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 characterised 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 or Dev Bhumi, meaning 'Land of Gods' and Veer Bhoomi which means 'Land of the Brave'.
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The English term was originally used mostly in colonial Asia, but also in Africa, for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges from the summer heat and, as Dale Kennedy observes about the Indian context, "the hill station (...) was seen as an exclusive British preserve: here it was possible to render the Indian into an outsider". The term is still used in present day, particularly in India, which has the largest number of hill stations, most are situated at an altitude of approximately 1,000 to 2,500 metres.
Hamirpur district is in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The headquarters of the district are in the town of Hamirpur. With an area of 1,118 square kilometres or 432 square miles, it is the smallest district of Himachal Pradesh.
Kinnaur district is one of the twelve administrative districts of the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The district is divided into three administrative areas and has six tehsils. The administrative headquarters of the district is at Reckong Peo. The revered Kinnaur Kailash mountain, one of the Panch Kailash sites, is situated in Kinnaur. As of 2011, it is the second least populous district of Himachal Pradesh, after Lahaul and Spiti.
Dhauladhar is a mountain range which is part of a lesser Himalayan chain of mountains. It rises from the Shivalik hills, to the north of Kangra and Mandi. Dharamsala, the headquarters of Kangra district and the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, lies on its southern spur in the Kangra Valley. Chamba lies to the North of this range.
The Pir Panjal Range is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with its northwestern end extending into territory administered by Pakistan. The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges. Pir Panjal is the largest and westernmost range of the Lesser Himalayas. Near the bank of the Sutlej River, it dissociates itself from the main Himalayan range and forms a divide between the Beas and Ravi rivers on one side and the Chenab on the other. Further west, the Pir Panjal range forms the southwestern boundary of the Kashmir Valley, separating it from the hills of Jammu region, forming a divide between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers.
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
Nurpur is a city and a municipal council in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was formerly part of the Nurpur State since the 11th century AD. The capital of the state was at Pathankot formerly known as Paithan, now in Punjab.It got its name from wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir, Nur Jahan, when they visited Kangra (Nagarkot) after Jahangir's successful conquest of the Kangra Fort.
Spiti is a high-altitude region of the Himalayas, located in the north-eastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name "Spiti" means "The middle land", i.e. the land between Tibet and India. Spiti incorporates mainly the valley of the Spiti River, and the valleys of several rivers that feed into the Spiti River. Some of the prominent side-valleys in Spiti are the Pin valley and the Lingti valley. Spiti is bordered on the east by Tibet, on the north by Ladakh, on the west and southwest by Lahaul, on the south by Kullu, and on the southeast by Kinnaur. Spiti has a cold desert environment. The valley and its surrounding regions are among the least populated regions of India. The Bhoti-speaking local population follows Tibetan Buddhism.
Churdhar Sanctuary is located in the Sirmaur district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The total covered area of this sanctuary is 56.16 square kilometers, as notified on November 15, 1985. The fauna includes Himalayan black bear, Barking deer, Musk deer, Langur and Leopards. The work of administration at Churdhar is taken care by Chureshwar Sewa Samiti.
The Leh–Manali Highway is a 428 km (266 mi) long highway in northernmost India connecting Leh, the capital of the Union Territory of Ladakh, to Manali in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It crosses four passes Rohtang la, Baralacha la, lungalacha la, tanglang la. It connects the Kullu Valley of the upper Beas river to the Chandra and Bhaga river valleys of Lahaul via the Atal tunnel in Himachal Pradesh, then crosses over a series of high Himalayan passes into the Indus river valley in Ladakh. It is usually open for about six months a year from the first week of May when the snow is cleared from the highway to October when snowfall again blocks the high passes on the highway. Before the construction of the Atal tunnel, the highway used to remain closed beyond the Rohtang Pass during winter. With the completion of the proposed Shingo La Tunnel on an alternate route through Zanskar valley, targeted to be completed by 2025, the whole Leh-Manali route will become an all-weather road.
Kangra Valley is a river valley situated in the Western Himalayas. It lies in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India, and is a popular tourist destination. The Kangri language is spoken there. Dharamshala, the headquarters of Kangra district and the main city of the valley, lies on the southern spur of Dhauladhar.
The Indian Himalayan Region is the section of the Himalayas within the Republic of India, spanning thirteen Indian states and union territories, namely Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, West Bengal, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh. The region is responsible for providing water to a large part of the Indian subcontinent and contains various flora and fauna.
The Chanshal Pass, or Chanshal Valley, links Dodra Kwar and Rohru (Chirgaon) in the Shimla district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The pass sits atop Chanshal Peak, which at 4,520 metres (14,830 ft) is the highest peak in the Shimla district. The pass remains open from May to november and is covered with snow for the rest of the year.
The Manimahesh Kailash Peak, 5,653 metres (18,547 ft), also known as Chamba Kailash, which stands towering high over the Manimahesh Lake, is believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva, the Hindu deity. It is located in the Bharmour subdivision of the Chamba district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is the fifth most important peak among the group of five separate peaks in Himalayas in separate locations collectively known as the Panch Kailash or "Five Kailashas", other being Mount Kailash in first place, Adi Kailash in second, Shikhar Kailash in third, and Kinnaur Kailash in fouth place in terms of importance. The peak is 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Bharmour in the Budhil valley. It is one of the major pilgrimage sites as well as a popular trekking destination in Himachal Pradesh. The Manimahesh Lake is at the base of the Kailash peak at 3,950 metres (12,960 ft) and is also held in deep veneration by people of Himachal Pradesh, particularly the Gaddi tribe of the region. In the month of Bhadon, on the eighth day of the new moon period a fair is held in the precincts of the lake that attracts thousands of pilgrims.
Tourism in Himachal Pradesh relates to tourism in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This is popularly renowned for its Himalayan landscapes and popular hill-stations. Many outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding, ice-skating, trekking, rafting, and heli-skiing are popular tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh.
Reo Purgyil, sometimes known as Leo Pargial and Leo Pargil, is a mountain peak at the southern end of the Zanskar Range in the Western Himalaya. It is located on the border between Himachal Pradesh, India and Tibet, China.
Aparna Kumar is an Indian mountaineer. She was awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2018 for land adventure by the President of India.
Hanuman Tibba is the highest mountain peak in Kangra district and lies on Dhauladhar Range in Himachal Pradesh, India, with an altitude of 5,982 metres (19,626 ft) above sea level. It lies to the Northwest of Manali and to the East of Solang. To the north of Hanuman Tibba, lies the Taintuka Pass and to the south lies Manali Pass. These Passes form the district boundary between the Kangra District and Kullu District. It is a well known local peak, partly due to it resembling a steep pyramid, with its noted feature of steep vertical rise from its base camp site. Its west face has been a recent site to many attempts to climb through the “west spur”, a steep, technical, sustained rocky feature often exposed to winds and gnarly ice flutings. The Diretissima through this face and the north face- overall, is still unclimbed. In a noted recent attempt by the Alpine Club of the Greater Himalayas, 4 alpinists tried climbing through this very spur, but were defeated by rotten ice conditions, high at 5,720 m (18,770 ft).
The Emblem of Himachal Pradesh is the official state seal used by the Government of Himachal Pradesh and is carried on all official correspondences made by State of Himachal Pradesh. It was adopted by the Government of Himachal Pradesh at the establishment of the state on 25 January 1971. The State of Himachal Pradesh has an Emblem consisting of a mountain ridge over three white fesses, charged with the Aśoka capital.
