The Puranas
describe it as the Mahahimavanta or the great Freezing Zone; to us it is known
as Himalayas. Geologist has dating its origin 6 crorer years, two third of the
Himalayas is still in the subterranean depth. The capital of Himachal is Shimla. In the course of
time racial intermixture with the Aryans led to the formation of a number of
tribal settlements in respective states. The entire region saw the rise and
fall of the Guptas, the Bardhans, the Ranas and the Thakurs as the sovereign
power within a time frame of 2-5 century BC. The advent of the Muslims had
rocked the Himachal by the 10th
century. On 15th April 1948, Himachal
Pradesh secured its political
identity as a centrally administered state born out of the amalgamation of 30
hilly states with the mountainous part of the Punjab. Situated on the low
ridges of the Sivalik, Himachal Pradesh has Himalayas in the North
East, the Dhauladhar range in the N-West and the Sivalik in the south to mark
its boundaries.
The Himachal Pradesh Tourist Department record 136 peaks of more than 5000m
altitude, most colorfully sensitive in response to sun and moonlight variations
and preparing visual feasts. The Himachal
has the magical charm to allure thousands of tourists from all over India and
abroad every year. The Himachal teems with scenic wonders as
abundant as its forest resource. The caves in Himachal are natural zoos. Numberless
birds, both familiar and strange, call to set the undulating paths and stretches
a ringing with avian music. In its snowy region sight of brown and black bears,
snow leopards are not absurd. Thousands of rivers n addition to the Irawadi,
Bipasha, Chandravaga and Satadru stream down from the Himachal. The Himachal Pradesh was the holy place of renowned sanctity
in the past. The unpredictable shifts
from the fair frolic of sunny clouds to sudden devastations of hailstorms,
hailstone and avalanches are quite confusing. Still trekkers carry on their
expeditions to several directions along the Himalayas from the middle of May to
mid October. Daring adventurers climb on the Himalayan peaks charming its
intoxicated beauty. The State Museum of Shimla and the Shimla Kali Bari are the
two main attraction of this place. Enthusiast may get down by a downward slope
from Kunzum and visit the bluish water Chandratal Lake. The transparent blue water
is bordered with sands and green grass. Rohtang Pass 51km away from Manali is another
foremost attraction of this place. Manali, another place of interest in
Himachal is a city to the north of Kullu valley.
Demography-
The principal
language of Himachal Pradesh is Hindi. Other languages
spoken here are Hilly dialect, Punjabi and English. The per capita annual income
of this state is Rs 4005 (1989-90). Area wise the 17th largest state
of the Indian Union, Himachal Pradesh ranks 20th in terms of
population. Himachal casts extensive
pantheons of 2000 deities, of whom the most prominent and popular are Lord
Buddha. Though a Hindu state from the majority point of view, secular Himachal houses Buddhists and other
minorities like Sikhs, Muslims and Christianity without any bias.
Forestry, orchids
and tourism contributes to the major economic support for Himachal. 15% of the land
constitutes the cultivation ground for wheat, paddy, maize and barley.
Climate-
The best
season for the tourist to visit Himachal
Pradesh is April to October. November
to March makes the winter season when the entire Himachal Pradesh hibernates
under snow and the temperature falls down to 18.33-5.55C. It is nothing unusual
to find Shimla, Manali or the greater altitudes freezing on and off down to
much below 0C. The summer temperature varies from 32-11C.
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