Nestled in the Himalayas, the world's mightiest
mountain ranges, Himachal is blessed with some of the
most spectacular landscapes anywhere. Truly a travellers
paradise, with mighty snow peaks, deep gorges, lush
green and golden valleys, flower filled meadows, misty
woods, fast flowing icy rivers, glaciers and enchanting
lakes. While the picturesque valleys of Kullu, Kinnaur
and Kangra are a riot of colours, in marked contrast the
barren terrain of Lahaul & Spiti have a stunning lunar
landscape like beauty.
For the visitor there are
superb locations for relaxing and sight seeing. There
are also tremendous opportunities for trekking,
mountaineering, fishing, river rafting, skiing,
para-gliding, ice skating and golf. Having an excellent
network of roads and communication facilities, Himachal
has a clean and peaceful environment.
Himachal Tourism a pioneer in the development of
tourism infrastructure in Himachal, has Himachal's
largest complete package of tourism services, including
accommodation, catering, transport and sports
activities.
It is the land of eternal snow in the
north-west of India. The literal meaning of Himachal is
'Lnad Of Snow'. It is also known as 'Dev Bhoomi' ( the
land of Gods). The capital of the state is Shimla and
other major towns include Solan, Dharamshala, Kangra,
Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Hamirpur, Dalhousie and Manali. It
takes in the frontier zone from the plain to the high
Himalaya and in the trans Himalayan region of lahaul and
spiti actually crosses that mighty barrier to the
Tibetan Plateau
:: | :: Cultural
Diversity :: | ::
The Himachal has a diversity of religious, and
religious customs. The villages accommodate people
belonging to several castes and tribes but they are all
stratified into various sub castes and Gotras. This
straitification makes for subtle changes in customs and
beliefs. Among the Brahmins, the Nogarkoti are
considered the highest. They would rather die than eat
food in a married daughter's house; the lower Brahmin
castes are not so strict. Similarly, among the Rajputs,
Katoch, Pathariya, Batauriye and Rane are considered
higher than the others. The Rathi Rajputs are next. The
tribals follow their own customs.
The state of
Himachal is broadly divided into 3 parts.
1. Kangra
and the neighbouring area.
2. Sirmaur, Lhasu,
Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti.
3. Chamba, Bharmor, Pangi.
Each area has its own social customs and dialect.
However, not withstanding frequent foreign invasions and
other disturbances, the people in Himachal have a rich
unity of culture and thought. Their social and literacy
patterns are basically the same, and all these tribes
and groups feel proud to be called the Himachalis.
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Cities Of Himachal
