The Ridge, Shimla

The Ridge, Shimla
The Ridge, Shimla covered in snow as seen from 'Scandal Point'.
Elevation	2,205 m (7,234 ft)

The Ridge road is a large open space, located in the heart of Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh, India. The Ridge is the hub of all cultural activities of Shimla. It is situated along the Mall Road, which is the famous shopping center of Shimla. Most major places of Shimla like Snowdon, Mall, Jakhoo hill, etc. are connected through the Ridge.

It runs east to west alongside the Mall Road, and joins it at the Scandal Point on the west side. On the east side, The Ridge road leads to Lakkar Bazaar, a wooden crafts market. It's the major landmark and the most easily recognized face of the hill station. When winter sets in and when the country had its first major snowfall of the year, most news papers printed photos of the ridge submerged in clumps of fresh snow.

Prominent landmarks on the Ridge are a neo-Gothic structure of Church from 1844 and a tudorbethan styled library building built in 1910. There are three statues on the ridge; that of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Dr. Y.S. Parmar, the first chief minister of Himachal Pradesh.

The biggest hillstation of the world, at one time the base ridge of Shimla had the thickest forest of the area, now the green slopes are covered with firs, pines, the Himalayan oak and carmine rhododendron trees, among which are dotted red-roofed chalets, half-timbered houses and Gothic Government buildings are visible from The Ridge.

Underneath the Ridge, large water tanks are placed from which water is supplied to the British era tourist town. The Ridge houses the city's lifeline in terms of water reservoir, with a capacity of 1000000 gallons of water, beneath it. Because of the fact that these tanks are significantly large in size, they have been used as the main water supply for Shimla. The reservoir is stated to have been constructed in the 1880s, without using any cement and only lime mortar was used.

The Ridge is famous for the various government functions and fairs that are held here. It is usually the venue for all such celebrations and events. The most famous festival that is held at the Ridge is the Summer Festival. This famous festival is held during the months of April or May and the whole of Shimla comes alive with colors and a riot of activities. Prominent landmarks on The Ridge include Christ Church, a neo-Gothic structure built in the 1850s, and a Tudorbethan-styled library building.