KANGRA
Kangra is an ideal place for nature lovers. Terraced fields; thickly wooded forests; lush green tea gardens; meandering paths and innumerable laughing streams shape Kangra, a picturesque region of Himachal. The Pathankot-Manali national highway passes through the valley almost parallel to the Dhauladhar Range to its north. Dhauladhar-the White Mountain-dominates the splendid landscape as it rises rather abruptly for nearly 4000m from the valley floor. The Dhauladhar receives he second highest annual rainfall in India. The Beas river-Vipasha of Vedic literature- Rising near Rohtang Pass in Kullu district enters Kangra through Mandi district and flows northwest, fed by innumerable perennial streams and rivulets before entering the Punjab plains a murthal.
HISTORY
Stone Age artefacts found in Guler and Kangra point to the antiquity of the region. Historians opine that people of the Indus valley civilisation (2250-1750 BC) pushed the original inhabitants, the Kolorians of Gangetic plains, towards the hills. Dasas, Dasyus and Nishadas of Vedic literature are believed to be inhabitants of these hills. Susharman, ruler of Jalandhara or Trigarta (Kangra) is said to be an ally of the Kauravas in the Mahabharata war. Susharman is also said to have founded the Kangra fort. The general consensus is that people came to the hills in successive waves of migration. The kols or Mundas the first, followed by Mongoloid Bhots and Kiratas. Aryans came last with their subgroup Khash spreading throughout the Himalayan regions of Kangra, Kullu, Mahasu, Chamba, Gharwal Kumaun and Nepal. Present-day Kangra, called Nagarkot in ancient times, was part of the ancient Trigarta (Jallandar) which comprised the area between the river Shatadroo (Satluj) and Ravi. Probably Trigarta had two provinces, one in the plains with headquarters at jallandhar and other in the hills with headquarters at Nagarkot. For centuries, the region was divided into small hill states and ruled by Ranas and Thakurs who could do nothing when Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad Tuglaq plundered the valley in AD 1009 and AD 1337 respectively. In 1622 Jahangir and Begum Nur Jahan came to Kangra via Siba and returned to Delhi via Nurpur and Pathankot. They were fascinated by the beauty of the Kangra valley.
CLIMATE
Winner generally extends from December to February; summer lasts from March to June. The hot and humid monsoon lasts from July to September and autumn is in October. Higher altitudes receive heavy snow in winter and lower areas get plenty of rain. During summer the valleys and southern parts of the district are very hot and sultry.
GETTING THERE
By Air The airport at Gaggal is nine kilometers away from Dharamshala and eighteen kilometres from its twin town Mcleodganj. Taxis are available.
By Rail Pathankot is the closest broad gauge railhead and is ninety kilometres from Dharamshala. Taxis are available. You can opt to travel by marrow gauge railway line which connects Pathankot to Jogindernagar. The station feeding Dharamshala is Kangra Mandir (eighteen kilometres) and for Palampur is Maranda (five kilometers).
By Road Dharamshala is just off National Highway 20 and is will linked to the region.
PLACE TO VISIT
Please contact on these numbers for India Tours 9857102030 & 9816013724.