Population: 6.1 million
Area: 55,673
Capital: Shimla
Main language: Pahari, Hindi
Himachal Pradesh The land of eternal snow peaks, Himachal Pradesh is where the plains of the subcontinent are swept up into the peaks and fold of the mighty Himalaya. It is a truly dramatic state with deep valley and rushing rivers, where Buddhist temples in stark mountain desert contrast with fertile green orchards and laid back hill station. Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful hill state in India, nestles in north-west region of western Himalayas. The state is landlocked with the Tibetan plateau to the east, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, and the Punjab to the west. However, the state stands apart from its neighbors in terms of its sheer topographic diversity and breathtaking pristine natural beauty. From vast tracts of high-altitude Trans-Himalayan desert to dense green deodar forests, from apple orchards to cultivated terraces, from snow capped high Himalayan mountain ranges to snow fed lakes and gushing rivers
Top destination in Himachal Pradesh ShimlaShimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh and a major travel hill station in India. Shimla is also an important administrative centre. It has been variously described as the Indian Capua, Mount Olympus and the Abode of the Little Tin Gods.It was an English dream made a shade delirious and out of the true by the thin, high air, combined with all that many a heart loved with passion in India -the outdoor life, the horses, the wild animals, the early walking in the Indian mornings, with their matchless dazzling purity that makes each day seem the first ever created. The lanes, the downs, the tumbling streams were all there, to be tamed and enjoyed as much as possible in the likeness of home."
DharamshalaDharamshala is a beautiful and peaceful town, spread at different level and surrounded by forest of pine. Dharamshala provide a range of interesting activities for the visitor ,with the lower end of the town , at a height of 1250m acting as the busy commercial part of the city ,while the upper suburbs charming old world names like forstheganj and Macleodganj are not too far below the snow line. The massive snow caped peaks of the Dhauladhar rise like giant waves of a frozen ocean, providing the town with a breathtaking view.
DalhousieDalhousie stands at the foot of one of the main spurs of the Dhauladhars. The views are spectacular to the north; range upon range of hills culminating in the snow of the Pir Panjal Mountains of Kashmir and to the south the plains of Punjab. Far below runs the valley of the Ravi, while the Beas and Chenab can be seen snaking across the plains. Dalhousie retains much of the ambience of the Raj. The town spreads around five hills - Kathlog, Portrays, Tehra, Bakrota, and Balun - and is clothed extensively in stately groves of deodar and oak.
KULLU and Manali Kullu and Manali are perhaps the two most frequently travelled destinations in Himachal Pradesh. Thousands of pilgrims, trekkers and casual tourists pour into these towns every year. Not just that, Kullu and Manali is certainly very popular with sickeningly love-dovey honeymooners too. Manali is the Northern end of the Kullu Valley and is the main resort in the area. It is beautifully situated and there are many pleasant walks around the town. Surrounded by towering peaks at arm length, Manali's major asset is its proximity to the snowline, never more than few hours drive from the town nestling at comfortable 2050meters.Kullu, on the western banks of the torrential Beas, occupies the central part of the Kullu Valley. It has the largest settlement in the valley and doubles as the district headquarter
Spiti valley Literally meaning the middle country, Spiti is a high altitude cold desert dotted with numerous monasteries. Lying in the rain shadow area of rugged mountain ranges of Zaskar, it gets very little rain and plenty of snow. Alexander Cunningham in his book Ladakh writes about Spiti that rainfall here is scarce and rarely above four inches annually and all of it seems to be falling on the same day.