The Cathedral on the Ridge and the Implicit Mythology of the Shimla Hills

Miles-Watson, Jonathan

Abstract

This paper engages Lévi-Strauss’ notion of implicit myth with data drawn from extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Shimla. Shimla is located in the Indian Himalayas and today exists in an obvious relationship with its past, when it was known as Simla, the summer capital of British India. Christ Church Cathedral stands at the heart of both colonial Simla and postcolonial Shimla (both literarily and metaphorically). The implicit mythology of this sacred place forms the centre of this paper through acting as a sort of key myth around which the rest of the discussion spirals. The paper explores the way that places in Shimla become sacred and why it is that these places are often associated with stability and peace, despite bearing traces of violent change. I will argue that central to uncovering this mystery is the concept of implicit mythology, which is of evermore value for contemporary anthropologists of religion.

Citation

Miles-Watson, J. (2012). The Cathedral on the Ridge and the Implicit Mythology of the Shimla Hills. Suomen Antropologi, 37(4), 30-46

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Oct 30, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 17, 2015
• Journal: Suomen Antropologi
• Print ISSN: 0355-3930
• Publisher: Suomen Antropologinen Seura
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 37
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 30-46
• Publisher URL: http://www.antropologinenseura.fi/en/journal/