A few rumors in Shimla, such as Scandal Point Shimla, carry the flavor of the British era. The gestures and legacies left by them are the talk of the town. Coffee at Coffee House still gets cold over the hot discussions about the lifestyle of the British era. The signs of the British lifestyle are scattered here in the shape of architecture, sealed roads, behavioral aspects, and much more. People talk about the rich history that the British created and left behind. The British set some rules and those who failed to follow those rules were banned from approaching the city, which was right. These rules became the reason for many anecdotes which found a place among the local gentry and the chit-chat created many rumors. Here we shall talk about a major rumour of Shimla that still people of this town talk about.
Scandal Point – A Pointless Scandal
Appealing! Isn’t it? The name, immediately, diverts the attention. The most happening place in the town and the most common meeting address of every resident in Shimla – is Scandal Point. ‘Meet me at Scandal’ – how many times this word is uttered in a day in Shimla, no one knows. Every day hundreds of people pass through this crossing in the middle of the town. Every tourist coming to Shimla is keen to know the story behind it but the mystery remains unveiled as no one has yet been able to find the real motive behind it.
The Story of Scandal Point as told by locals and Tour Guides
They say that the Maharaja of Patiala, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh abducted the daughter of the Viceroy from this place. He took her to his newly built summer palace in Chail. He did so because the officers of the Viceregal Lodge had made a conspiracy against him and he was shown the way out of Shimla. To take revenge, he took this awful step. Some say that the incident took place in 1892 whereas a few others also speak about it happening in 1901. It is hard to believe both cases as in the former date the Maharaja was not even a year old. In 1901, he was just nine. Perhaps his name is taken due to his colorful nature, as he had 365 wives in his haram. But why should he do that?
The other name associated with the Story of Scandal Point
Maharaja Rajender Singh was the father of Maharaja Bhupender Singh. Some say, perhaps he did that in 1892. But His age was only 20 years and he was already married and had a son, Bhupender. Also, the Viceroy at that time was Lord Landsdown who had two daughters. One was Lady Evelyn who got married in 1892 to Victor Cavendish. The other was Lady Beatrix who was in India only for some time and then got married to Henry Bressford in in 1897.
Another face of the Story of Scandal Point
This was told to me by a local, Mr. Mukti Nath Sharma, who retired as Kanoongo from the state government. One day Maharaja rode on his horse to The Mall. At the same time, the Vicereine arrived there in her palanquin. The Police Officer present there requested the Maharaja to get a side which he denied. His horse ran and jumped near the palanquin. At this, the palanquin fell on the ground in the middle of the day, and the Vicereine got hurt. Everyone saw that and the incident became the talk of the town. This is how the place got its name – Scandal Point. Click below to listen to what says Mr. Sharma.
