quantities and served to guests for an occasion) was served to all the villagers and invited guests.
The cooking arrangements had been made on a slope outside, where, beneath the shelter of a tarpaulin
sheet, traditional Pahari dishes were being cooked in big brass vessels kept on wooden fires. The
adjoining plain area of the slope was also covered from the top and three sides, with the ground carpeted
with jute mats. People sat along in rows, while hot food was brought in fresh from the makeshift kitchen
and served in paper plates on the ground in front of them. After all the guests and family had completed
their meal, the hosts organized the sleeping arrangements for the kardhaar. The priests always slept at the
side of the devta, whereas others were scattered between the house and the ‘pandal’.
The final ritual of the evening is the ‘Bhel’; this is tantamount to the lullabies sung before sleep. After
calm had settled in the night, the musicians started playing a specific rhythm and melody, different from
the evening. The major part of the music was played by the nagada, (local elongated version of the
trumpet) which added a unique quality to the loud chorus of the drumbeats, finally reaching a climax after
half an hour or so. It was surreal – the small gathering amongst the mountains, the crickets giving the
background score, the hypnotizing sounds of the instruments; thus ended the evening.
The morning rituals consisted of ‘Snan’ (bathing ceremonies) which were the exclusive rights of the
priests only, where the devta and the complete palanquin bathed figuratively, actually dabbed with a wet
cloth, and then the garlands and the colorful cloths are arranged. It is only after this ceremony that the
priests had breakfast, a significant part of which, the hundred odd ‘bhaturu’ (local version of bread), was
prepared by the ladies (of the house and neighbours) in the interior kitchen. The rest of the meal,
consisting of potato curry and “suji ka halwa” (semolina cooked with ghee, sugar and dry fruits) was
prepared in the temporary external kitchen outside.
The next tradition of the Jattar was the ‘Naachna’ or the dance, where the devta is said to dance in joy
and celebration. It started with the gradual playing of the percussions in a slow tempo. Four of the
kardhaar gently lifted the palanquin, all in unison, and started moving in simple coordinated steps – a
couple of steps forward, a couple backward. Despite the weight on their shoulders they moved in perfect
harmony and even switched places with others without breaking the pace. The untiring steps, along with
the beats, soon took on the quality of a trance as it continued on and on for about thirty minutes. It is
believed that this particular ritual happens only if the devta wishes it; otherwise it may so happen that the
palanquin becomes inexplicably heavy that it cannot be lifted at all, let alone moved with.
The main event of the Jattar is considered to be the ‘Jhaada’ which occurred after the dance. When the
priests and the devta were reseated at the platform, again, with the background music of the percussions
and the fumes of the incense, one of the priests fell into the possessed-like spell as the devta seemed to
occupy his physical body. The music stopped as soon as he started chanting some phrases and scattered
rice grains in all directions. At this time, the family members sat in front of the raised pedestal, and one
by one, each person moved to face the devta, gave him ‘dakshina’ (offerings given to one venerated), as
he uttered some words about their protection and security, blessed them and gave some grains as Prasad.
A few members even asked specific questions regarding the family future, to which he gave some
responses which may or may not have optimistic
Sometime after all the people had finished asking their questions, the priest’s frenzy gradually ebbed; he
became completely normal the moment one of the other priests placed his fallen cap back on his head.
After some time, it was time for yet another rite; the ‘Pooda’, which is done for agricultural well being of
the family. For this, two priests, along with the family and onlookers, walked to the fields (which were
divested of any crops at that time) with the ubiquitous beats of the drums. One of the priests wore a white
dhoti below a bare chest, looking formidable, not because of his built but due to a miniature axe hanging
from a belt on his waist. That axe is the ‘Raksha Kavach’ of the devta, or the shield for protection. As
everyone sat down on the uneven ground, both the priests went into the now-familiar trance, their eyes
piercing into the onlookers, but not really seeing them. The actions of both were uncannily similar.
Standing, they started chanting, to call the spirit of the devta to their physical bodies. As the spirit of the
devta manifested, they seemed to gain more strength and their movements became even more random.
This time, there was a certain sense of anger in the behavior of the two possessed priests. Their hands
found a plate which contained grains, roti, and halwa and scattered all there was into the parched earth.
They uttered some indecipherable chants, in loud thunderous voices. Through these actions, the devta is
believed to bless the earth to turn in fertile. With the receding of the percussion’s volume and tempo, and
the re-placing of their respective caps, they priests came back from surrealistic state and sat down quietly,
ending this visit from the devta too.
In the course of the afternoon and evening, the devta danced twice more, once before the lunch Dhaam
and finally before leaving. This dance can only be performed an odd number of times, so the family had
decided on three. With the approach of the darkening evening, it was time for the devta to depart; another
new family to bless and celebrate with. As the final 'naach' occurred, all the four handles were held by the
family members, while the ladies of the house tied small silver chhattars to the handles and also tied more
colourful cloth, called ‘purojini’ to the palanquin. As the Jattar to this family successfully ended,
everyone to their ‘Sthan devta’. Before the procession left for another house, one of the priests again
scattered the rice grains offered in a brass plate, as a final blessing to.
The authenticity of this revered ritual of manifestation can always be doubted by cynics. However, when
one remembers that the villagers of these mountains are god-fearing, it is difficult to imagine that the
priests would engineer all the trances for their own gain at the risk of inviting the wrath of the gods. For
the locals, the Jattar transcends the conventional concept of a god and his/her worship, and strengthens
their faith in their devta.
2. http://112.196.11.34/dailypost/Details.aspx?id=1341&boxid=28984&uid=&dat=2011-07-31
A Date with the 19th Century
Even the path to the entrance of the Institute of Advanced Studies is beautiful - the curved roads rising in
a gentle slope, with the stone walled boundary on the left and graceful pines on the right hiding the
majestic view of the mountains beyond. My experience of visiting this erstwhile Viceroy's lodge was even
better due to the misty weather and the scattered fog which played around at the whims of the winds.
Originally built as a residence for the viceroy Lord Dufferin (late 1800s), this little piece of history is one
of the lesser known attractions of Shimla. More than a hundred years old, this magnificent structure is
now a place of research and education of subjects like Humanities and Social Sciences. Fortunately, a
small part of it has been kept open to tourists and history lovers so that they can get a whiff, look and feel
of the late nineteenth century.
Entry into these permitted rooms is only in the company of guides who give tours of the interiors at
regular intervals. As I entered the building, I felt like I had been transported into another era; along with
the guide, the beautiful varnished wooden architecture, the heavy curtains, the Victorian style of furniture,
seemed to narrate stories of the past. Despite the length of time that had passed, the interiors are
remarkably well preserved; the polished wooden wall paneling, the meeting rooms (in one of which the
famous Simla Conference of 1945 was held), the paintings, the banister leading to the second floor –
everything seemed to be unchanged with the years. All these silent spectators of history seemed to awe
visitors into hushed whispers, as if not wanting to disturb their dignity and memories.
As the guide walked us through the last hundred or so years of this mansion’s existence, I was charmed
by the black and white photographs of English families; the women decked up in their flowing gowns and
hats, while the men stood tall and proud - remnants of the British rule of India. When the nation was torn
in the throes of the fight for independence, this tranquil place must probably have been a welcome retreat
for the many officers that resided here during those turbulent times. When the tour ended and I walked
out the door, I felt as if I was returning from another world and another time.
The area outside, with its extensive lawns, well maintained gardens built on multiple levels, old fountains
with the typically European structures, gives one the ideal setting to get away from the crowds, and spend
a quiet time in the heart of the beautiful erstwhile summer capital. Benches are scattered across the
grounds; for active visitors, there are a lot of paths through which one can walk across the various levels
of the gardens.
Once called the Viceregal lodge, the mansion was built on one of the high peaks called the Observatory
hill, it provides a splendid view of the Himachal mountains below the western sky. The best time to visit
is evening (as I had unknowingly done) when one can feast one’s eyes on a resplendent sunset amidst the
clouds and faraway hills. As the evening progressed, the clouds floated above the valleys to finally rise to
the sky, while the golden sun descended to the horizon.
The charmingly quiet surroundings, coupled with the lovely weather of Shimla, the slight chill in the air,
the fiery orange sky, made this short trip one of unbridled pleasure, away from the jarring sounds of car
horns, shops and the twenty-first century – a perfect date with history.
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