District: Kangra, H.P. STD Code:01892, Altitude:455 M

Location : Kangra is a small town 18 KM south of Dharamsala in Kangra District. The district is on the western part of Himachal Pradesh. The road goes from Mandi to Pathankot i.e. south-east to north-west via Gaggal where a small airport is situated. The motorist has to turn southward from the place a few kilometers east of Gaggal to reach Kangra within 10 minutes. It is on the foot hill of Shivalik range and south of Triund and overlooking the gushing torrent Banganga. The Dhauladhar range stands on its north.

General description : BY the side of Kullu Valley, the Kangra valley is equally beautiful with tea gardens, steep silhouette of the Dolomites and charming landscape. The old town of Kangra was destroyed in an earthquake in 1905. The place was known as Nagarkot and former capital of an important hill state. This ancient state was attacked many times due the wealth of the famous Bajreshwari Devi temple from the north over the centuries. It is the home of the exquisite Pahari and Rajput miniature paintings. This art was flourished during the reign of Raja Sansar Chand II (1775 - 1823 AD). Many artists had migrated to Himalayas after invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739. The Oudh-Moghul architectural styled Kangra Fort built by Raja is still there. Due to repeated attack by other rulers it is now partially turned to ruins. The town flourished during Moghul era and many temples were constructed. Kangra was again attacked in 1799 by Ranjit Singh who secured Lahore and set upon subjugating the whole of Punjab. Raja Sansar Chand had moved the capital to Nadaun 65 KM from Dharamsala. The wealth consisting of gold, diamonds, pearl, etc. were carried out by the invaders from the temple of Goddess Bajreshwari Devi at different times. The temple was rebuilt in 1920 after complete destruction in the earthquake. The fort, also known as Nagarkot or Kot Kangra is situated to the south-west of the old Kangra town and built atop the precipitous hill on the confluence of the Banganga and Patalganga rivers which together serve as the moat for the fort. The antiquity of the fort is traced back to a much earlier period. The earliest extant remains inside the fort are Jaina and Brahmanical temples which would be assigned to circa ninth-tenth century A.D. In the annals of history its earliest reference dates from the time of its invasions by Mahmud Ghazni in A.D. 1009. It was captured by Muhammad Tughluq and his successor Firuz Shah Tughluq in A.D. 1337 and A.D. 1351 respectively.

Kangra, overlooking the Banganga and Manjhi rivers, was the capital of 'Trigatra' land of Raja Bhum Chand, the progenitor of a line of 500 kings. Fort of Kangra was so famous for the storage of riches that Mahmud Gaznavi in his fourth expedition to India defeated Punjab and directly came to Kangra in A.D. 1009. The colossal buildings, once a challenge to monarchs, have been reduced to ruins especially after the earthquake of 1905. The entrance to the fort is guarded by a large gate of thick wooden planks fixed on the hinges of an arch constructed with sand stones. It is almost 15 feet in eight. It is named as Ranjit Singh Gate. A moat cut into rocks, connecting Banganga and Manjhi rivers separates the fort from the outside world. The fort is now under supervision of Archeological Survey of India, Govt. of India

Entrance Fee: Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 5 per head. 
Others: US $ 2 or Indian Rs. 100/- per head.

Safety : Safe. Roads : Motorable road. Road traffic: Careful and slow driving in hill roads suggested. Medical support: Yes; Fuel Pumps: Yes; Car repairing: Skeleton service available; Market & Shopping Center: No; Tourist Information Center: No; Railway & Air Ticket: No; Hotels & Restaurants: Yes; Sports & Game Centers: No. Cellular service: BSNL; Car rental: Yes.

Transport : Kangra is well connected to various places in Himachal Pradesh by bus services and narrow gauge train services to and fro Pathankot. The train starts from Pathankot station at 02.40, 04.30, 07.00, 09.50, 12.55, 16.15 and 17.40 hours daily. It takes 4 hours to travel to Baijnath (141 KM) via Kangra. The frequent bus services are between Kangra and Mandi, Jwalakukhi,Dharamsala, Palampur, Baijnath, Jogindernagar, etc. All these places are situated in and around the Kangra Valley.

Special mention: It is an archeological center due presence of Kangra Fort and also famous for handicraft and pahari painting.

Accommodation facilities:

The advance booking can be made directly or through www.arraytours.com Please call +91 9433001192, (Phone) +91 33 24427635. The above data are indicative as provided by the respective hotel or collected from various sources. The author is not responsible for any difference with the actual.

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 March 2011 23:23