Shimla is a very popular tourist destination that has an abundance of historic and culturally significant places for people to visit. For some reason a lot of these places have been neglected and handed over to the decay of entropy. The cemeteries of Shimla are just such places that have been ignored despite being the resting places of some very important men and women.
There are 5 cemeteries in Shimla that continue to fight a battle against time and rampant urban development as they lay forgotten to history just like their residents.
1. Oakover Cemetery
The cemetery at Oakover is the oldest cemetery in Shimla and it was opened in 1828. The first grave is from 1829 and the last of the 20 or so graves is from 1841.
This grave is of one Captain Mathew Ford and the cemetery was closed after his burial as it was found too close to the rapidly growing Shimla town.
Very few graves still have visible engravings on the tombstone and most have just disappeared.
2. Kanlog Cemetery
The cemetery at Kanlog is the one after which the area got its name. It is located below the Potato Research Institute up to the Shimla bypass road and continues below the road as well. This area has a beautiful patch of trees and the cemetery feels quaint and quiet; a good place for souls to rest.
The earliest grave is from 1850 and it grew in size until it was closed in the 1920s. Many important people rest in this cemetery.
3. Sanjauli Cemetery
In the 1920s land was acquired from the Rana of Koti near what is today the suburb of Sanjauli. The bishop of Lahore dedicated this cemetery on 29 July 1921 although Joseph Multani, cialis healing an Indian Christian had already been interred on 12 May 1921. There are a total of about 600 graves here, with patches dedicated to different denominations of Christianity. There is even a patch dedicated for suicides.
4. Cemetery at Barrier, Boileauganj
This cemetery at barrier near Boileauganj is a Muslim cemetery and has been in use since the mid twentieth century. Before that the ground below the mosque in Boileauganj was used until there was no space left.
5. Nuns Grave Yard, Nav Bahar
The Nuns Grave Yard was opened in the 1870s as a private grave yard for the nuns of the Convent of Jesus and Mary. It is right below St. Bedes College in Nav Bahar. Many sisters of the Loreto order have also been interred here. There is a memorial at the gate of the cemetery dedicated to Colonel Parker who died in 1837 although his body does not rest below this ground.
I shall be visiting Shimla at the end of September, and wish to locate the grave site of my friend Lesley Steers, who died age 16 in late 54 or early 1955. Can anyone help me?