Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh

Bilaspur
Bilaspur
Town
	Bilaspur Location in Himachal Pradesh, India Bilaspur Bilaspur (India)
	Coordinates: 31°20′N76°45′E / 31.33°N 76.75°E Coordinates: 31°20′N76°45′E / 31.33°N 76.75°E
Country	India
State	Himachal Pradesh
District	Bilaspur
Elevation	673 m (2,208 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	13,654
• Rank	13 in Himachal Pradesh
Demonym(s)	Bilaspuri, Himachali
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	174001
Telephone code	01978
Vehicle registration	HP-23, HP-24, HP-69, HP 89, HP-91
Website	hpbilaspur.nic.in

Last updated March 20, 2023

Bilaspur is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

History

Bilaspur was the capital of a state of the same name founded in the 7th century, also known as Kahlur. The ruling dynasty were Chandel Rajputs, who claimed descent from the rulers of Chanderi in present-day Madhya Pradesh. The town of Bilaspur was founded in 1663. The state later became a princely state of British India, and was under the authority of the British province of Punjab.

On 13 May 1665, Guru Tegh Bahadur went to Bilaspur to attend the mourning and funeral ceremonies for Raja Dip Chand of Bilaspur. Rani Champa of Bilaspur made an offer to the Guru of a piece of land in her state, which the Guru accepted at the cost of 500 rupees^{[ citation needed ]}. The land consisted of the villages of Lodhipur, Mianpur, and Sahota. Guru Tegh Bahadur broke ground on a new settlement on 19 June 1665, which he named Nanaki after his mother.

In 1932, the state became part of the newly created Punjab States Agency, and in 1936 the Punjab Hill States Agency was separated from the Punjab States Agency. On 12 October 1948 the local ruler, Raja Sir Anand Chand, last ruler of Bilaspur [CHANDEL DYNASTY] acceded to the Government of India.

Bilaspur became a separate state of India under a chief commissioner, and on 1 July 1954, Bilaspur State was made a district of Himachal Pradesh state by an act of the Indian Parliament. When the Sutlej River was dammed to create the Govind Sagar, the historic town of Bilaspur was submerged, and a new town was built upslope of the old.^[1]

Geography

Bilaspur is located at 31°20′N76°45′E / 31.33°N 76.75°E / 31.33; 76.75 ,^[2] with an average elevation of 673 m (2,208 ft). It is situated on the foot of the Bandla Hills, along the left bank of river Sutlej which forms picturesque landscape here owing to creation of Govind Sagar Dam on it. It is the first major town after entering Himachal Pradesh on the way to Manali.

Climate

Bilaspur experiences warm summers and cool winters but is protected from the temperature extremes of the surrounding mountains by its situation in a valley. The monsoon, from July to September, is a period of high rainfall. From October to November, the lake is completely full. The highest temperature months are May and June when the temperature is typically around 37 °C (99 °F) and 38 °C (100 °F), sometimes exceeding 40 °C (104 °F).

Climate data for Bilaspur (1961–1990, rainfall 1951–2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	26.5 (79.7)	30.7 (87.3)	35.0 (95.0)	40.7 (105.3)	45.5 (113.9)	44.2 (111.6)	42.1 (107.8)	37.5 (99.5)	36.5 (97.7)	39.6 (103.3)	34.8 (94.6)	27.4 (81.3)	45.5 (113.9)
Average high °C (°F)	19.5 (67.1)	21.7 (71.1)	26.3 (79.3)	32.4 (90.3)	36.1 (97.0)	36.7 (98.1)	32.6 (90.7)	31.4 (88.5)	31.4 (88.5)	30.2 (86.4)	26.0 (78.8)	21.4 (70.5)	28.8 (83.8)
Average low °C (°F)	4.9 (40.8)	6.7 (44.1)	10.3 (50.5)	15.7 (60.3)	19.5 (67.1)	23.1 (73.6)	22.4 (72.3)	22.3 (72.1)	20.1 (68.2)	14.6 (58.3)	9.6 (49.3)	5.9 (42.6)	14.6 (58.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−2.0 (28.4)	0.0 (32.0)	0.9 (33.6)	5.6 (42.1)	5.9 (42.6)	10.9 (51.6)	10.5 (50.9)	13.9 (57.0)	7.6 (45.7)	4.5 (40.1)	2.3 (36.1)	0.0 (32.0)	−2.0 (28.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	69.0 (2.72)	62.9 (2.48)	71.4 (2.81)	30.9 (1.22)	54.7 (2.15)	119.5 (4.70)	377.0 (14.84)	315.6 (12.43)	162.2 (6.39)	34.2 (1.35)	17.6 (0.69)	41.6 (1.64)	1,356.6 (53.41)
Average rainy days (≥ 2.5 mm)	4.0	4.0	4.3	2.2	3.2	5.8	14.7	14.4	7.1	1.6	1.2	2.4	64.9
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST)	60	53	48	38	35	47	69	75	66	51	53	58	54
Source: India Meteorological Department ^[3]

Demographics

As of the 2001 Indian census,^[4] Bilaspur had a population of 13,058. Males constituted 56.25% of the population and females 43.75%. Bilaspur has an average literacy rate of 91%, higher than the national average of 74%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Most people here live in the city or commute from nearby suburbs and rural areas for work. Most people work in services sector here.

Transportation

Buses and taxis are the mode of public transport to the district and run from all major towns within the state as well as from those outside it. Bilaspur lies on the Chandigarh-Manali NH-205 highway. It is 86 km (53 mi) away from Shimla, the state capital, and 405 km (252 mi) from Delhi. The nearest major airport with daily scheduled flights from major cities is in Chandigarh, which is 141 km (88 mi). Manali, a major tourist attraction in Himachal Pradesh, is located 195 km (121 mi) from Bilaspur. Mandi, 70 km (43 mi) away, contains the Zonal headquarters of the district. Most of the long route buses that service Bilaspur are run by the state owned HRTC; local routes are operated by private bus operators.

Landmarks

Panoramic view of Bilaspur. BilaspurCityHimachal.jpg — Panoramic view of Bilaspur.

Naina Devi Temple: The Temple of Shri Naina Devi Ji is situated on a hilltop in Bilaspur. The temple is connected with National Highway No. 21. The temple at the top of the hill can be reached via road (that curves around the hill up to a certain point) and then by concrete steps (that finally reach the top). There is also a cable car facility that moves pilgrims from the base of the hill all the way to the top. The hills of Naina Devi overlook the Gobind Sagar lake, which was created by the Bhakra-Nangal Dam. Several religious stories are associated with the establishment of the temple.
Bhakra Dam: Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam across the Satluj River in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam, located at a gorge near the (now submerged) upstream Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh of 226 m. India's tallest dam is "Tehri dam "of 265 m. The length of the dam (measured from the road above it) is 518.25 m and the width is 9.1 m. Its reservoir known as "Gobind Sagar" stores up to 9.34 billion cubic metres of water. The 90 km long reservoir created by the Bhakra Dam is spread over an area of 168.35 km2. In terms of quantity of water, it is the third largest reservoir in India, the first being Indira Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh with capacity of 12.22 billion cu m and second Nagarjunasagar Dam. Described as "New Temple of Resurgent India" by Jawaharlal Nehru,^[2] the first prime minister of India, the dam attracts tourists from all over India. Bhakra dam is 15 km from Nangal city and 20 km from Naina Devi town.
Gobind Sagar: A reservoir that was formed by the Bhakra Dam.
Baba Nahar Singh Temple Dholra : The temple of Baba Nahar Singh exists at Dholra in the Bilaspur Town. The people all over Bilaspur worship Baba Nahar Singh. Baba is also known as ‘Bajia’, ‘Peepal Wala’, ‘Dalian Wala’. Baba Ji is known as apparent (Prtyaksh) god. Baba Nahar Singh was the god of Naggar the capital of Kullu Riyasat. Legend is that Raja Deep Chand (1650-1665) of Bilaspur married princess of Kullu Lai Dei (she is now known as Naggar Dei also). When the princess now known as Rani of Bilaspur reached Bilaspur she had frequent attacks of unconsciousness. The devoted persons of Bilaspur tried to find out the reason for this. They all came to the conclusion that Baba Nahar Singh has accompanied Rani and the God needs to be established with all religious rituals. Raja Deep Chand did the same and established the god in Dholra. ‘Kharaun’ (the wooden slippers) of Baba Nahar Singh symbolizes him and are placed in the temple. In the month of ‘Jeth’ (mid May to mid June) on every Tuesday fairs are organized in the temple.
Vyaas Gufa: The oldest and the most famous religious place which lies on the left bank of river Satluj. It is about 610 m above sea level. It is situated between the old and new Bilaspur Township. There is a common belief that Vyas Rishi of Mahabharata fame lived in this Gufa in penance. The name of the present Bilaspur town traces its origin to Rishi Vyas which was originally known as Vyaspur. It is a place of pilgrimage. It is about 0.5 km from district headquarters.
Laxmi Narayan Temple: A temple where Laxmi Narayan is worshiped.
Sidh Baba Balak Nath Cave Temple, Deotsidh: Baba Balak Nath is a Hindu deity worshiped in the northern Indian states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. His main temple is in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. The base city is known as Shahtalai. Women are not allowed to enter the main garbagriha because Baba was a Brahmachari and could not have any females near him.
Markandeya: Temple: Located on Ghagus-Brahmpukhar road. It is named after Rishi Markandeya. As per the history, Rishi Markandeya had no children and thus, he worshiped in this temple to have a child. As a result, Lord Shiva blessed him with one son but warned that the boy will live up to the age of 12 years only. So Rishi named his son as Markandeya. Later on, the child Markandeya worshiped Lord Shiva at this place and lastly when his claimed age was about to approach, he received the blessings from Lord Shiva in the form of a grant of his wishes.
Hadimba Devi Temple: Hadimba Devi Temple is located atop a hill in Chalehli Village in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, at a distance of 5 km from Harlog on the Harlog-Hawaan Road. The shrine is dedicated to Goddess Durga, extensively known as Hadimba Devi, the symbol of Shakti.
Badol Devi Temple: Badol Devi Temple is located atop a hill in Badol Village in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, at a distance of 3 km from Gehrwin on the Gehrwin-Dhanathar Road. The shrine is dedicated to Goddess Durga, extensively known as Badol Devi, the symbol of Shakti.
Kandrour Bridge: A bridge located 8 kilometres from Bilaspur on National Highway No-154, across the river Satluj. Its construction was started in April 1959 and was completed in 1965. The total cost of construction came to Rs. 28,12,998. The span of the bridge is about 280 meters with a breadth of about seven meters and the height above the lowest river bed below is about 80 meters.The pillars supporting the bridge are hollowed. The bridge was opened by Shri Raj Bahadur, Minister of Transport in 1965.
Rukmani Kund: A rock water body, It can be accessed by taking Bhager-Gehrwin route via Hirapur.
Gugga Gehrwin Temple: A temple dedicated to Gugga situated on the cliff near Gehrwin which is about 36 km ahead of Bilaspur.
Purnam Mall: Completed in 2017, this complex consists of a cineplex, multiple brand stores, restaurants and bar, shopping complexes like Vishal mega mart. Reliance digital, cleverly crafted ornaments and designs on walls and infrastructure to look at for tourists because of its location by National Highways.

Notable people from Bilaspur

Bhandari Ram, Victoria Cross recipient
Sanjay Kumar, Param Veer Chakra recipient
Suresh Chandel Indian politician
Jagat Prakash Nadda, President of the Bharatiya Janta Party and Former Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare. His residence is located in Vijaypur.
Rattan Chand, senior bureaucrat, Government of India; advisor, World Bank
Yami Gautam, Bollywood/television actress
Zorawar Singh Kahluria, Army General

Related Research Articles

Himachal Pradesh is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks and extensive river systems. Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India and shares borders with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the north, and the states of Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest, Uttarakhand to the southeast and a very narrow border with Uttar Pradesh to the south. The state also shares an international border to the east with the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Himachal Pradesh is also known as Dev Bhoomi, meaning 'Land of Gods' and Veer Bhoomi which means 'Land of the Brave'.

Bilaspur is a district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Its capital is in the town of Bilaspur. The district has an area of 1,167 km², and a population of 381,956. As of 2011 it is the third least populous district of Himachal Pradesh, after Lahul and Spiti and Kinnaur.

Bhakra Nangal Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Satluj River in Bhakra Village near Bilaspur in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir.

Panchkula (PKL_Haryanvi) is a planned city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district, part of the Ambala division in Haryana, India. The origin of the name Panchkula came from the place where five irrigation canals meet. At present, it forms a part of an adjoining area to the Chandigarh, Mohali and Zirakpur. It is approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of Chandigarh, 105 km (65 mi) southwest of Shimla, 44 km (27 mi) from Ambala and 259 km (161 mi) northeast of New Delhi, the national capital. It is a part of the Chandigarh capital region or Greater Chandigarh. The Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula metropolitan region collectively forms a Chandigarh Tricity, with a combined population of over two million.

Bilaspur State or Kahlur State, sometimes Kahloor Riyasat, was a kingdom (697-1849) and later princely state (1849-1948) in the Punjab Province ruled by a separate branch of Chandravanshi Chandel dynasty. Raja Bir Chand 697-730 was the founder of the state but it was named Kahlur only after the Construction of Kahlur Fort by Raja Kahal Chand around 890-930CE and Raja Anand Chand the 44th Raja was the last ruler.

Mata Naina Devi is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Himachal Pradesh</span>

The state of Himachal Pradesh is spread over an area 55,673 km² (21,495 sq mi) and is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on the north, Punjab on the southwest, Haryana on the south, Uttarakhand on the southeast, a small border with Uttar Pradesh in the south, and Tibet on the east. Entire Himachal Pradesh lies in the mountainous Himalaya region, rich in natural resources

Gobind Sagar Lake is a reservoir situated in Una and Bilaspur districts of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is formed by the Bhakra Dam.

Swarghat is a stopover destination on the Chandigarh-Manali Highway in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, Northern India.

The place of Sidh Baba Balak Nath's gufa Deotsidh is a pilgrimage town in Barsar tehsil, Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. The nearest broad gauge railway station is in Una district, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) distant, and the nearest airport is about 172 kilometres (107 mi) away in Chandigarh.

Zakatkhana is a village in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, Northern India surrounded on three sides by the Govind Sagar lake, which was created by the building of the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej River. Zakatkhana lies 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Swarghat.

The hill states in India also participated in the freedom struggle (1914–1947) against the British colonial rule.

The 2008 Naina Devi temple stampede occurred on 3 August 2008 in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. 146 people died and 150 were injured when they were crushed, trampled, or forced over the side of a ravine by the movement of a large panicking crowd. Witness accounts suggest that events were initiated after a rain shelter collapsed, which worshipers mistakenly took to be a landslide. There were as many as 3000 devotees at the temple because it was a sacred place in the holy month of Shraavana of the Hindu Calendar. According to Daljit Singh Manhas, a senior police officer from the area, at least 40 of the victims were children.

Mandi is a major city and a municipal corporation in Mandi District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

The Pandoh Dam is an embankment dam on the Beas River in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Under the Beas Project, the dam was completed in 1977 and its primary purpose is hydroelectric power generation. Part of a run-of-the-river power scheme, it diverts the waters of the Beas to the southwest through a 38 km (24 mi) long system of tunnels and channels. The water is used for power generation at the Dehar Power House before being discharged into the Sutlej River, connecting both rivers. The power house has an installed capacity of 990 MW. The system diverts 256 cumecs of Beas waters to the Satluj River. The project was completed in 1977.

Jahu is a village panchayat, of Bhoranj block, Bhoranj tehsil, of the Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, in India. Hamirpur is one of twelve districts in Himachal Pradesh. Pin Code of Jahu Village is 176 048 and People of Jahu Village use Hindi and Pahadi Language for communication.

Mangal is a former princely state in north India ruled by Chandravanshi Sen Rajputs.Mangal state like Mandi State was an off shoot of Suket State. Rana Surender Singh is its present head.

Bangana is a Tehsil of Una District in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located in the foothills of Solah Singhi Dhar in Una District of Himachal Pradesh, India. Ancient forts are located on the top of hill. It is said that Maharaja Sansar Chand built those forts. Lahore can be seen from these forts with the help of telescopes. District headquarters is 28km from here. Bangana has further two sub-tehsils Jol and Bihru

His Highness Raja Sir Anand Chand was the 44th Raja of Bilaspur. He was a Member of Parliament, representing Bihar in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's Parliament as a member of the Indian National Congress.

Ajnol Village Located in the hills of Naina Devi, Ajnol is a small village that falls under the district of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh. It is quite popular because of the temple of Mata Naina Devi. This temple is one of the divine power hubs or 51 Shaktipeeths. It is a holy place and sees the arrival of thousands of pilgrims throughout the year.

References

5.^

↑ History of the PUNJAB Hill States, Volume 2, J. Hutchinson and J. Ph. Vogel, P - 513, 1933, by Superintendent, Government Printing, Lahore, Punjab
1 2 Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Bilaspur
↑ "Climate of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Climatological Summaries of States Series - No. 15. India Meteorological Department. January 2010. pp. 30–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/satwant-is-bsfs-first-woman-officer-himachal-ips-opens-doors-to-gender-sensitivity/

External links

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] History of the PUNJAB Hill States, Volume 2, J. Hutchinson and J. Ph. Vogel, P - 513, 1933, by Superintendent, Government Printing, Lahore, Punjab

[:0-2] 1 2 Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Bilaspur

[IMDnormals-3] "Climate of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF). Climatological Summaries of States Series - No. 15. India Meteorological Department. January 2010. pp. 30–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.

[4] "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Kullu Manali Circuit
Sutlej Trail	Swarghat Bilaspur Deothsidh
Beas Trail	Mandi Rewalsar Jogindernagar
Kullu Valley Trail	Kullu Raison Naggar Manali
Across The Rohtang Pass	Keylong Lahaul and Spiti

Authority control
International	VIAF
National	Israel United States