Himachal Pradesh
| Himachal Pradesh | |
 |
|
|
Capital • Coordinates |
Shimla • 30.06° N 77.11° E |
| Largest city | Shimla |
|
Population
(2001) • Density |
6,077,248
(
20th) • 109/km² |
|
Area • Districts |
55,673 km²
(
17th) • 12 |
| Time zone | IST ( UTC +5:30) |
|
Establishment • Governor • Chief Minister • Legislature (seats) |
1971-
01-25 • Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje ( list) • Virbharda Singh ( list) • Unicameral (68) |
| Official language(s) | Hindi and Pahari |
| Website | himachal.nic.in |
| Abbreviation (ISO) | IN-HP |
|
Image:HPseal.jpg
Seal of Himachal Pradesh |
|
Himachal Pradesh ( Devanagari: हिमाचल प्रदेश), formally the Punjab Hill States, is a mostly mountainous state in northwest India. Neighbouring regions are Tibet to the east, Jammu and Kashmir to the north and northwest, Punjab to the southwest, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the south and Uttaranchal to the southeast.
It is 55,658 sq km (21,490 sq mi) and the population in 1991 was 5,111,079.
The state capital is Shimla (formerly British India's summer capital under the name Simla), other major towns are Dharamsala, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Dalhousie and Manali. The western Himalaya lies in the north and east and the smaller Shiwalik (or Shivalik) range in the south. The Ghaggar River originates in the Shivalik range. The main rivers are the Sutlej (home of the Bhakra Nangal Dam Project) and the Beas. The bridge on the Sutlej River at Kandraur, Bilaspur District is one of the highest in Asia.
Districts
- Kangra
- Hamirpur
- Mandi
- Bilaspur
- Una
- Chamba
- Lahul and Spiti
- Sirmaur
- Kinnaur
- Kullu
- Solan
- Shimla, containing the state capital
Culture
The major spoken languages are Kangri, Pahari, Punjabi, Hindi and Mandiali. Kangri and Mandiali are believed to be twin dialects originating from Punjabi.
Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism are the main religions. Dharmshala, in the western area of the state is the home of the Dalai Lama and many Tibetan refugees.
Politics
See Also: List of political parties in the state
In 2003 the state legislative assembly was won by the Indian National Congress. The main opposition is the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Transportation and Communication
Roads are the main mode of transport. Transportation can be risky especially during monsoon season due to frequent landslides and washouts. The government-owned Himachal Road Transport Corporation runs a network of buses across the state and there are private buses and taxis. Most areas have landline and cellular telephone service and Internet cafes.
History
Himachal Pradesh came under British control in the middle of the 19th century. The British annexed Kangra District, which includes present-day Kangra, Kullu, Hamirpur, and Lahul and Spiti districts, in 1846 at the conclusion of the First Anglo-Sikh War. The remainder of Himachal Pradesh was made up of a number of princely states. Kangra District was part of the British province of Punjab, and the princely states, then known as the Simla Hill States, were under the authority of Punjab until the early 1930's, when the Punjab States Agency was created, under the direct authority of the Governor-General of India. The Punjab Hill States Agency, which included most of the princely states in present-day Himachal Pradesh, was separated from Punjab States Agency in 1936.
India became independent of the United Kingdom in 1947, and Himachal Pradesh was established as a state on April 15 1948, composed of the territory of some 30 Hill states (including feudatories) that acceded to the Government of India, while Bilaspur remained a separate state in the Indian Union. Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh on July 1, 1954 by an act of the Indian Parliament. Himachal Pradesh became a union territory on November 1, 1956. The state was enlarged in 1966 by the transfer of the districts of Shimla, Kangra (which included present-day districts of Kangra and Hamirpur), Kullu, Lahul and Spiti, and Una from Punjab state. It was made the 18th state of India on January 25, 1971.
| Indian states and territories |
 |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Arunachal Pradesh | Assam | Bihar | Chhattisgarh | Goa | Gujarat | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu and Kashmir | Jharkhand | Karnataka | Kerala | Madhya Pradesh | Maharashtra | Manipur | Meghalaya | Mizoram | Nagaland | Orissa | Punjab | Rajasthan | Sikkim | Tamil Nadu | Tripura | Uttaranchal | Uttar Pradesh | West Bengal | |
| Union territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Chandigarh | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Daman and Diu | Lakshadweep | National Capital Territory of Delhi | Pondicherry | |