Mall Road history

Whenever we visit a hill station, one of the most attractive places for shopping, roaming around, and spending quality time in has to be ‘Mall Road’. But have you ever wondered why they exist and how are they different from normal roads?

There is an interesting story behind Mall Road, and the word has apparently two very different meanings.

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Mall Road in Shimla
mediaindia

The word ‘mall’ meant, ‘walk’ or ‘promenade’ back in the 17th century

The mall road has been in India since the 18th century. This was mainly used to differentiate between married accommodation and living line road in the military.

The plan behind mall roads was something like this, on one side the unit living lines were placed, which provided accommodations to married British officers. The other side was for troops and messes.

In Military terminology Mall Road stands for Married Accommodation and Living Line Road.

Married Accommodation and Living Line Road
indianarmy

But the word ‘Mall Road’ has a very different meaning in hill station

Now, as we know, mall roads are the main attraction and the most happening place in a hill station. Most of the shopping centers, guest houses, and eateries are there. Most of the Mall Road is named after a famous historical character, like Mahatma Gandhi.

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As the mall road remains busy for most of the time, no vehicle except emergency vehicles is allowed to avail that road. It also is a great place for business, since it is exposed to the tourist and people tend to buy things very recklessly when they’re on a complete vacation mode.

mall road Manali
wikimedia

Casually strolling in the mall road, shopping for little souvenirs is a common activity of the tourists. The mall road also has the important places of the city, like Municipal Corporations, Police Station, Post Office, etc.

Mussoorie, Uttarakhand has one of the best mall road in India. You can walk up and down the famous Mall Road, or sit and admire the mist-covered hills from Mussoorie’s highest point called Lal Tibba.

Ridge Shimla
Garvit Gupta/Instagram

Though in urbanized areas, shopping malls have replaced old mall roads, when it comes to the hilly areas, mall roads are the most attractive place and it’s still intact, as a cultural heritage.

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Shreshtha is a student of English Honors at The Bhawanipur Education Society in Kolkata. With over 3 years of experience in digital media, content syndication, writing, and editing, she navigates through her academic and professional journey. In her spare time, she keeps a watchful eye on Bollywood, fashion, lifestyle, pop culture, and social media trends. There's no drama here, just a subtle commitment to staying in the loop. Shreshtha is always ready with a cup of tea to sip and spill.