Himachal Pradesh An Overview

 Himachal Pradesh :- 

Jakhu temple Shimla 

As the name explains a beautiful hill state of India situated in the lap of Himalayas is Himachal Pradesh in North India .

The Mall road Shimla 

The "Land of Snow" a wonderland in the lap of Himalayas is of great importance when we think about the natural beauty, spiritual and mental peace .

The Mall road Shimla 

Himachal Pradesh came into existence on 15 April 1948 after the merger of 30 princely states .

Brief History :-

The inhabitants of this Himalayan region in the early ages were Dasas tribals . Later on  The Aryans  also  came in this region and they assimilated in  various tribes already residing in the region .

The Chieftains of hill  tribes were holding the admin of the tribes . 

In the later centuries The Mauryas , The Kaushans , The Guptas and Kannauj rulers came in this region and the hill chieftains accepted their suzerainty.

During the influx of  Rajput tribes from 6 th to  15 th  century the several states such as Trigarta later known as Kangra, Kullu , Chamba ,Nurpur , Suket ,Mandi and Kehloor now known as Bilaspur etc were established and Rajas used to rule over these states.

Later Mughals  came and during the Mughal period The RRajas of the hill states used to execute treatise with Mughal rulers and governed their states .

Later during the 18 th century the entire  western Himalayan region was disturbed by Gurkhas and Kangra fort was captured by Gurkhas in 1805 .

 Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra with the help of Maharaja Ranjit Singh defeated the Gurkhas and pushed back beyond Satluj river in 1809.The Gurkhas were  finally defeated with the help of Britishers and the entire region came under British Empire through the execution of various treatise .

Himachal Under British Empire :-

Under British rule the administration of Simla district was under Assistant Agent of the Governor General , Political Department.

In 1829 this designation was changed to Political Assistant to the Resident of Delhi and further in 1859 to Deputy Commissioner of Simla and for controlling the adjoining princely hill states the designation was Superintendent of Hill states . The one officer of Indian administrative services IAS rank Punjab cadre  was holding the charge of Deputy Commissioner Simla and Superintendent of Hill states.

In 1859 the power held by East India Company was transferred to the British Crown . This change affected the Princely states of Himachal and the Government of Punjab controlled this relationship . 

The political Department of Government of India came into existence from November 1921 , the Punjab States Agency placed the following princely states under direct relationship with the Government of India 1.Mandi  ,2. Suket ,3. Bilaspur ,4.Sirmaur  and 5. Chamba.

Shimla Hill states remained being handled by the Superintendent of Hill states.

During the year 1936 the Punjab Hill States Agency was formed and the other hill states also  entered into direct relationship with the Government of India.

In 1947 before Independence the Resident Punjab States controlled Suket , Chamba and Mandi while the Punjab Hill States Agency looked after Bilaspur , Sirmaur ,Bushair , Delath ,Khaneti , Nalagarh ,Keonthal , Koti , Theog , Ghund , Ratesh and Madhan , Baght , Baghal , Jubbal , Ravingarh , Dhadi  , Kumarssin , Bhajji , Mahlog , Sangri , Tharoach , Darkoti , Bija Mangal , Kunihar ,Kathar ,Balsan and Dhami.

So the Himachal Pradesh came into existence by the merger of 30 princely states  and became a Chief Commissioner 's Province on 15th April 1948.

Now 15 th April is celebrated as Himachal day..

The journey of Himachal Pradesh post independence period also passed through many phases .

The another step in the development of this hill beautiful State was raised on 26 th January 1950 and Himachal Pradesh became Part -C State .

On 1st July 1954 the Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh .

Himachal became Union Territory on 1 St November 1956.

 To reach the present status Kangra and  most of the other hill areas of Punjab were merged with Himachal Pradesh on 1st November 1966 with continue as Union Territory .

Further on 18th December 1970 The State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by the Parliament and 18th state of Indian Union  came into existence on 25th January 1971 as a full fledged state .

Now Himachal Pradesh has 12 districts  :-

1. Bilaspur

2. Chamba

3. Hamirpur

4. Kangra

5. Kullu

6.Kinnaur 

7. Mandi 

8. Shimla

9. Sirmaur

10. Solan 

11.Una 

12. Lahaul & Spiti .

The people of Himachal Pradesh are  very simple and peace loving . They are known for their honesty , tolerance and hospitality . The scenic beauty of Himachal Pradesh is like a paradise on earth .

The Himachal Pradesh has thousands of temples and thus is called as "Dev Bhoomi" or the abode of gods .

Himachal Pradesh is also a land of festivals and fairs . The every event in fairs and festivals is linked with the culture of Himachal Pradesh .

The fairs are also connected with festivals . 

The main and important fairs are  Nalwari Mella Bilaspur , Minjar mela Chamba , Shivratri mela Mandi , Dussehra festival Kullu , Lavi mela Rampur , Renuka mela Sirmaur , Holi mela Sujanpur district Hamipr and Phulej mela Kinnaur . 

Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful State and provides lot of potential for tourism and great opportunity to adventure fun and peace loving tourists .

 Himachal Pradesh is an ideal place for temple tourism , trekking , mountaineering , fishing , river rafting , skiing ,para gliding , ice- skating and golf . Visit Himachal Pradesh 

 Welcome in Himachal the Land of Snowy mountains.