Best Stories & Legends of Shimla — Tales from the Mountains

Legends of Shimla: Ghosts of the British Raj

Shimla, the former summer capital of British India, is a treasure trove of colonial-era legends, pre-British Himalayan myths, and ghost stories that have haunted the city's Gothic-Revival buildings for over a century.

The Scandal Point Romance

Shimla's most famous landmark — Scandal Point on the Ridge — gets its name from one of the British Raj's most notorious incidents. In the 1890s, the Maharaja of Patiala allegedly eloped with the daughter of the British Viceroy from this very spot, causing a diplomatic scandal that shook the Empire. While historians debate the details, the story has become inseparable from the location. Every evening, as the sun sets behind the Christ Church steeple, locals and tourists gather at the same spot where the scandal unfolded.

The Ghost of Charleville Mansion

Built in 1838, Charleville Mansion (now the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly) is considered one of the most haunted buildings in India. The original owner, a British military officer, is said to have killed his wife in a fit of jealousy and then hanged himself in the attic. Staff members and visitors have reported cold spots, the sound of footsteps in empty corridors, and the appearance of a woman in white on the upper balcony. The building's Gothic architecture — pointed arches, steep gables, and ornate woodwork — adds to its spectral atmosphere.

Lord Ripon's Curse and the Viceregal Lodge

The magnificent Viceregal Lodge (now Indian Institute of Advanced Study), built in 1888, was the summer seat of British power. From this building, decisions were made that affected 400 million people. The partition of India in 1947 was planned in its conference room. Legend has it that Lord Ripon, the Viceroy responsible for many of the building's furnishings, placed a "blessing-curse" on the lodge: it would stand forever, but no occupant would find peace within its walls. The Simla Conference of 1945, the failed negotiations of 1946, and the traumatic partition discussions that followed seem to bear this out.

The Hidden Tunnels of Shimla

Beneath Shimla's bustling Mall Road lies a network of tunnels built by the British for military and administrative purposes. Most are sealed, but a few sections have been explored. Local legend claims the tunnels stretch from the Ridge all the way to the Viceregal Lodge — a distance of over 3 km. Supposedly, the British built them to allow covert movement during potential uprisings. Whether or not the tunnel network is as extensive as claimed, the sealed entrances visible in some older buildings add fuel to the mystery.

Jakhu Temple and Hanuman's Lightning Strike

Jakhu Temple, at 2,455m the highest point in Shimla, is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. According to the Ramayana, Hanuman stopped here to rest while carrying the Sanjeevani herb from the Himalayas to Lanka. The massive 108-foot Hanuman statue was installed in 2010. Remarkably, lightning struck the statue during its consecration ceremony — an event that devotees interpreted as divine acknowledgment. The aggressive rhesus macaques that guard the temple are believed to be descendants of Hanuman's simian army.

*Ghost hunting walk: Start at Charleville Mansion at dusk, walk the haunted stretch of Mall Road toward the Ridge, stop at Scandal Point as the lamplighters switch on the old-style street lamps, and end at Gorton Castle — Shimla's most atmospheric hour.*