Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It was a part of Nepal. It is spread over 21,495 sq mi (55,670 km2), and is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir on the north,Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east.
Himachal Pradesh is known to be abundant in natural beauty. After the war between Nepal and Britain also known as Anglo Gorkha War, the British colonial government came into power. In 1950 Himachal was declared as a union territory but after the State of Himachal Pradesh Act 1971, Himachal emerged as the 18th state of the Republic of India. Himachal has many prestigious boarding schools. Hima means snow in Sanskrit, and the literal meaning of the state's name is In the lap of Himalayas. It was named by one of the great Sanskrit scholars of Himachal Pradesh, Acharya Diwakar Datt Sharma. Its name means "Abode of Snow".
The Economy of the Himachal Pradesh is currently highly dependent on three sources: hydroelectric power, tourism and agriculture.
Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous state with elevation ranging from about 350 metres (1,148 ft) to 7,000 metres (22,966 ft) above the sea level. There is great variation in the climatic conditions of Himachal due to extreme variation in elevation. The climate varies from hot and sub-humid tropical in the southern tracts to cold, alpine and glacial in the northern and eastern mountain ranges with more elevation. The state has areas like Dharamsala that receive very heavy rainfall, as well as those like Lahaul and Spiti that are cold and almost rainless. Broadly Himachal experience three seasons; hot weather season, cold weather season and rainy season. Summer lasts from mid April till the end of June and most parts become very hot (except in alpine zone which experience mild summer) with the average temperature ranging from 28 °C (82 °F) to 32 °C (90 °F). Winter lasts from late November till mid March. Snowfall is common in alpine tracts (generally above 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) i.e. in the Higher and Trans-Himalayan region).Himachal has a rich heritage of handicrafts. These include woolen and pashmina shawls, carpets, silver and metal ware, embroidered chappals, grass shoes, Kangra and Gompa style paintings, wood work, horse-hair bangles, wooden and metal utensils and various other house hold items. These aesthetic and tasteful handicrafts declined under competition from machine made goods and also because of lack of marketing facilities. But now the demand for handicrafts has increased within and outside the country.
Cities- Shimla — the state capital and once the summer capital of the British Raj, it is a cool and charming Himalaya outpost. Major attractions are Jakhoo Hills, British era buildings, Mall road, The Ridge, IIAS, Potters Hill, Tara Devi. It is a largest city in Himachal Pradesh. There are lots of hotels with big names. It can be reached by train, bus and plane.
- Bir — a small town with a large Tibetan community and several Buddhist monasteries
- Dalhousie — a sleepy little town which retains its Victorian charm, it is a world-famous hill station, located in
the western part of Himachal Pradesh. Dalhousie is basically built on five
different hills called Balun, Tehra, Kathlog, Patreyn and Bakrota, and covers
an area of 14 sq. Km. Dalhousie is named after one of the British Governor
Generals, Lord Dalhousie. Dalhousie has many beautiful churches and charming
colonial architecture
- Dharamsala — the home of the Dalai Lama and India's largest Tibetan community, and a major Buddhist center
- Kullu — District HQ of kullu district, a few km south of Manali. Manali is tehsil of Kullu district. Kullu Valley is very well known as Valley
of Gods. It is situated on the Beas river bank in the lower reaches of
Himalayas. Rudyard Kipling has written: "Surely the Gods live here; this
is no place for men". Kullu is very well known for its ancient temples,
festivals and apple orchards. This place is also famous for its handicraft work
and woolen work of puhla, shawls, patoos, caps and namdas. The best time to
visit Kullu is during Dusshera in the month of October.
- Manali — a buzzing and popular hill station, it's one of the hubs for travel around this part of the Himalaya
- Jogindernagar — popularly known as Electric City or The City of Powerhouses, the town has scenic hill resorts and tourist attractions nearby.
- Keylong — a small town and HQ of Lahul & Spiti district. It lies on way from Manali to Leh. Last petrol pump (gas station) of Manali-Leh highway is here, next petrol pump is at Leh, which is nearly 350 km away.
- Bilaspur — District HQ of Bilaspur district. First city in himachal pradesh on way to Manali. Main attraction is GovindSagar Lake. It's hot in summer and cold in winters.
- Sundernagar — first town of Mandi District on way to Manali. Main attraction is Sundernagar Lake.
- Mandi — District HQ of Mandi district. Major town. Main attraction is revalsar lake.
- Rewalsar (Tibetan: Tsopema) - a lake sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus
- Narkanda - a place known for Hatu Peak on the famous Hindustan Tibet Road
- Kunjum Pass- lies on way from Keylong to Kaza. It remains closed for nine months due to heavy snowfall.
Trekking opportunities are plenty in the state, here are a few to name:
Baralacha-Chandratal Trek — starts from Manali, ends at Chandratal Lake ("Moon" Lake)
- Bhabha Pass Trek — known for lush green flower strewn meadows, picturesque and dense forests. he path for bhaba pass trek passes through a mixed forest of conifers as well as crop fields of Mastrang.
- Bir Bhangal Trek — Bir Bhangal Trek is only for the experienced trekkers who have the experience of solid hiking and camping. This is one of the challenging trekking trails which starts from the Kullu valley.
- Darcha Lamayuru Trek — this is one of the most popular trekking treks in the Himachal Pradesh, and one of the most traversing trek, passing through the Zanskar
- Darcha Padum Trek
- Deo Tibba Expedition
- Friendship Peak Expedition
- Hampta Pass
- Indrahar Pass
Trekking routes in Himachal
- Hamta Trek.
- Malana History Trek.
- Chander Trail in Kullu Valley.
- Wild Trek in Kullu Valley.
- Dharamsala Chhota Bhangal over sari Pass Kullu.
- Morchella trek.
- Manali Hamya Herbal Trek.
- Kinner Kailash Parikrama.
- Hamirpur Deotsidh Sri Naina Devi Trek.
- Maidi to Nadaun.
- Bharmaur Kugti Udaipur Manali trek.
TO CHECK OUT THE NEXT 14 DAYS CLIMATIC CONDITION OF SHIMLA PLEASE CLICK HERE:
Transport in Himachal Pradesh
- Road: Roads are the major mode of transport in the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh. Regular bus services connect Shimla with Chandigarh, Kullu, Manali, Delhi, Mandi, Pathankot, Ambala, Chail and Dehradun. Local taxis and Himachal State Transport Corporation buses are the major local transport here. Bus is the only economical practical means of getting to many points in Himachal. All cities of interest have direct services to Delhi. There are three different entry routes to Himachal if you are coming from Delhi.
- § Delhi-Chandigarh-Shimla-Kaza route.
§ Delhi-Chandigarh-Bilaspur-Mandi-Manali-Keylong-Leh
§ Delhi-Chandigarh-Kangra-Dharamsala or Delhi-Chandigarh-Kangra-Chamba
all three routes are interconnected within Himachal. It is cheapest means to travel in and around Himachal. There are Volvo buses operated by Himachal State Transport Corporation on these routes. "Some roads get closed during winter and monsoon seasons due to snowfall and landslides".
Railway: Given the difficult geographical position of State there is very little penetration of railway network. Railway track is accessible only to a few places in Himachal Pradesh. Little rail network available give access to peripheral districts and capital Shimla. Nevertheless it is an amazing experience going from Kalka to Shimla. Kalka-Shimla railway track is also UNESCO world heritage site. Few points in Himachal are easily accessible by train, but there are narrow-gauge railways from Pathankot (Punjab) to Kangra and Kalka(Haryana) to Shimla. This will take you through beautiful rural Himalayan regions. The ride beyond Kangra is amazing. You ride along the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas via Palampur and Baijnath to Joginder Nagar. The region is criss crossed by rivers and streams. Shimla is connected with Kalka by a narrow gauge railway line, which in turn is connected with the major cities in India.
- Air: There are three domestic airports in the state—Shimla Airport, Bhuntar Airport serving Kullu and Manali, and Gaggal Airport serving Kangra and Dharamsala, with services largely limited to Delhi. Flights are frequently cancelled or delayed by adverse weather. In addition the airport in Pathankot (Punjab) can be a convenient connection for Dharamsala and Dalhousie. If you are on a tight budget you might want to skip this option as it is way more costly than other mode of transportation. Airfare on this route is one of the highest in world for a given unit distance. Airport in Shimla is at Jubbal Hatti which is around 40 km away from main Shimla City.There are no international airports in Himachal Pradesh.
- Food
- HP food is often very simple but nutritious, including daal, rice, roti, vegetables, paneer, curds and pickles in the Punjabi influenced Pahari regions. Further North, Tibetan influence is stronger and barley is the main staple grain. Some of the specialities of Himachal include Manee',Madira,Pateer, Chouck, Bhagjery and chutney of Til.
In the Tibetan influenced regions, "Chhang" (fermented rice wine) is common.
§ Delhi-Chandigarh-Bilaspur-Mandi-Manali-Keylong-Leh
§ Delhi-Chandigarh-Kangra-Dharamsala or Delhi-Chandigarh-Kangra-Chamba
all three routes are interconnected within Himachal. It is cheapest means to travel in and around Himachal. There are Volvo buses operated by Himachal State Transport Corporation on these routes. "Some roads get closed during winter and monsoon seasons due to snowfall and landslides".
Railway: Given the difficult geographical position of State there is very little penetration of railway network. Railway track is accessible only to a few places in Himachal Pradesh. Little rail network available give access to peripheral districts and capital Shimla. Nevertheless it is an amazing experience going from Kalka to Shimla. Kalka-Shimla railway track is also UNESCO world heritage site. Few points in Himachal are easily accessible by train, but there are narrow-gauge railways from Pathankot (Punjab) to Kangra and Kalka(Haryana) to Shimla. This will take you through beautiful rural Himalayan regions. The ride beyond Kangra is amazing. You ride along the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas via Palampur and Baijnath to Joginder Nagar. The region is criss crossed by rivers and streams. Shimla is connected with Kalka by a narrow gauge railway line, which in turn is connected with the major cities in India.
In the Tibetan influenced regions, "Chhang" (fermented rice wine) is common.