Sacred Jakhu Under Siege: Himachal watch maps ‘Systematic depletion ’ of Shimla’s Holiest Hill
Shimla, April 10:
What was once a serene spiritual retreat is now at the centre of a storm.
Jakhu Hill—home to the towering Jakhu Temple—is facing what a civil society group, led by retired Army Maj Gen has bluntly called a “systematic depletion of ecology, faith, and common sense.”
At the sacred hilltop shrine, chaos now greets devotees before the deity—rampaging monkeys, choking traffic and encroached pathways have turned the journey to darshan into a daily ordeal.
Retired Major General Atul Kaushik, who has launched the Himachal Watch Series under PahariSamaj Pariyavaran Kwach(PSPK), has lodged a complaint with DC Shimla,Anupam Kashyap, seeking urgent intervention to restore the hill’s fragile ecosystem and dignity.
Speaking exclusively to Himbumail, Maj Gen Kaushik shared his recent visit experience to Jakhu Temple in connection with the Himachal Watch initiative, which has exposed glaring mismanagement at the mountain top.
“I went there as a devotee, but what I witnessed was chaos, not spirituality,” he said.
“There was no queue discipline, no system. People were just pushing forward. Vehicles were moving, monkeys all around, scraring visitors—it felt unsafe.”
Calling the experience deeply disappointing, he added, “It is not Darshan, it is a Test.”
During peak hours, the temple premises becomes a choke point: No structured queue or crowd control, No separate entry-exit system.
Pedestrians forced to walk alongside vehicles parked or moving on the narrow road.
Elderly devotees face it more and are left struggling without assistance. “Devotees are left on their own,” Kaushik remarked.
Monkey–Vendor Nexus
A visiting pilgrim narrated a bizarre yet telling experience that points to an alleged nexus between" vendors and monkeys".
“I was carrying my spectacles in hand when suddenly a monkey snatched them. I panicked. A nearby vendor calmly told me, ‘chips ya channa le lo, wapas mil jayega.’
"The moment I offered the packets, the monkey dropped my specs. Luckily glasses were safe,” he said.
Calling it a “set pattern,” the pilgrim added, “it appears to be a set thing—monkeys target you, and vendors make a quick sale. It’s like forced buying.”
Such incidents, locals say, are now routine at Jakhu Hill, turning a spiritual visit into a stressful negotiation.
Beyond the chaos, experts warn of deeper environmental damage.
An ecologist familiar with Shimla’s fragile slopes cautioned that excessive concretisation at the hilltop is a ticking time bomb.
“When you replace natural soil with concrete, you destroy the hill’s ability to absorb water. During monsoon, rainwater rushes down unchecked through slopes, gaining speed and force,” he explained.
“This leads to soil erosion, cutting of hillsides, and long-term slope instability. In a place like Shimla, this is dangerous —it can trigger landslides over time.”
Van Mahotsav or VIP Photops?
Tree plantation drives during Van Mahotsav have also come under scrutiny, with allegations that saplings are planted ceremonially only to be cleared later for fresh “VIP events.”
This is how conservation efforts ate being undertaken at the Jakhu hills with public funds. Forest official's answer is: "There is no space, we have to do it like this".
While the giant Hanuman statue dominates Shimla’s skyline, Kaushik questions the ecological cost.
“When one can have darshan from The Ridge then why to take vehicles to the temple top?” he asked, reiterating his demand to ban vehicular movement.
There are well laidout treks and pathways leading to the temple from the city hubs that pilgrims can use if they are true devotees.
Even if someone wants close darshan, there is Ropeway, use it. Why the administration is allowing whole chunk of taxis and private vehicles up there that only chock the narrow road and fragile hill spot, creating carbon footprints at the mountain top, he asked.
He calls for Urgent Action. The complaint seeks ban on vehicular movement and scientific restoration of slopes and drainage, proper crowd management system and regulation of monkey menace and vendor activity.
The spotlight is now on the Shimla administration to set up a eco-friendly humane system there.
As Kaushik summed up: “Right now, both faith and the mountain are suffering —and that should worry everyone.”
#SaveJakhuHill #ShimlaCrisis #MonkeyMenace #HimalayanEcology #FaithVsMismanagement