Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in the north-west of India. Himachal Pradesh is spread over 55,673 square kilometres (21,495 mi²) and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on north, Punjab on west and south-west, Haryana on south, Uttarakhand on south-east and by Tibet area of China on the east. The literal meaning of Himachal Pradesh is Land of snowy mountains.Himachal Pradesh was also known as Deva Bhoomi (the land of the gods). The Aryan influence in the region dates back to the period before the Rigveda. After the Anglo Gorkha war, the British colonial government came into power. It was initially in Punjab under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh till 1857. In 1950 Himachal was declared as the union territory but after State of Himachal Pradesh Act 1971 Himchal emerged as the 18th state of Indian Union.
The state is located in altitudes ranging from 450 metres (1,476 ft) to 6,500 metres (21,325 ft) above sea level. The state capital is Shimla (formerly British India's summer capital under the name Simla); other major towns include Solan, Dharamsala, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Hamirpur, Dalhousie and Manali.
Himachal is out those states in India which has got one of the highest per capita income. Due to the abundance of perennial rivers, Himachal also sells hydro electricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab & Rajasthan. The economy of the state is highly dependent upon three sources i.e. Hydel power, tourism and agriculture.
90% of the state population constitutes of Hindus. The major communities are of Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. As per the survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International Himachal Pradesh is ranked second least corrupt state in the country after Kerela.
History
Some evidences have been found that nearly 2 million years ago man lived in the foothills of Himachal Pradesh. Bangana valley of Kangra, Sirsa valley of Nalagarh and Markanda valley of Sirmour are found to be the places where prehistoric man used to live. Tribes that inhabited region include the Koilis, Halis, Dagis, Dhaugris, Dasa, Khasas, Kinnars and Kirats. The Aryan influence in the region dates back before the Vedic civilization. The foothills of the state were inhabited by people from Indus valley civilization which flourished between the time period of 2250 and 1750 B.C.As per the Hindu epic Mahabharata, the tract which forms the present day Himachal Pradesh was made up of number of small republics, namely Janpadas each of which constituted both a provincial and cultural unit.
The small kingdom enjoyed a large degree of independence till the eve of the Muslim invasions in northern India. The states of the foothills were devastated by Muslim invaders a number of times. Mahmud Ghaznavi conquered Kangra at the beginning of the 10th century. Timur and Sikander Lodi also marched through the lower hills of the state and captured a number of forts and fought many battles.
The Gorkhas, a martial tribe came to power in Nepal in the year 1768. They consolidated their military power and began to expand their territory.] Gradually the Gorkhas annexed Sirmour and Shimla. With the leadership of Amar Singh Thapa, Gorkhas laid siege to Kangra. They managed to defeat Sansar Chand, the ruler of kangra, in 1806 with the help of many provincial chiefs. However Gorkhas could not capture Kangra fort which came under Maharaja Ranjeet Singh in 1809. After the defeat the Gorkhas began to expand towards the south of the state.
This led in the Anglo-Gorkha war. They came into direct conflict with the British along the tarai belt after which the British expelled them from the provinces of the Satluj. Thus British gradually emerged as the paramount powers.
The revolt of 1857 or first Indian war of independence resulted due to the building up of political, social, economic, religious and military grievances against the British government. People of the hill states were not politically alive as the people in other parts of the country. They remained more or less inactive and so did their rulers with the exception of Bushahr. Some of them even rendered help to the British government during the revolt. Among them were the rulers of Chamba, Bilaspur, Bhagal and Dhami. The rulers of Bushars rather acted in a manner hostile to the interests of British.
The British territories in the hill came under British Crown after Queen Victoria's proclamation of 1858. The states of Chamba, Mandi and Bilaspur made good progress in many fields during the British rule. During the first world war, virtually all rulers of the hill states remained loyal and contributed to the British war effort both in the form of men and materials. Amongst these were the states of Kangra, Siba, Nurpur, Chamba, Suket, Mandi and Bilaspur.
After independence the Chief Commissioner's province of H.P. came into being on 15th April, 1948. Himachal became a part C state on 26th January, 1950 with the implementation of the Constitution of India. Himachal Pradesh became Union Territory on 1st November, 1956. On 18th December, 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25th January, 1971. Thus Himachal emerged as the eighteenth state of Indian Union.
Geography
Beas River in Himachal PradeshHimachal is situated in the interiors of western himalayas. The state is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir in the North, Uttar Pradesh in the South-East, Haryana in the South and Punjab is in the west. Himachal is situated between 30"22' and 30"12' north latitude and between 75"47' and 79"4' east longitude. It is a mountainous state with elevation ranging from about 350 metres (1,148 ft) to 6,000 metres (19,685 ft) above the sea level. Shimla is the state capital. There is great variation in the climatic conditions of Himachal due to extreme variation in elevation i.e. 450 metres (1,476 ft) to 6,500 metres (21,325 ft). The climate varies from hot and sub-humid tropical (450 metres (1,476 ft) to 900 metres (2,953 ft)) in the southern tracts, warm and temperate (900 metres (2,953 ft) to 1,800 metres (5,906 ft)), cool and temperate (1,900 metres (6,234 ft) to 2,400 metres (7,874 ft)) and cold alpine and glacial (24,000 metres (78,740 ft) to 4,800 metres (15,748 ft)) in the northern and eastern mountain ranges with more elevation. The state has areas like Dharamshala 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).The drainage system of Himachal is composed both of rivers and glaciers. Himalayan rivers criss-croos the entire mountain chain. In fact the rivers are older than the mountain system. Himachal Pradesh provides water to both the Indus and Ganges basins. The drainage systems of the region are the Chandra Bhaga or the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, the Sutlej and the Yamuna. These rivers are perennial and are fed by snow and rainfall. They are protected by an extensive cover of natural vegetation.
Culture
Gaddi men on the mountain path near Dharamsala, 1980.Himachal was one of the few states that had remained largely untouched by external customs, largely due to its difficult terrain. With the technological advancements the state has changed very rapidly.Himachal Pradesh is a multireligional, multicultural as well as multilingual state like other Indian states. Some of the most commenly spoken languages includes Hindi, Punjabi, Pahari, Dogri, Kangri and Kinnauri. The Hindu communities residing in Himachal include the Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. There are also tribal population in the state which mainly comprise Gaddis, Kinnars, Gujjars, Pangawals and Lahaulis.
Himachal is well known for its handicrafts. The carpets, leather works, shawls, paintings, metalware, woodwork and paintings are worth appreciating. Pashmina shawl is one of the product which is highly in demand not only in Himachal but all over the country. Himachali caps are also famous art work of the people.
Local music and dance reflects the cultural identity of the state. Through their dance and music, they entreat their gods during local festivals and other special occasions.
Apart from the fairs and festivals that are celebrated all over India, there are number of other fairs and festivals also that are of great significance to Himachal Pradesh.
The day to day food of Himachalis is very similar to the rest of the north India. They too have lentil, broth, rice, vegetables and bread. As compared to other states in north India non vegetarian is more preferred. Some of the specialities of Himachal include Pateer, Chouck, Bhagjery and chutney of Til.
