Salooni

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Salooni
town
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Salooni
Location in Himachal Pradesh, India
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Salooni
Salooni (India)
Coordinates: 32°43′N76°3′E / 32.717°N 76.050°E / 32.717; 76.050
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Himachal Pradesh
District Chamba
Elevation
1,829 m (6,001 ft)
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
176320
Telephone code01896
Vehicle registration HP 81
Nearest city Dalhousie Chamba
Vidhan Sabha constituency Dalhousie
Websitewww.salooni.co.in

Salooni is the tehsil headquarter and Sub-Division in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Salooni is an important regional administrative and economic centre. It has a mini secretariat, SDM office, government senior secondary school, Degree College, CSK HP Krishi Vishvavidyalaya Mountain Agriculture Research and Extension Stations, community health centre and many other sub-division level important government offices. Salooni falls under Dalhousie legislative constituency. The entrance to the small township has a series of few quaint shops, followed by small ground with an ancient goddess Kali temple at other end.

Contents

History

Salooni according to one version is believed to be a corrupt form of "Sailani" (tourist) who frequented the place since the time of the rajas. Other versions says because of its beauty, the place was called "Saloni" which in English meant attractive and charming. Saloni, therefore, is the origin of Salooni.

Geography

Chamba is wholly mountainous with few plain valleys in between two mountain ranges and alongside rivers. It lies between Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal Ranges.

Salooni Village, Chamba is surrounded by places of interest to the enterprising tourist and special look out points, commanding panoramic views abound on all sides. The town is situtated on top of a ridge extending in Bhaderwah Sub Division of Jammu and Kashmir. The two mountains ranges i.e Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal enclose the attraction of Salooni, at a height of 1729 meters and 56 48 km from Chamba, offers a breath – taking panoramic view of the snow-covered hills and peaks of both ranges. The watershed of the ridge forms a tributary of Ravi known as Siul which forms the beautiful Bhandal and Kihar valleys upstream. The famous Gamgul Siyabehi Wildlife Sanctuary is also present here which inhabits the unique Kashmiri Stag. Salooni is known for its view of the Pir Panjal Range,[ citation needed ] one can behold a crystal clear view of this range which is usually snow-capped all around the year. It has a population of about 2000.

Physical features

The Bhandal Valley with its wealth of wildlife is at the western extremity of Himachal Pradesh. Approachable from Chamba, it is the base for a trek route that connects Chamba to the Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir over the Dagni Dhar. The route begins along the right bank of the River Ravi, goes past Pukhri, down to the Siyul stream, then rises to Salooni on the Prithvi Jor ridge to finally arrive above the valley. From Bhandal via Langhera one reaches Kishtwar J&K. The highest road on the track is the Padri Gali at 3,200 m (10,500 ft).

Tourist sites

From bhadela it is about 4 km (2.5 mi) on foot.

Rest house

There are number of rest houses in locality, run by HPPWD, IPH Department and Forest Department. The HPPWD rest house in Salooni is constructed way back in 1908. It is surrounded by deodar trees. Salooni has quite a few other rest houses owned by IPH Department and various other government departments. Other nearby rest houses are in Kihar, Sundala, Dhargala, Bhandal, Himgiri and Diur.

Climate

There is snowfall [4] between December and March, when temperatures may fall down to −10 °C (14 °F) in some areas of Salooni. [5] In summers temperatures seldom crosses 30 °C (86 °F). Weather throughout the year is pleasant. Annual rainfall is 1,490 mm (59 in).

Transport

Salooni is well connected to Chamba by road. It also has a helipad.

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References

  1. Bhandal Valley, Filmapia.com. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  2. NHPC Bairasiul power station, Surgani, Wikimapia.com. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  3. "Surgani power station completes 25 years," The Tribune, 21 May 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  4. "Wide and thick snow carpet over Himalayan ranges," United News of India, 16 January 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  5. "NDTV News", 15 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.