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

Miles-Watson, Jonathan

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

Miles-Watson, Jonathan

Authors

Professor Jonathan Miles-Watson jonathan.miles-watson@durham.ac.uk
Professor

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/