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The Land of Himachal
Popularly known as the Devbhumi – "Land of the Gods", Himachal
Pradesh is a beautiful hill state in northern India nestled in
western Himalayas. The state is landlocked with the Tibetan
plateau to the east, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, and the
Punjab to the west. However the state stands apart from its
neighbors in terms of its sheer topographic diversity and
breathtaking pristine natural beauty. From vast tracts of
high-altitude Trans-Himalayan desert to dense green deodar
forests, from apple orchards to cultivated terraces, from snow
capped high Himalayan mountain ranges to snow fed lakes and
gushing rivers.
Situated in North India, Himachal Pradesh (Abode of Snow) is
surrounded by Jammu & Kashmir on the north; Punjab, Haryana,
Uttar Pradesh to the south; Uttaranchal to the south east and
the Chinese territory of Tibet to the east. The state is mostly
covered by the low Shivalik hill range towards the south and the
dramatically high trans-Himalayan ranges as you go north. Thus
you can proceed from hill-town Dharamsala in the south, at
1700m, to Lahaul-and-Spiti, the northernmost district, at 6500m.
This geography and the resultant cool-to-snowy climate, define
Himachal's tourist attractions as well; in fact, tourism and
apple-growing run the economy of the state. Sutlej, Beas, Ravi,
and Parbati are the main rivers. |
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Given its mountainous nature,
Himachal can best be understood in terms of its
valleys. In the southern Kangra valley, Dharamsala
and sister town McLeodganj are the focus of the
Dalai Lama's Tibetan government-in-exile. In western
Himachal lies Chamba Valley, with Dalhousie, a
British-time hill station. Towards the east, all the
way to Tibet lies the Kinnaur region, which was off
limits for tourists till 1992 and contains villages
and lifestyles that are still untouched by
modernity. In the centre, the Kullu valley is famous
for its apples, producing about 9000 truckloads of
them every year. Here, Manali town is a good base
for adventure sports such as paragliding, skiing,
river rafting and trekking. December-March are good
months for winter sports or to see the snow. The
northernmost Lahaul-Spiti district is isolated,
snow-bound terrain accessible only between
July-October, with some well-preserved 1000-year old
Buddhist monasteries and culture.
Himachal's capital Shimla, developed by the British
in the mid-19th century as a hill station that
helped them escape hot summers, is full of colonial
architecture and churches. Shimla makes a good base
for less-crowded hill destinations such as Chail,
Kufri, Narkanda, or Kasauli, all located at
comfortable altitudes of 2000-2750 metres. |
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More
Information about Himachal Pradesh |
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FESTIVALS |
| Himachal in fact can be termed as a mini India.
Here people of different racial stocks have come
together and mingled in the main stream of
national life, to make this land a composite of
different cultures. Festivals enliven social
life and unite the people by bringing them
together in joyful celebration of significant
events and in shared remembrance of a common
past. All the fairs and festivals celebrated in
Himachal Pradesh are the result of cultural
values, economic needs and time, which have been
realised by the inhabitants from time to time
and later given the shape of tradition.
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