Himachal Pradesh ” The Valley of Gods”
Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” ― David McCullough Jr.
About
Himachal Pradesh is one of the northern states in the Indian territory. The name, derived from Hindi, means “snow-laden province”. The area of the state is mostly dedicated to mountains. There are also high altitude ranges called the lesser Himalayas.
Capital Cities
There are two capital cities in Himachal Pradesh. The summer capital of Himachal is Shimla and winter capital is Dharamshala. Both are popular tourist destinations. The state has many beautiful valleys punctuated with perennial rivers. A majority of the population is rural. Hence, the economy is fueled by agriculture and horticulture.
The beautiful hills and picturesque sights have made it a popular tourist destination.In the last few decades, tourism has become a contributor to its economy. The abundance of rivers has created several large and small water reservoirs and dams.
Weather
The entire territory of the state experiences quite a bit variation in elevation. This makes for varying climatic conditions at all over the state. The weather can be categorized into summer, winter and monsoon. The lower parts of the state experience high temperatures in the summer. The northern parts in the hills remain cool. Similarly, the winter capital of Dharamshala receives a lot of rainfall around the year. But districts located uphill side like Spiti and Lahaul receive almost no rain. From November to mid-March, the uphill sections remains snow-covered in this periods.
“Geographically Himachal Pradesh is mix of Shiwalik Hills, lower Himalayan ranges and lessor Himalaya. In the recent years tourism in the state has uplifted. Government has worked to improve transportation for its tourist destinations “
Geography
The State is located in the northern parts of the country close to the western Himalayas. Domestically , it is bordered by Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Its international boundaries meets with Tibet and China. It lies along the foothill of Dhauladhar ranges. The rivers and streams eventually empty into the Indus and Ganga Basins.
Transportation
Himachal Pradesh can be accessed through all three modes of transportation e.g road, air and by train. The state has three airports . These are located in Kullu, Kangra and Shimla district. Since these are domestic airports, their connectivity is restricted to international airports. All overseas flights comes to New Delhi and Chandigarh. further it connects to Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is connected by broad and narrow gauge railways from neighboring states. There is 296.26 km railways track in the state. Two narrow-gauge railway lines are from Pathankot-Jogindernagar and Kalka to Shimla. Kalka and Panthakot railways station are also connected with broad gauge railways.
Himachal Pradesh has an extensive and well-connected road network. It is spread over 28,208 kilometer. The network includes 19 State Highways and 8 National Highways.
Tourist destinations
Tourism is one of the largest contributors to the economy of Himachal Pradesh. The Himalayas are one of the scenic geographical feature in the Indian terrain. This makes Himachal Pradesh a popular destination. Shimla, Dharamshala, Chamba, Kullu, Kasauli, Khajjiar, Dalhousie, and Manali have a lot of travelers. The travelers are both Indian and foreigner.
The small town of Bir is one of the biggest destinations in the world for Paragliding. It is ranked at second best in the world and best in the Asian continent. This paragliding site hosted the Paragliding World Cup in 2015. Tandem rides can be attempted by anyone after payment of a fee. The instructors accompany you in the flyers are well-trained and experienced.
Apart from this, several pilgrimage sites of the Hindus are located here.Including the Naina Devi Temple, the Jwala Ji Temple, the Bhaijnath Temple, the Chintpurni Temple, the Bhimkali Temple, and many more. The Chamba district is houses the Manimahesh Lake. Lakhs of devotees attend an annual pilgrimage trek of the Hindus in August.
Apart from paragliding, several other adventure sports are also catered in the state. For example, Shimla is the only natural location in Asia for ice-skating. In Kullu, one can opt for river rafting and skiing . Several other locations like Spiti and Lahaul offers trekking and horse riding.
Himachal Pradesh fast fact
Himachal Pradesh is one of the best for tourists to visit in all of India. The scenic beauty offered in this state is breath-taking. Everywhere one looks, there are enchanting sights. Other than being a lovely tourist sight, Himachal Pradesh is also getting ahead to improve standard of living of its citizens. Following are a few fast fact about Himachal
- Statehood
State was awarded statehood in January 1971. - Population
Data from the latest Census (2011) shows the population at 6,864,602 people. The 12 districts have a population density of 123 people per kilometer square. - Education
The state shows some of the best statistics for education in the country. From the 2011 Census the female literacy in the state is at 76%. Overall literacy was a staggering 82% in the same year. - Electrification
Himachal Pradesh has a very effective electric network. 99.5% households had access to electricity in the year 2016. The plentiful hydro-power initiatives and widespread electricity network helped.. - Hygiene
In 2016, Himachal Pradesh became India’s second state to be free of open-defecation. This is a hygiene centric movement that the center has been emphasizing on. - Corruption
According to the India Corruption Study 2017 conducted by CMS, Himachal Pradesh is the least corrupt state in India.