Kangra District is one of the 12 administrative districts of Himachal Pradesh. Lying 526 kms north-west of Delhi, Dharamshala is the headquarters of this district. In 1855, Dharamshala had only two major areas where civilians settled in - McLeod Ganj, named after Lieutenant Governor of Punjab `David McLeod`, and Forsyth Ganj, named after a Divisional Commissioner. Kangra District is located in Western Himalayas between 31 degree 2 minutes to 32 degree 5 minutes north and 75 degree to 77 degree 45 minutes east. Total area covered by Kangra District is 5,739 sq km.
History of Kangra District
Kangra District came into existence on 1st of September, 1972 consequent upon the re-organisation of districts by the Government of Himachal Pradesh. It was the largest district of composite Punjab in terms of area till it was transferred to Himachal Pradesh on 1st of November, 1966 and had six tehsils namely Nurpur, Kangra, Palampur, Dera Gopipur and Hamirpur. Kullu was also a tehsil of Kangra District up to 1962 and Lahul and Spiti which also formed a part of Kangra was created as a separate district in 1960. On the re-organisation of composite Punjab, the area constituting Kangra District were transferred to Himachal Pradesh along with the districts of Shimla, Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti and tehsils of Una and Nalagarh and three villages of Gurdaspur district.
Culture of Kangra District
Predominant population of the district comprises people of all religions. The main Rajput communities in the district are Katoch, Pathania, Dogra, Jasrotia, Jaswal, Jamwal, Katwal, Guleria, Mian, Thakur, Rana, Rathi etc. Scheduled tribes population is negligible in the district. Jhamakada is a popular group dance performed in Kangra. This dance is exclusively performed by women. The dance is accompanied by a variety of percussion instruments and lyrical songs.
Tourism in Kangra District
Kangra District is known for its scenic beauty and some popular places of interest. Here, the travellers get several options of sight seeing and exploring. Kangra Art Museum, Kangra Fort, Martyr`s Memorial, Kareri Lake, Triund Peaks, Dharamkot, Dal Lake, Naddi, Waterfall at Bhagsu Nag, McLeod Ganj, St. John Church in McLeod Ganj, Gopalpur Zoo, Maharana Pratap Lake, Art Gallery, tea gardens, Nurpur Fort, Masrur Temple and Manuni Lake are some of the main tourist attractions of Kangra District. These sites are worth seeing. Kangra District is rich in some of the rare species of flora and fauna.
