Mall Road
Mall Road is considered to be the centre of Shimla’s social life. It is the main street in Shimla. Major hotels, restaurants, recreation centres of the district are situated here. The Mall was constructed during the British colonial rule, and certain precautions were taken in order to ensure that the road does not gets affected. One of these step was to restrict the entry of automobiles on the road. All the colonial structures can be seen on the Mall.
The Mall has a number of vital showrooms, stores, departmental stores, shops, restaurants and cafes of the district together. The market here offers handicraft products of Himachal Pradesh like locally designed woollen cloths, branded cloths, pottery items, jewellary, books, and local eatable items. It is also known for its furniture shops.
Scandal point, Mall road, Shimla.
Scandal point:
Scandal point is the highest as well as end point of the mall. Due to its scenic location, it is generally occupied by tourists. The name Scandal has arised from the actions of Maharaja of Patiala, who dared the Britishers by kidnapping the daughter of the then Viceroy of India from this particular point. A statue of Lala Lajpat Rai, is placed here.
Gaiety Theater:
Gaiety Theater, located on the Mall, was opened on the 30th of May, 1887. Many popular film personalities like K.L. Saigal, Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Raj Babbar, Anupam Kher, Manohar Singh, and Naseeruddin Shah have performed on its stage.
Today, the Gaiety is primarily known for its social club. Schools in Shimla use this theater for performing arts. The theater has been renovated with the original structure untouched to keep its heritage preserved while making it more attractive.
Town Hall
The recently renovated Municipal Corporation building of Shimla adds to the surrounding architecture reminiscent of the pre-independence era. The Building is preserved in its original form. The large steps and the entrance to this building is often used in pictures depicting the Mall at Shimla.
