Kangra is the most populous

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

of the Indian state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

Dharamshala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...

is the administrative headquarters of the district.

History

Kangra is known for having the oldest serving Royal Dynasty in the world, the Katoch. In 1758, Raja Ghamand Chand was appointed ''nazim'' or governor of Jullundur Doab under the Afghans. Ghamand Chand was a brave and strong ruler who restored the prestige of Kangra. As he was unable to capture

Kangra fort The Kangra Fort is located 20 kilometers from the town of Dharamsala on the outskirts of the town of Kangra, India. History Raja Dharam Chand submitted to the Mughal Ruler Akbar in 1556 and agreed to pay t ...

, he built another fort at Tira Sujanpur on the left bank of the

Beas Beas is a riverfront town in the Amritsar district of the Indian state of Punjab. Beas lies on the banks of the Beas River. Beas town is mostly located in revenue boundary of Budha Theh with parts in villages Dholo Nangal and Wazir Bhullar. ...

, almost opposite to Alampur on a hill overlooking the town. He died in 1774 and was succeeded by his son, Tegh Chand, who died too soon in 1775. Kangra was annexed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire in 1810. Kangra became a district of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

in 1846, when it was ceded to British India at the conclusion of the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession o ...

. The British district included the present-day districts of Kangra, Hamirpur,

Kullu Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about north of the airport at Bh ...

, and Lahul and Spiti. Kangra District was part of the British province of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

. The administrative headquarters of the district were initially at Kangra, but were moved to

in 1855.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Kangra district had 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. District highlights of 2011 Census * Kangra district has the highest number of 3,869 villages among the 12 district of the state. * Kangra district stands 1st position in terms of its working force having total workers of 675,170 persons against 3,559,422 working persons of the state. * Kangra district occupies 1st rank among the districts of the state in terms of literate population. It has a literate population of 1,152,640 persons. * The economy of Kangra district is mainly depends on agriculture. It has returned 303,007 persons as cultivators and holds the 2nd position among the districts of the state * All the inhabited villages of the district enjoy the facility of electricity and potable drinking water. * Kangra district is also known for its attractive tourist destinations. Dharamsala, Kangra,

Palampur Palampur is a hill station and a municipal corporation situated in the Kangra District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is surrounded by pine forests and flanked by the Dhauladhar ranges. There are numerous streams flowing from the ...

, Baijnath, Jawalamukhi and Masroor are the famous places of tourist interest in the district. McLeodganj in Dharamsala is a seat of the Dalai Lama has become a place of international fame since 1966. * Central University of Himachal Pradesh at Dharamsala in Kangra district was established on 20 March 2009 under the Central University Act 2009(No.25 of 2009) of Indian Parliament. The native people are the Kangri people and the native language is Kangri, which is very similar to

Dogri Dogri ( Name Dogra Akkhar: ; Devanagari: डोगरी; Nastaliq: ; ) is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, with smaller groups of speakers in adjoining regions of western Himachal Prad ...

. The majority of the people are

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, although many

Tibetans The Tibetan people (; ) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Tibet. Their current population is estimated to be around 6.7 million. In addition to the majority living in Tibet Autonomous Region of China, significant numbers of Tibetans liv ...

and others who follow

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

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.

Religion

Language

At the 2011 Census, 70.88% of the population in the district spoke Kangri, 14.92% Pahari, 5.55%

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, 2.64% Gaddi and 2.06% Punjabi as their first language.

Politics

Education

* Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya * Central University of Himachal Pradesh * College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah * Government College of Teacher Education Dharamshala *

Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education is agency Government of Himachal Pradesh entrusted with the responsibilities of prescribing courses of instructions and text books and conducting examinations for secondary school students in Himacha ...

* Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology ,

* National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kangra

Schools

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kangra Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kangra, locally known as JNV Paprola, is a boarding, co-educational school in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh state in India. Navodaya Vidyalayas are funded by the Indian Ministry of Human Resources Development a ...

* Mount Carmel High School, Gaggal, Himachal Pradesh * Sacred Heart Sr. Sec. School (Sidhpur) * Sherab Gatsel Lobling School

Notable people

* Anuj Sharma - Singer, second Indian ''Idol'' runner-up * Chander Kumar - Indian politician *

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...

- Spiritual and religious leader of Tibetans * G. S. Bali - Indian politician * Karnail Rana - Himachali folk singer * Kishan Kapoor - Indian politician * Captain Saurabh Kalia - Indian Army * Shanta Kumar - Indian politician * Brigadier

Sher Jung Thapa Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa MVC (15 April 1907 – 25 February 1999) was a military officer of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces and later the Indian Army. Revered as ''the Hero of Skardu'', he was a recipient of the Indian Army's second highes ...

- Indian Army officer, recipient of

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

, known as "Hero of Skardu" * Shriya Sharma - Film actress *

Shivya Pathania Shivya Pathania is an Indian model and television actress known for playing Sita in the Indian mythological TV series'' Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush'' and Radha in ''RadhaKrishn''. Early life Her father, Subhash Pathania, was a law officer in the ...

- Television actress * Major General

Siri Kanth Korla Major General Siri Kanth Korla, PVSM, DSO, MC (also spelled Sri Kanth Korla) (27 January 1917 – 7 April 2007) was an Indian army officer who served in the Second World War and the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. He served in the British Indian A ...

, DSO, MC, PVSM - Indian Army * Major Somnath Sharma - Indian Army officer * Sudhir Sharma - Indian politician * Captain Vikram Batra - Indian army officer, recipient of

Param Vir Chakra The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicu ...

Notes and references

External links

* - Kangra District
Distt Profile

Kangra's History

Temples of Kangra

Kangra Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kangra District Districts of Himachal Pradesh