CULTURE AND HERITAGE

 

The quintessential culture of Mussoorie region is a culmination of the influence of its settlers who chronologically followed one after other. The beautiful ridge which we know as Mussoorie was once a lush forest comprising oak, rhododendron and deodar where the people of Bhatta and Kyarkuli villages, primarily Jaunpuri, grazed their cattle. One particular shrub called Mansoor (cororiana nepalensis) grew in abundance here hence the villagers named the ridge Mansuri. It was during the year 1826 that Captain Frederick Young of the Sirmour Rifles ventured out on a horse from Rajpur into the Mansuri ridge. As the region was rich in exotic flora and fauna, Captain Young, along with Sir F.J. Shore, built a shooting box around the Camel’s Back Road area. Later, Captain Young made the first residential building in Mansuri which he named Mullingaar after his county in Ireland. Talk about the newly found hill resort spread like wild fire to the farthest of places and many more Britishers including officers of the East India Company, renowned writers, artists and entrepreneurs followed suit resulting in the establishment of the Landour and Mussoorie township. Eventually Mansuri of the local hill folk became a haven for pleasure and gaiety with the Queen of the Hills as its new identity. The fun and galore that enthralled the days and nights of Mussoorie gradually lured the princes and the nawabs of the Indian states who got built their impressive chateaus and bungalows at striking locations in and around the town. Soon, the Hillman from the villages of neighbouring Garhwal and Jaunpur-Jaunsaar, businessmen community from the plains and the Gorkhali people began immigrating in pursuit of commercial opportunities. The Bhotias are also one of the settlers in Mussoorie. After the Chinese occupation of Tibet in the year 1959 a number of Tibetans got settled forming their government in exile in the Happy Valley area. However, the exemplary appeal of the Queen of the Hills lies in the romance and charm of the colonial times which still beckons through its tranquillity harbouring the humble way of living of the natives. Mansuri has its mention in numerous Jaunpuri and Garhwali folk and contemporary lore and songs. Primarily, the culture of a region is identified with its core faith, fairs and festivals. As far as faith is concern, Mussoorie is guarded by the Surkanda Devi in the east which is an inclination more of garhwal and by the Bhadraaj Devta in the west who is the prime deity of Jaunpur. The fairs and festivals includes of those of the Jaunpuris, Garhwalis, Vaishyas, Punjabis, Muslims, Christians, Gorkhalis, Bhotias and Tibetans glorifying Mussoorie into a harmonious zenith of a unique social setup.

HERITAGE  

The Queen of the Hills is abundantly adorned with the legacy and heritage which is about to complete 200 years of existence. Most of the buildings and structures date back to the times of the pioneer settlers of Mussoorie. The Mullingaar building, the residence of Captain Frederick Young and the first residential building in Mussoorie, still stands above Landour overlooking the town and the Doon valley. To bring pride and honour to the queen of the Hills, the Oak grove School Building has been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The list is really very long but the heritage building to name a few includes the Hakman’s hotel, the Charliville, the Library and the Criterion, the Velridge, the Lynndale, the Clouds End, the Exchange, the Kilmarnock and the Kohinoor.  The Galogi power station at Bhatta village is the second hydro-electricity power station in the country after Orissa. The Picture Palace or the Electric Picture Palace as it was then called is the first picture hall in the country which was run with electricity. The Christ Church is the oldest Church of North India. The Rink was the biggest and the most happening roller skating rink in the country. The Savoy hotel was the biggest hotel in the country in terms of area. The Park Estate, also known as Sir George Everest house, was the residence cum office of the Sir George Everest who was the then Surveyor General of the Royal Trigonometric Survey of India. The residence and the observatory still exist at the Estate. Mussoorie has been home to many great personalities of the past and present. The list is long again but to mention a few names it includes Sir John Mackinnon, Sir Henry Bohle, Sir Frederick ‘Pahari’ Wilson, Sir John Lang, Sir Jim Corbett, Maharani Jinda Kaur of Punjab, Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab, Maharaja Rajendra Singh of Kapurthala, Maharaja of Baroda, Maharaja of Jind and Rahul Sanskrityayan. All the English gentlemen mentioned above, baring Sir Corbett, are resting in peace in the cemeteries of Mussoorie. The well known residents of the present time include Padamshree Ruskin Bond, Padamshree Tom Alter, Steve Alter, Victor Banerjee, Pronoy Roy, Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, Kaka Hathrasi, Prem Nath, Prem Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Sudhir Thapliyal, Ganesh Shaili, K.P. Singh, Vishal Bhardwaj, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Narang, Pritam Bhartawan, Uma Lall, Meena Rana and Sanjay Kumola. Some of the historical facts related to Mussoorie suggest that Sir George Everest measured the height of Mount Everest from here, Rahul Sanskrityayan, who was an avid traveller, writer and master of seven foreign languages, compiled his most famous volumes staying in Mussoorie and noted Novelist Agatha Christie’s first ever novel ‘Mysterious affairs at styles’ was based on an incident happened at the Savoy Hotel. More on the heritage of Mussoorie can be checked in our ‘Historians’ section.