More about Himachal Pradesh
Climate
Due to variation in elevation (1350-19500 ft),
the climate varies from hot,
sub-humid tropical (1350-2700 ft), to warm
temperate (2700-5400 ft), to cool
temperate (5700-7200 ft) and cold alpine
glacial (7200-14400 ft). In general, it is
hot from Mar-June,
rainy from July-Sep and
cold from Oct-Feb. There is
perpetual snow at higher
altitudes while in the hills the
weather is cool and
comfortable most of the year except during
heavy rains in July-Aug, when there are
floods and
landslides.
Language
The main languages
are Hindi, English, Pahari and several
sub-languages and dialects
of Pahari in different
regions.
Connectivity
Himachal
Pradesh, consisting mostly of mountain
ranges, has a good network of roads.
While higher up in the mountains, road travel is the best
means of transport, the lower regions are linked to the
rail routes of the country and there are
airports.
The majestic Himalayas can best be
described as a combination of cold desert
mountains, high passes, snow capped
peaks, icy lakes and mighty
glaciers. This exotic tribal
country has forests of pine, oak and
deodar, dotted by monasteries, yaks and
lamas
.
Shimla, the capital, is
built over several hills and
connecting ridges. Himachal has some of the
world's finest examples of Briitish-colonial
architecture. Colonial buildings can be be found at
Shimla, Kausali,
Dalhousie , Chail, Kufri, Parwanoo,
Mashorba and Shilonbagh
.
Dharamsala today has
become synonymous to the Tibetan government
in exile and home to their leader Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama re-established the beautiful Namgyal
monastery next to his residence in Dharamsala where
the Namgyal monks train, learn and meditate
on Buddhist philosophies.
There are also the temples
of Jwala mukhi (with an eternally
burning flame) and Kangra (restored to its
pristine glory despite historic Mughal invasions) which are
famous. Manali /
Kullu has become the
base for adventurers and
tourists travelling higher up the
Himalayas to Ladakh
and other
places.Himachal is growing rapidly in the areas
of mountaineering, trekking, skiing and all
kinds of adventure sports.
There are forts, palaces,
temples, monasteries and residences
that follow a much older tradition, found all
over the state. The thousand year-old Buddhist Padam
Palace monastery of Tabo in
Spiti with its fine
wall-paintings and stucco
statues has been declared a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO
.
The Pragpur village,
with its age-old and well preserved
architecture and cobbled streets has been declared a
'Heritage village'. Many of Himachal's
forts, palaces and
residences are privately owned. Traditional
farmhouses all over Himachal, are making
accommodation available on their premises.
These provide visitors an insight into local
lifestyles, cuisine and culture.
The 'pahadi'
cuisine of Himachal Pradesh includes some
very interesting dishes with a limited number of vegetables
and meat. Also famous is the 'pahadi
raita', a dish made with curd and ground mustard
seeds, and has a unique, pungent
flavour.
