Shimla: The capital of Himachal Pradesh and the summer capital of the erstwhile British rule, is famous today not only for the clean air and snow-covered valleys but also for the many historical monuments.
One such monument is the British-era building which houses the general post office since 1883. According to reports, the PO which was declared postal heritage was earlier known as 'Conny Lodge'. The plot was purchased from an Englishman, one Mr. Peterson in the early 80s.
The structure of the post office is unique and is modelled around West Gothic architectural designs. The three-storey building, made up of local timber and stone, has withstood a massive fire and a mild earthquake.
During the British era, the letters were brought to the office and a red flag was waived and an alarm signalled to inform the residents on the arrival of postal mails. Even the mails were divided and distributed at night itself, without any further delay.
Not just letters, but postcards, newspapers and even clothes arrived here in this iconic post office.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat, RP Sharma, a former employee, said that the functioning of the post office has changed in recent times.
"The changes were very frequent. Now the distribution happens through mail vans. Machines are being employed to sort the letters inside. Earlier, the employees had to work even on Sunday's," said Sharma.
Now, the Shimla GPO got a facelift and the colour scheme was changed to universal red and white. The old timers however strongly objected to this move.
This British-era monument is special even at a time when the use of postal mails are on the decline.
