Shimla to Shyamala? Debate’s on!

Pratibha Chauhan 

Even as the controversy surrounding the change of name of the state capital from Shimla to Shyamala rages, there are conflicting opinions. But, a majority are vehemently opposed to the idea. The BJP regime has, of now, adopted a wait and watch approach and the issue has been pushed to the backburner, but not seemingly dropped completely. 

It was the state unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) who floated the idea and submitted a memorandum to the CM, seeking change in the name of erstwhile summer capital of the British to shed the colonial shackles. 

The demand by the right wing organisation virtually opened up a Pandora’s box, as a majority of the people reacted sharply to the suggestion. Sharp criticism was evident on social media, where people registered their sharp disapproval of the very idea. 

The issue evoked such strong reaction, that people went to the extent of remarking that rather than changing the name of the town, the government must improve facilities. “No water, no parking – only monkeys and dogs. Smart City Shimla and now SHYAMALA,” is how one Rajneesh Sharma reacted to the idea. 

There are some like Deep Chand Verma, a local resident, who say that there was a temple of Goddess Shyalama at the same place, where Kali Bari temple exists, but with the increase in number of Bengali population, the temple came to be identified with Goddess Kali. 

The chorus for name change seems to have caught on with VHP seeking change of the name of Nurpur town to Ram Singh Nagar as a mark of respect to Wazir Ram Singh Pathania, who raised the banner of revolt against the British even before the 1857 mutiny. 

The Tribune caught up with writer, artist and environmentalist BS Malhans to get to know the facts as recorded and passed down from generations. He is a former state convener of INTACH and is a member of the Heritage Advisory Committee. He has documented the hill temples in and around Shimla and also authored books. 

Since you have done a lot of research and written a book on hill temples, was there ever a temple of Goddess Shymala, as being claimed by some people, though there is no documentary evidence?

The only temple that existed in this region before the British came here in 1846 was that of the Jakh devta, who was revered by villagers living in Koti, Keonthal and all villages of this area. It was because of Jakh devta that the Jakhu temple got its name. There was no priest at the temple of Jakh Devta and the villagers would take their own priest along. It was much later, when Jakhu came to be associated with Hanuman, that a permanent priest took charge of the temple. So, there is no evidence or folklore of Goddess Shyamala. The only reference that one can gather from old timers, a majority of whom are no more, is that a sizeable number of Bengalis employed as junior officers, accountants and clerks with the British government moved here from Kolkata in 1864. They found a black stone which looked like the image of Goddess Kali and started worshipping it. Since it was a black stone, they called it Shyamala. Hence, the belief that probably Shimla got its name from Shyamala. The Bengalis believed it to be Goddess Kali, but there was no temple of Goddess Shyamala as being claimed by some.

How can one trace the town getting its name as Simla?

It was while documenting the temple in Kagi village below Naldehra, that some very old people told me that the British called their summer capital here as similar to their homes in England. They said gradually over a period of time, the word similar was shortened to Simla and the town got its name, by which it is known the world over. It was much later when Himachal was formed that the state government decided to add “h” to Simla. Ever since, it came to be known as Shimla. Even at that point of time, a majority had opposed the change in name as it was then pronounced differently. Old timers, till date, like to call Shimla — Simla — despite the change in spellings of the town officially at the government level.

Are you personally in favour of the change of the name of the town?

Not at all, as the town is a popular international tourist destination. It is globally known as Shimla and in fact many people abroad are not even aware about Himachal Pradesh, but know Shimla. You cannot change history as it is our past. There should be no attempt to tinker with it and one cannot deny or change the fact that Shimla was the summer capital of the British for more than a century and the town’s architectural masterpieces, layout, planning, Shimla-Kalka narrow gauge railway track bear the stamp of the British. If we can take pride in getting UNESCO World Heritage site tag for the Shimla-Kalka railway line, then why should we have a problem with the name of the town?

‘There should be no attempt to change history’

" It is globally known as Shimla and in fact many people abroad are not even aware about Himachal Pradesh, but know Shimla. You cannot change history as it is our past. There should be no attempt to tinker with it and one cannot deny or change the fact that Shimla was the summer capital of the British and the town’s architectural masterpieces, layout, planning, Shimla-Kalka narrow gauge railway track bear the stamp of the British." — BS Malhans, Writer, artist and environmentalist

OFFICIALSPEAK: Conflicting opinions...some in favour, some not

‘Only if public wants it’ 

"The government has neither decided nor is contemplating changing the name of our state capital Shimla to Shyamala. However, if the public opinion is in favour of the name change, only then the government will consider the proposal floated by some who feel that the town must be known by its original name of Shyamala" — Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister

‘An exercise in futility’

"In my opinion this entire talk of changing Shimla's name is an exercise in futility. There is no logic or sense in seeking a change in the name of a town, which was once the summer capital of the British and enjoys international acclaim. I have lived here for my entire life, but I am not aware of any Goddess Shyamala or its temple anywhere, from which people claim the town drew its name. Changing the past will not change the ground realities. So, the endeavour should be to improve the facilities in the town, so that it attracts more tourists and enjoys a place of eminence as it is a town steeped in history with rich culture and traditions of its own. Any attempt by the government to change the state capital's name will be opposed tooth and nail by the Congress. If need be, the Congress will protest and if still somebody goes ahead with this abysmal idea, the Congress on returning to power will change the name back to Shimla." — Virbhadra Singh, Former Chief Minister

‘Neither supporting nor against’ 

"We are neither supporting nor opposing the issue of change of name of Shimla town to Shyamala. Our stand is that if at all there is any such move, the decisions should rest on the majority public sentiment whether it is against the name change or in its support. Neither have we submitted any memorandum in this regard nor do we intend to do so in future." — Kusum Sadret, Mayor, Shimla Municipal Corporation

‘Like other cities, Shyamala mispronounced by British’

"Various cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata have been victims of mispronunciation by the British. Shyamala is yet another such example, which needs to be rectified. The town must be known by its original name and not a name given to it by the colonial rulers because they could not pronounce the name Shyamala properly. The VHP is vehemently opposed to Indian towns and cities bearing names given by the British. When a nation like Swaziland can change its name to eSwatini to shed its colonial image, then why should there be opposition to Shimla getting its old and original name?  If names of two hospitals Snowdown and Ripon could be changed to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Deen Dayal Updhyaya Hospital then why can't the state capital be given back its original name? Considering the historical evidence of Goddess Shyamala, we are confident that people will accept the name as they are made aware about this fact." — Aman Puri, state president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad 

‘Will ruin entire tourism sector on which town sustains’

"The hospitality sector is vehemently opposed to any change in the name of the town, as this will not just hit, but ruin the entire tourism sector on which the town sustains. The main USP of Shimla is its British legacy and the history associated with the days of the Raj. People come here from all over the world to see the summer capital of the British and changing the name will not change the town in anyway. Rather, the government's focus should be on improving facilities whether it is good roads, 24X7 water availability, adequate parking and cleanliness. In case the government decides to move ahead with the proposal, we will submit a memorandum opposing the move in the interest of the town and its people." — Harnam Kukreja, President of Shimla Hoteliers and Restaurants' Association

"The very idea of changing the name of Shimla to Shyamala seems absolutely absurd. Why do you want Shimla to lose its identity when it is internationally renowned as erstwhile summer capital of the British? Naming it Shyamala will not change the town in any way or for that matter its rich past. The town has a rich British legacy which nobody can change. So, why meddle with name? As Shakespeare said: “What’s in a name?” — Kusum Jaret, History teacher 

"The very idea of name change is unacceptable. We have grown up knowing the town as Shimla, read books which mention Shimla and not Shymala. Even if the government changes the name, people will continue to call it Shimla — the way a majority still calls Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) as Snowdown Hospital and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital as Ripon Hospital, which are their old names. The effort should be to improve facilities and not on changing the town’s name.  " — Deepasha and Varsha, Class XII students 

"Shimla is not just a name, but a feeling. A feeling that was crushed when Simla became Shimla. In my heart, it’s still Simla. I was born and brought up in Simla and for me it will remain Simla and not even Shimla, leave aside Shyamala or anything else. " — Urvashi Srivastava, who lives in Pune now