Mall Road is the main street

Main Street

Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...

 in Shimla

Shimla

Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Constructed during British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 colonial rule, the Mall road is located a level below the ridge

The Ridge, Shimla

The Ridge road is a large open space, located in the heart of Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh, India. 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...

. The offices of municipal corporation

Municipal corporation

A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...

, fire service, and police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 headquarters are located here. Automobiles, except emergency vehicles are not allowed on this road. For this reason, the locals — and tourists — are often found strolling on this road in the evenings.

Mall road has a number of showroom

Showroom

The word showroom has two distinct meanings including:-Marketing location:A showroom is a large space used to display products for sale, such as automobiles, furniture, appliances, carpet or apparel. The World's most famous locations for a showroom are the Champs Elysees in Paris or the 5th Avenue...

s, department store

Department store

A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...

s, shops

Retailing

Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

, restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s and cafe

Café

A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...

s. A Himachal emporium

Marketplace

A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...

 that offers handicraft products of Himachal Pradesh like locally designed woollen cloths, branded cloths, pottery

Pottery

Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

 items, and jewellery

Jewellery

Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...

 is also located here. There are at least three books shops including one that sells old books.

Scandal point

Scandal point is where the Mall road joins Ridge road on the west side.
The name arose from the commotion caused by the supposed elopement of a British lady with the Maharaja of Patiala during the British Raj

British Raj

British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

. The most prominent feature of the point today is a statue of the Indian freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai

Lala Lajpat Rai

Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian author, freedom fighter and politician who is chiefly remembered as a leader in the Indian fight for freedom from the British Raj. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari or Sher-e-Punjab meaning the samem and was part of the Lal Bal Pal trio...

 (no relation to the scandal).
Next to Scandal Point is the General Post Office, Shimla.

Gaiety Theater

Gaiety Theater, located on the Mall, was opened on the 30th of May, 1887. Many popular film personalities have performed on its stage.
Today, the Gaiety is primarily known for its social club. Schools in Shimla use this theater for performing arts

Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...

.
The theater has been renovated with the original structure untouched to keep its heritage preserved while making it more attractive.

Kali Bari Temple

The temple was built in the year 1845. It is dedicated to the goddess Kali

Kali

' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...

. It is believed that an ancient temple of Shamla i.e. the goddess Kali existed near Jakhoo. In the temple a wooden image is worshiped locally.

Town Hall

The recently renovated Municipal Corporation

Municipal corporation

A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...

building of Shimla adds to the surrounding architecture, reminiscent of the pre-independence era. The building is preserved in its original form. The large steps and the entrance to this building are a common site for pictures depicting the Mall at Shimla. More than 5 crore Rs were spent in renovating this colonial architectural marvel.