22-05-2025
The surprising connection between a gorgeous Himalayan town and a Scottish civil servant
McLeod Ganj hit British screens as Race Across the World contestants reached the Himalayan town in their latest challenge
You'll struggle to find a corner of the globe untouched by Scotland's influence, and that includes the soaring peaks of the Himalayas. High in the hills of northern India, nestled in the state of Himachal Pradesh, lies a place with an unmistakably Scottish name.
McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala, was beamed into living rooms across Britain when it featured on the BBC's hit travel series Race Across the World, as contestants raced into this spiritual sanctuary in the latest leg of their adventure.
Often called Little Lhasa, McLeod Ganj is more than just a picturesque hill station. It serves as the base for the Tibetan government in exile, a role it has held since the 1950s and '60s when thousands of Tibetans fled persecution in China.
Today, it remains a centre of Tibetan culture and Buddhism, home to the Tsuglag Khang complex, the temple of the Dalai Lama himself.
The area has also become a major destination for trekkers eager to explore the Himalayas, the world's tallest mountain range, with trails snaking through forested slopes and snow-capped vistas.
But why the Scottish name? The answer lies in the legacy of Sir Donald Friell McLeod, an Anglo-Indian civil servant who was Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab from 1865 to 1870.
While 'ganj' is a Persian word meaning 'neighbourhood', the 'McLeod' comes from the man himself, a Scot by heritage and administrator by trade.
Though he was born in Fort William, it was not the Highlands town in the shadow of Ben Nevis. Instead, his birthplace was a colonial fort in Calcutta named after the town, where his Scottish father, Lieutenant-General Duncan McLeod of the Bengal Engineers, had been stationed.
At the age of just four, Donald McLeod was sent to the Scottish Highlands to be raised by his grandfather.
He was educated in Edinburgh and London before enrolling at the prestigious East India College at Haileybury, where many colonial administrators were trained.
He returned to Calcutta in 1828 and entered service with the East India Company, later becoming Judicial Commissioner of the British Punjab in 1854.
McLeod was known for his philanthropy and deep religious convictions. A devout Christian, he dedicated much of his life to charitable projects and helped to establish Lahore Oriental College, which later became part of Punjab University.
Tragically, his life came to a horrific end in London in 1872. On November 28 of that year, McLeod arrived at Gloucester Road station to catch a Metropolitan Line train towards South Kensington.
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Told by the station inspector he was too late, he reportedly attempted to board a moving carriage.
Though his right arm was uninjured, likely from clinging to the footboard, both legs and his left arm were nearly severed in his failed attempt to clamber aboard. He died later that day at St George's Hospital.
His legacy, however, lives on, not just in McLeod Ganj, but also in McLeod Road in Lahore and McLeod's Mews in South Kensington, though the latter's link to him remains disputed.
