Overview of District Hamirpur

District lies in the South-West part of the state and constitute the central micro region of Himachal Pradesh. Tract is hilly, covered by Shivalik Range situated between 76º 18' to 76º 44’ East Longitudes and 31º 25' to 31º 52' North Latitude. The elevation varies from 400 meters to 1100 meters. The history of district Hamirpur is intimately associated with the Katoch dynasty which ruled the region between Ravi and Satluj known as ‘Trigerta‘. Hamirpur derived its name from Raja Hamir Chand who ruled this area from 1700 AD to 1740 AD.
Hamirpur is the most literate district of the state and is well connected by roads from all sides. District shares its geographical boundaries with Bilaspur, Mandi, Kangra and Una districts. Majority of the people serve in the defence services, thus also known as “Veer Bhoomi”.

Languages Spoken

People of the Hamirpur district speak dialects of western Pahari. These dialects are akin to other dialects spoken in the adjoining areas of Mandi, Bilaspur and Kangra districts. According to the classification of languages made by the Linguistic Survey of India, Pahari comes under Indo-European family of languages. It has further been classified as a language belonging to Aryan Subfamily, Indo-Aryan Branch, Inner Sub-Branch, Pahari Group and Western Pahari Sub-Group .Western Pahari includes a number of district dialects. Besides Western Pahari, bulk of the population of Hamirpur district also speak Hindi. Punjabi is also spoken in some parts of the district.

Living & Food Habits

Generally, people have the pucca houses in the district. This is primarily because stone is available in abundance. Besides this, slates for roofs are also available in nearby quarries in the adjoining districts. People, indeed, have developed a taste for modern houses and the traditional stones are getting replaced by bricks, corrugated sheets and marvel. About 92% population of this district lives in the Rural areas and they are agriculturist. They grow Wheat, Barley, Gram, Masar etc. in the Rabi season and Maize, Paddy, Blackgram, Kulth etc. in the Kharif season. People like Wheat, Rice as well as Maize Roties with Lassi and Sarson Ka Sag. They also like Curry. Many people have shifted towards the Cash Crops instead of conventional farming and number of Poly Houses have been erected with the active support of the Agriculture and Horticulture departments. Some people also eat meat and drink. Fish is easily available in the Rivers, Khads and Nallahs, which flow through the district. Population living in the rural areas keep Goats, Sheeps, Cows, Buffaloes etc. and some people in rural as well as urban areas are also running Poultry Forms which easily meet the demand of the district. To meet out the heavy demand of the fish in the urban areas, Fishery Department also import the fish from the neighboring districts viz; Bilaspur and Una.

River System

The district is covered by a number of perennial streams which are tributaries of either river Beas or river Satluj. Bakar Khad, Kunah Khad and Man Khad drain into river Beas, while Sukar Khad and Mundkhar Khad drain into Seer Khad which ultimately mingles into the river Satluj.

Fauna & Flora

The various species of plants and forest trees generally found in the district are Kikar, Khair, Bil, Sirish, Ambla, Neem, Kachnar, Taur, Kasmal etc. The wild animal species commonly found in the district are namely Leopard, Hare, Wild Boar, Jackal, Kakar, Sambhar and Monkeys. Among the birds, commonly found are namely Chakor, Crow, Jungli Murga, Kala Titar, Safed Titar and Woodpecker etc.

Climate

The district falls in the humid sub-tropical zone. The climate of the district has four broad seasons. The winter generally spread over from December to February. The period from March to June is summer. Hot and rainy season generally extends from July to September. October and November exhibit autumn. The temperature during the winter months is too cold. The district receives the plentiful rains during the monsoon period. During summer the days are extremely hot.
The maximum rainfall is observed in the district during July to August and minimum in the months of April and October. The hottest month is May and coldest month is January in the district. Maximum and minimum day time temperature recorded in the district ranges from 20°C to 40°C.

Sujanpur Tira

It was founded by Raja Abhay Chand, the king of ruling Katoch dynasty of Kangra in 1748 A.D. There is a tomb of Nawab Gulam Mohammed of Rampur. There are five old temples at Tira and Sujanpur and Bara-Dari (Court Room) of Raja Sansar Chand at Sujanpur. The temple dedicated to Gauri Shankar was built during the time of Raja Sansar Chand in 1793 A.D. in the sacred memory of his mother. The temple of Murli Manohar and Narbadeshwar (built by Pransani Devi, The Suketi Rani of Raja Sansar Chand) were also built in this time in 1790 and 1823 A.D. respectively. Other temples of repute are the Mahadev temple, Devi and Vyasheshwar dedicated to Rishi Vyas) temple. This territory was first visited by a German, named ‘Traveck’ and then by a British traveller named ‘Moorcraft’. Sujanpur place is suitable for adventure sports like Paragliding, Angling, Rafting and trekking in and around this area.
In addition to these, the place is also famous for the Chaugan (ground) which is the biggest one in the state. A famous 4 days State Level Holi Fair is organised in this ground during Holi festival. The prestigious Sainik School Sujanpur Tira is also situated at this place. The institution has a rare distinction of the getting highest selections in the Indian Defense Services.

Baba BalakNath :

Sidh Baba Balak Nath Temple Deothsidh is situated on the border of Bilaspur (70 Kms) and Hamirpur (45 Kms) district and is well connected by roads from all sides. During Navratras, there is a continuous stream of visitors to receive blessings of the Babaji. The festival of Chaitra Mela Shri Sidh Baba Balak Nath Ji is celebrated every year from 14 March to 13 April. Temple Trust makes arrangements for stay and provides water, toilets and other essential services. Additional accommodation and installation of rope way to Shah – Talai is expected to attract more tourists. This temple is one of the biggest revenue earning institutions of the Himachal State and is visited by nearly 45 lakhs of devotees across the country every year. Sunday is considered auspicious day of Babaji and consequently attracts huge devotees on this day.

Nadaun

Nadaun is a historical town situated on the left bank of the Beas River bordering district Kangra. This place has close association with the Katoch Dynasty of Kangra. It remained as a major trade centre on way from Punjab to the interior areas of the Himachal Pradesh.
Places to visit :

• Historical Palace situated at a distance of 2 Kilometers.
• Famous for Amtar Cricket Stadium being run by the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association situated at a distance of 2 Kilometers. Bilkaleshwar Mahadev Temple built by Pandavas is situated at about 7 Kilometers away on Nadaun to Sujanpur road.
• Dhaynu Bhagat Samadhi situated in the town.
• Historical Gurudwara situated in the town.