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Kangra district is the most populous district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Dharamshala is the administrative headquarters of the district.
In 1805, the neighbouring hill states rebelled, with the aid of the Gurkha army. Raja Sansar Chand was forced to seek the help of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire. The Gurkha army was expelled but Ranjit Singh also annexed the most fertile part of the Kangra valley, reducing the Katochs of Kangra as well as the neighbouring rajas to the status of vassals. Kangra was annexed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire in 1810.
Kangra became a district of British India in 1846, when it was ceded to British India at the conclusion of the First Anglo-Sikh War. The British district included the present-day districts of Kangra, Hamirpur, Kullu District, and Lahul and Spiti. Kangra District was part of the British province of Punjab. The administrative headquarters of the district were initially at Kangra, but were moved to Dharamshala in 1855. Kangra District The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 14, p. 380. Dharamshala The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 11, p. 301.
Within the premises of Kangra Fort lies an idol of Rishabhanatha. The inscription on the pedestal of the idol is in Śāradā script. It mentions that the idol was consecrated by Śvetāmbara monk Amalacandra, a disciple of Ācārya Abhaycandra of the Rājakula Gachha in 854 CE. The granite idol of Rishabhanatha is seated in Padmāsana posture. An icon of bull carved on its pedestal indicates that the idol is of Rishabhanatha. However, another important trait of this idol is that it does not feature a waistband and a waistcloth, as most commonly found in Śvetāmbara icons of after Bappabhattisuri's era. Locks of hair carved on both sides of the head of the idol as well as an inscription from 854 CE, however, make it clear that the idol and the temple is of the Śvetāmbara sect of Jainism as noted by archaeologist Sir John Marshall. Once a thriving Jaina center, it soon went unnoticed after migration of Jainas out of the town. The idol of Rishabhanatha was found in the Indreśvara Temple. Later on, efforts to reinstall the idol were made by Śvetāmbara Jaina nun Mrugavati, a disciple of Vallabhsuri. In 1978, the idol was installed in an independent shrine within Kangra Fort. Currently, the idol is under the care of the Archeological Survey of India, but Jainas are given the right to worship the idol.
Dr. K. N. Sitaram, on his tour to Kangra Valley in 1930, discovered numerous remains of Jaina idols and temples. He also noted that several Jaina idols and temples were appropriated by the Hindus under different names of Hindu deities.
In 1916, Muni Jinavijaya published Vijnaptitriveni, which is a detailed report about the author's pilgrimage to Nagarkot and Kangra. It explains the journey of pilgrims from Faridpur to Nagarkot. It also highlights that the pilgrims return from Nagarkot to Faridpur through another route. It also describes a war between Yasoratha, a Khokhar chief and Sikandara, a Muslim ruler.
District highlights of 2011 Census
The native people are the Kangri people and the native language is Kangri language, which is very similar to Dogri language. The majority of the people are Hindu, although many Tibetan people and others who follow Buddhism have also settled here recently. There are also other minorities such as Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians.
Jhamakda is a folk dance of Kangra. It is exclusively performed by women. It features percussion instruments and songs.
In Jainism
Kangra was once an important center of Jainism. According to a local legend, King Suśarmācandra, after hearing the importance of Shatrunjaya, took a vow to not eat or drink anything until he pays homage to Rishabhanatha at Palitana temples. Pleased by his devotion and to save him from starvation, demigoddess Ambika created a temple of Rishabhanatha at the king's fort. After paying homage to the idol, the king broke his fast.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Kangra district had a population of 1,510,075. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 12.77%. 5.71% of the population lives in urban areas. Kangra district has a sex ratio of 1012 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 85.67%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 21.15% and 5.60% of the population respectively.
Religion
+ Religion in Kangra District
! rowspan="2" Religious
group
! colspan="2"2011 Hinduism 1,461,140 Islam 19,797 Buddhism 14,511 Sikhism 8,929 Christianity 3,023 Jainism 194 Others 2,481 + Religion in the of Kangra District (1921)
! rowspan="2" Tehsil
! colspan="2" Hinduism
! colspan="2" Islam
! colspan="2" Sikhism
! colspan="2" Christianity
! colspan="2" Jainism
! colspan="2" Others
! colspan="2" Total + Religion in the of Kangra District (1941)
! rowspan="2" Tehsil
! colspan="2" Hinduism
! colspan="2" Islam
! colspan="2" Sikhism
! colspan="2" Christianity
! colspan="2" Jainism
! colspan="2" Others
! colspan="2" Total
Language
At the 2011 Census, 70.88% of the population in the district spoke Kangri language, 14.92% Western Pahari, 5.55% Hindi, 2.64% Gaddi language and 2.06% Punjabi language as their first language.
Politics
6 Nurpur BJP Ranveer Singh 7 Indora (SC) INC Malender Rajan 8 Fatehpur INC Bhawani Singh Pathania 9 Jawali INC Chander Kumar Cabinet Minister 10 Dehra IND Hoshyar Singh 11 Jaswan-Pragpur BJP Bikram Thakur 12 Jawalamukhi INC Sanjay Rattan 13 Jaisinghpur (SC) INC Yadvinder Goma 14 Sullah BJP Vipin Singh Parmar 15 Nagrota INC Raghubir Singh Bali 16 Kangra BJP Pawan Kumar Kajal 17 Shahpur INC Kewal Singh Pathania 18 Dharamshala BJP Sudhir Sharma 19 Palampur INC Ashish Butail 20 Baijnath (SC) INC Kishori Lal
Wildlife Sanctuaries
Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary
Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary is located at an altitude of 1600 m going up to 4400 m, Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1994 by the Wildlife Department of Himachal Pradesh Government. It is situated in Kangra district. The wildlife sanctuary is covered by snow-clad mountains from three sides. The flora of Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary includes deodar, rhododendron, oak, spruce, pine, and mixed conifers. This wildlife sanctuary is home to animals such as red fox, black bear, leopard sambar, Asiatic lion, angora rabbit, and deer. It covers an area of 982.86 sq.km.
Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary
Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary covers an areas of 207.95 sq. km. in Kangra district. It is spread through the submerged area between Pong Dam Terrace (Talwara) to the bridge on Beas River at Dehra. It was created in1975, by building the highest earthfill dam in India on the Beas River in the wetland zone of the Siwalik Hills.
Education
Schools
Notable people
See also
Notes and references
Further reading
External links
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