Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is just 350 km. away from our capital and consists of only 0.57%. This state is quite popular because of its scenic beauty and some wonderful hill station tourist spots.
| Topic | Data/Facts |
| 1 History | 1.1 Himachal Pradesh became the Union Territory on 1st November, 1956. 1.2 On 25th January, 1971, it got the title of being a state. 1.3 Himachal Pradesh is also known as ‘Dev Bhoomi’ or ‘Land of Gods and Goddess’ and ‘Veer Bhoomi’ which means ‘Land of Braves’. |
| 2 Geography | 2.1 Climate: 2.1.1 The climate varies from hot and humid subtropical in the southern tracts to, with more elevation, cold, alpine, and glacial in the northern and eastern mountain ranges. 2.1.2 Himachal experiences three seasons: summer, winter, and rainy season. 2.1.3 Summer lasts from mid-April till the end of June and most parts become very hot. 2.1.4 Winter lasts from late November till mid-March. Snowfall is common in alpine tracts. 2.2 Agriculture: 2.2.1 The main cereals grown include wheat, maize, rice and barley with major cropping systems being maize-wheat, rice-wheat and maize-potato-wheat. 2.2.2 Pulses, fruits, vegetables and oilseeds are among the other crops grown in the state. 2.2.3 Apple is the principal cash crop of the state grown principally in the districts of Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and some parts of Sirmaur and Lahaul-Spiti. 2.3 Natural Resources: 2.3.1 The State is the sole holder of country’s rock salt resources. Barytes, limestone, salt (rock) and shale are the important minerals produced in the State. 2.3.2 Barytes occurs in Sirmaur district. 2.3.3 Limestone can be found in Bilaspur, Chamba, Kangra, Kulu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Solan districts. 2.3.4 Rock salt is available in Mandi district. 2.3.5 Other minerals that occur in the State are antimony in Lahaul and Spiti districts; gypsum in Chamba, Sirmaur and Solan districts; magnesite in Chamba district; pyrite in Shimla district; and quartz, quartzite and silica sand in Una district. 2.4 Major Rivers: The Ganges, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and Yamuna. 2.5 Animals: (i) Himachal Pradesh has around 463 bird, 77 mammalian, 44 reptile and 80 fish species. (ii) The animals like Himalayan Black Bear, White-bellied musk deer, Himalayan Vulture, Black francolin, Himalayan tahr and Indian Paradise flycatcher are there. 2.6 Neighbouring States: Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh – North Punjab – West Haryana – South-West Uttarakhand – South-East Uttar Pradesh – South Tibet and China – East 2.7 Capital city: Shimla – Summer Dharamshala – Winter 2.8 Total Land Area: (i) Total area is 55,673 sq. km. (ii) 17th largest state in India. |
| 3 Forestry | 3.1 Forest: (i) Forest Cover: 15,433.52 sq. km. (ii) Very Dense Forest: 3,112.71 sq. km. (iii) Moderately Dense Forest: 7,125.93 sq. km. (iv) Open Forest: 5,194.88 sq. km. (Data as per ISFR 2019 assessment) 3.2 National Parks: (i) Great Himalayan National Park, Kullu (ii) Inderkilla National Park, Kullu (iii) Khirganga National Park, Kullu (iv) Pin Valley National Park, Lahaul and Spiti (v) Simbalbara National Park, Sirmour 3.3 Wild Life Sanctuary: (i) Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandli (ii) Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, Chail (iii) Chandra Taal Wildlife Sanctuary, Lahaul and Spiti (iv) Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary, Sirmaur (v) Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary, Shimla (vi) Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kangra (vii) Gamgul Siyabehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Sunuh (viii) Kais Wildlife Sanctuary, Kullu (ix) Kalatop-Khajjiar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalatop (x) Kanawar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kullu (xi) Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary, Kullu (xii) Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Lahaul and Spiti (xiii) Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary, Hadsar (xiv) Lippa Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary, Kinnaur (xv) Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary, Shimla (xvi) Manali Wildlife Sanctuary, Manali (xvii) Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary, Mandi (xviii) Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Kangra (xix) Renuka Wildlife Sanctuary, Sirmour (xx) Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary, Shamnu (xxi) Sainj Wildlife Sanctuary, Sainj (xxii) Sangla Valley (Rakchham Chitkul) Wildlife Sanctuary, Rakchham (xxiii) Sech Tuan Nala Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamba (xxiv) Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalidoghri (xxv) Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, Shimla (xxvi) Talra Wildlife Sanctuary, Shimla (xxvii) Tirthan Wildlife Sanctuary, Kullu (xxviii) Tundah Wildlife Sanctuary, Dalhousie (xxix) Rohila Wildlife Sanctuary, Rohila 3.4 Birds Sanctuary: Gamgul Bird Sanctuary, Chamba |
| 4 Economy | 4.1 Major Economic Data: (i) GDP Growth: 7.3% (2018-19) (ii) GDP: ₹1.82 lakh crore (US$26 billion) (2020-21 est.) (iii) GDP Rank: 22nd (iv) Per Capita Income: ₹208,513 (US$2,900) (2018-19) 4.2 Industries: Major industries are as under: – (i) Himachal is facing a number of difficulties in the advancement of industries. Lack of means of dependable transport and poor accessibility was one of the major drawbacks. (ii) The only advantage of the state was the ample availability of electricity. Parwano, Barotiwala, Baddi, Paonta Sahib, Mehatpur, Shamshi, Nagrota Bagwan, Bilaspur, Reckong Peo and Sansar Pur Terrace are some of the industrial areas of the state at present. (iii) As the dust free climate of Himachal is extremely suitable for the setting up of electronic industries, many electronic complexes have been established at Solan, Mandi, Hamirpur, Shoghi, Raga-Ka-Bagh, Chamba, Ambi, Taliwala and Keylong. |
| 5 Transportation | 5.1 Air, Rail and Road are major modes of transportation in Himachal Pradesh. 5.2 Other Important facts: (i) The only broad-gauge railway line in the whole state connects Amb Andaura–Una Himachal railway station to Nangal Dam in Punjab and runs all the way to Daulatpur, Himachal Pradesh. (ii) Himachal is known for its narrow-gauge railways. One is the Kalka-Shimla Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and another is the Kangra Valley Railway. (iii) The total length of these two tracks is 259 kilometres (161 mi). The Kalka-Shimla Railway passes through many tunnels and Bridgies, while the Pathankot–Jogindernagar meanders through a maze of hills and valleys. The total route length of the operational railway network in the state is 296.26 kilometres (184.09 mi). (iv) The state has road network of 28,208 kilometres (17,528 mi), including eight National Highways (NH) that constitute 1,234 kilometres (767 mi) and 19 State Highways with a total length of 1,625 kilometres (1,010 mi). 5.3 Major Railway Stations (i) Una Himachal (ii) Amb Andaura (iii) Rai Maihatpur (iv) Churaru Takrala (v) Chintpurni Marg (vi) Daulatpur Chowk (vii) Talara (viii) Guler (ix) Nandpur Bhatauli (x) Nagrota Suriyan (xi) Harsar Dehri (xii) Nurpur Road (xiii) Jawanwala Shahr (xiv) Bharmar (xv) Tripal (xvi) Baryal Himachal (xvii) Lunsu Halt (xviii) Megh Raj Pura (xix) Palampur Himachal (xx) Panchrukhi 5.4 Major Air Ports: Domestic Airports: (i) angra Airport (ii) Kullu–Manali Airport (iii) Shimla Airport |
| 6 Infrastructures | 6.1 Power installed Capacity: (i) Total Power: 4129.97 MW (ii) Thermal: 213.70 MW (iii) Nuclear: 28.95 MW (iv) Hydro: 2923.88 MW (v) Renewable Energy Source: 963.44 MW |
| 7 Census and Demography | 7.1 Demographic Data: (i) Population: 6,864,602 (68.65 Lakhs) (ii) Male: 3,481,873 (iii) Female: 3,382,729 (iv) Gender Ratio: 972 females per 1000 males (v) Population Growth: 12.94% (vi) Percentage of total population of the country: 0.57% (vii) Density: 123/sq. km. (viii) Rural Population: 6,176,050 (89.97%) (ix) Urban Population: 688,552 (10.03%) (x) 21st most populous state in India (Based on 2011 census) 7.2 Major Religion followers: (i) Hinduism: 6,532,765 (95.17%) (ii) Christianity: 12,646 (0.18%) (iii) Islam: 149,881 (2.18%) (iv) Jainism: 1,805 (0.03%) (v) Buddhism: 78,659 (1.15%) (vi) Sikhism: 79,896 (1.16%) (Based on 2011 census) |
| 8 Culture | 8.1 Literature: Literary work is majorly found under categories: (i) Hindi (ii) Western Pahari Language 8.2 Major Poets & Authors: (i) Varun Grover (ii) M.M. Kaye (iii) Nirmal Verma (iv) Zahid Abrol (v) D.C. Chambial (vi) Baba Kanshi Ram (vii) Bhupendra Nath Kaushik (viii) PCK Prem (ix) Bipan Chandra 8.3 Major Festivals: (i) Kullu Dussehra (ii) Shivratri Fair (Mandi) (iii) Shoolini Mela (Solan) (iv) Minjar Fair (Chamba) (v) Mani Mahesh Chhari Yatra (Chamba) (vi) Renuka fair (Sirmaur) (vii) Lavi Trade Fair (Rampur) (viii) Vrajeshwari fair (Kangra) (ix) Jwalamukhi Fair (Jwalamukhi) (x) Holi Fair (Sujanpur Tira) (xi) Naina Devi Fair (Bilaspur) (xii) Fulaich (Kinnaur valley) 8.4 Folk Dance: Nati is the traditional dance of Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur, Kullu and Shimla districts. The dance is listed in Guinness World Records as having “the greatest number of people attending and participating in a Nati dance lesson at a single venue”. 8.5 Major Religious Places: (i) Bajreshwari Mata Temple, Kangra (ii) Kali Bari, Shimla (iii) Lakshana Devi Temple, Bharmour (iv) Maa Bhangayani Temple, Haripurdhar (v) Chaurasi Temple Bharmour (vi) Sankat Mochan Temple, Shimla (vii) Trilokinath Temple at Tunde (viii) Namgyal Monastery, Dharamshala (ix) Key Gompa Monastery, Pinjoor (x) Chamunda Devi Temple, Padar (xi) Gurudwara Paonta Sahib |
| 9 Education | 9.1 State Literacy Data: (i) Total: 5,039,736 (82.80%) (ii) Male: 2,752,590 (89.53%) (iii) Female: 2,287,146 (75.93%) 9.2 Major Universities: (i) Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla (ii) CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur (iii) Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat (iv) Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni (v) Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan (vi) Himachal Pradesh Technical University, Hamirpur (vii) Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Kangra (viii) Career Point University, Hamirpur (ix) Alakh Prakash Goyal Shimla University, Shimla (x) IEC University, Kalujhanda (xi) Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Solan (xii) Chitkara University, Kalujhanda (xiii) Manav Bharti University, Solan (xiv) Baddi University of Emerging Sciences and Technologies, Baddi (xv) BAHRA University, Waknaghat (xvi) Eternal University, Baru Sahib (xvii) Arni University, Kathgarh (xviii) Sri Sai University, Palampur (xix) Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi (xx) ICFAI University, Baddi (xxi) Indus International University, Bathu (xxii) Abhilashi University, Chailchowk 9.3 Major Institutions: (i) IIT Mandi (ii) IIM Sirmaur (iii) NIT Hamirpur (iv) IIIT Una |
| 10 Tourism | 10.1 Himachal Pradesh 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. 10.2 Major Tourist Spots: (i) Shimla (ii) Palampur (iii) Chail (iv) Kufri (v) Narkanda (vi) Manali (vii) Kullu (viii) Jogindernagar (ix) Baijnath (x) Rampur (xi) Kinnaur (xii) Sangla (xiii) Kalpa (xiv) Nako (xv) Chitkul (xvi) Reckong Peo (xvii) Karsog (xviii) Dalhousie (xix) Kangra (xx) Mandi (xxi) Janjehli (xxii) Tattapani (xxiii) Spiti valley (xxiv) Kasol (xxv) Tosh (xxvi) McLeodganj (xxvii) Dharamshala (xxviii) Kheerganga trek, Parvati Valley (xxix) Paragliding sight (Bir Billing) (xxx) Chamba (xxxi) Triund (xxxii) Khajjiar |
| 11 Sports | 11.1 State Game: Himachal Pradesh has awesome ice skiing spots and also different adventure sports opportunities throughout the state. 11.2 Major Stadium: HPCA Cricket Stadium, Dharamshala 11.3 International Players from the state: Cricket: (i) Manvinder Bisla (ii) Rishi Dhawan (iii) Paras Dogra (iv) Madan Lal (v) Sushma Verma Hockey: (i) Charanjit Singh (ii) Deepak Thakur |
| 12 Governance & Administrative Divisions | 12.1 Administrative divisions: (i) Number of Districts: 12 (ii) Number of Tehsils: 172 (iii) Number of Police Stations: 130 (iv) Number of Urban Towns: 59 (v) Number of Villages: 19,831 12.2 Official Languages: (i) Hindi (ii) Sanskrit (Additional Official Language) (Based on census-2011) 12.3 Constituent Facts: (i) Number of Assembly seats: 68 (ii) Number of Parliament seats: 4 (iii) Number of Rajya Sabha Seats: 3 (iv) Number of Gram Panchayats: 3226 (v) Legislature: Unicameral 12.4 Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (From 11 December, 2022) First Chief Minister: Yashwant Singh Parmar (1963) 12.5 Governor: Rajendra Arlekar (21st Governor of Himachal Pradesh) First Governor: Sh. S. Chakravarti (1971) 12.6 Judiciary: Himachal Pradesh High Court was formed in 1971. Himachal Pradesh was born as a result of integration of twenty six Province and four Punjab hill States into a Centrally Administered Area on 15 April 1948. (i) Number of Judges: 13 (ii) Judge Retirement Age: 62 |
| 13 Other Important facts | 13.1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: (i) Great Himalayan National Park (ii) Kalka-Shimla Railway 13.2 GI Tags: (i) Kangra tea (ii) Chamba Rumal (iii) Kinnauri Shawl (iv) Kangra paintings (v) Kullu shawl (vi) Kangra Paintings (vii) Himachali Kala Zeera 13.3 Number of Archaeological Sites: Guge Capital Ruins 13.4 State Symbols: State Animal: Snow Leopard State Flower: Bell Rhododendron State Fruit: Apple State Tree: Deodar Cedar State Bird: Western tragopan State Fish: Golden Mahseer |
Although all the best efforts have been put to produce this article with all the correct data , however, if there are any conflicting data or provisions are crept into the article, respective official site(s) shall be referred & no claim whatsoever at any stage is admissible relating to content of this article.
If you found this article to be helpful and informational, please like and share this article. Also, we would be grateful if you like, share and follow our page, EduPadhai, on Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter.
