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Ancestors in McLeod Ganj and Dharamshala?

30 May | News,

Do you have ancestors that lived in McLeod Ganj and Dharamshala? If so, then Sophie Jay would like to hear from you. FIBIS has received the following request for help from Sophie:

My name is Sophie and I’m researching the history of McLeod Ganj and Dharamshala, in today’s Himachal Pradesh, which was a British hill station from the 1850s, and was hit by a catastrophic earthquake in April, 1905, which killed nearly 20,000 people and flattened the town.

I’m trying to find some people who had ancestors in the area, who may be able to shed some light on the history of the town and their forebears’ lives there – perhaps even some old diaries and photographs. Also, anyone who visited Dharamshala long ago and might be able to give me some descriptions, old news items or books containing descriptions of or anecdotes from the town.

Only a few people in McLeod Ganj today seem to know much about its history prior to the arrival of the Dalai Lama (who has been based there since 1960.) I posted a plea with FIBIS once before and received two very interesting responses, so anything more would be the icing on the cake.

I can be contacted at: [email protected].

If anyone has can help Sophie please contact her on the above email address.