It is the land of Gods, dev-bhumi, and is known more for its natural beauty than political legacy. Here is a look at five things you should know about Himachal Pradesh to understand the region and its simple, yet grounded, sense of life.
Geography
Himachal is situated in the interiors of western Himalayas. The state is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir in the North, Uttarakhand in the South-East, Haryana in the South and Punjab is in the west. There is great variation in the climatic conditions of Himachal due to extreme variation in elevation.
The state has areas like Dharamsala that receive very heavy rainfall, as well as those like Lahaul and Spiti that are cold and almost rainless.
Himachal Pradesh provides water to both the Indus and Ganges basins. The drainage systems of the region are the Chandra Bhaga or the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, the Sutlej and the Yamuna.
Himachal Pradesh is divided into 12 districts namely, Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, Una, Chamba, Lahul and Spiti, Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Kullu, Solan and Shimla.
History
The earliest known inhabitants of the region were tribals called Dasas. Later, Aryans came and they assimilated in the tribes. In the later centuries, the hill chieftains accepted suzerainty of the Mauryan empire, the Kaushans, the Guptas and Kanuaj rulers. During the Mughal period, the Rajas of the hill states made some mutually agreed arrangements which governed their relations. In the 19th century, Ranjit Singh annexed/subjugated many of the states.
When the British came, they defeated Gorkhas and entered into treaties with some Rajas and annexed the kingdoms of others. The situation more or less remained unchanged till 1947. After Independence, 30 princely states of the area were united and Himachal Pradesh was formed on 15th April, 1948.
With the recognition of Punjab on 1st November, 1966, certain areas belonging to it were also included in Himachal Pradesh. On 25th January, 1971, Himachal Pradesh was made a full-fledged state.
Demography
Total: 6,077,248
Population density (/Sq Km) 109
Sex ratio: 970 females per thousand males
Literacy rate: 77.13%
Politics
With the elections to the 10th Assembly of Himachal Pradesh on anvil, the situation in the State is quite murky. Factionalism and open rebellion characterise the state of both the national parties in the fray. The Congress(I) has an edge over the Bharatiya Janata Party given the anti-incumbency mood and performance-related factors. But the extent to which it will be able to capitalise on these and others such as the open dissidence in the BJP`s ranks will depend on whether it will be able to set its own house in order. Entry of BSP has made the whole game interesting as the party spreads its wings beyond the cast and territorial borders.
Historically, HP has had the Congress as the ruling party with brief spells of BJP’s reign. Depending on natural resources for its development, the state has employment, infrastructure issues at the heart of its people. Enviornment is another mainstay issue of Himachal politics.
Economy
Himachal now ranks fourth in respect of per capita income among all the states in India. As per the current prices, the total GDP was estimated at Rs 25,435 cr. Agriculture contributes over 45% to the net state domestic product. It is the main source of income and employment in Himachal.
Himachal has a rich heritage of handicrafts. These include woolen and pashmina shawls, carpets, silver and metal ware, embroidered chappals, grass shoes, Kangra and Gompa style paintings, wood work, horse-hair bangles, wooden and metal utensils and various other house hold items. These aesthetic and tasteful handicrafts declined under competition from machine made goods and also because of lack of marketing facilities.
Himachal is extremely rich in hydel resources. The state has about 25% of the national potential in this respect.
Compiled by Shashank Chouhan
