Tourism in Himachal Pradesh

Tourism in Himachal Pradesh is one of its major contributor to the state economy and growth. State is endowed with variety of landscape and vivid topographic features which attracts tourists from all the parts of the world. The state is also known for its adventure activities which includes Paragliding in Bir-billing and Solang valley, Rafting in Kullu, ice skating in Shimla, Boating in Bilaspur and various other activities like trekking, horse riding, Skiing, fishing etc.
Major tourist and religious destinations include Bahadurpur fort, bhakra dam, naina devi temple, Manimahesh, Bhuri Singh museum, Bharmaur, khajjiar,prashar lake, rewalsar, chotti kashi mandi, jogindernagar valley, dalhousie, sujanpur tira, dharamshala, palampur, masroor rock temple, kangra fort, kinnaur, manikaran, manali, rohtang pass, spiti, Shimla, kasauli, gobind sagar lake.

Transport in Himachal Pradesh

Air

State has three domestic airports in Shimla, Kullu and Kangra districts The air routes connect the state with Delhi and Chandigarh.

• Shimla Airport, which is around 21 km in west of city.
• Bhuntar Airport is in Kullu district around 10 km from district headquarters.
• Gaggal Airport is in Kangra district which is around 10 km from Kangra and 15 km from Dharamsala.

Railway

Himachal is famous for its narrow gauge tracks railways, one is UNESCO World Heritage Kalka-Shimla Railway and another one is Pathankot–Jogindernagar. Total length of these two tracks is 259 km. Kalka-Shimla Railway track is passes through lot of tunnels while Pathankot–Jogindernagar gently meanders through a maze of hills and valleys. It also has standard gauge railway track which connect Amb (Una district) to Delhi. Survey is being conducted to extend this railway line to Kangra (via Nadaun). Another proposed railway tracks in state are Baddi-Bilaspur, Dharamsala-Palampur and Bilaspur-Manali-Leh.

Road

Roads are the major mode of transport in the hilly terrains. The state has road network of 28,208 km (17,528 mi), including eight National Highways (NH) that constitute 1,234 km (767 mi) and 19 State Highways with total length of 1,625 km. Some roads get closed during winter and monsoon seasons due to snowfall and landslides. Hamirpur has the highest road density in the state.

Culture of Himachal Pradesh

Himachal was one of the few states that had remained largely untouched by external customs, largely due to its difficult terrain. With the technological advancements the state has changed very rapidly. It is a multireligional, multicultural as well as multilingual state like other Indian states. Some of the most commonly spoken languages includes Hindi, Pahari, Dogri, Mandeali Kangri, Mandyali, Gojri and Kinnauri. The caste communities residing in Himachal include the Khatri, Brahmins, Rajputs, Gujjars, Gaddis, Ghirth (choudhary), Kannets, Rathis and Kolis, Sood There are tribal populations in the state which mainly comprise Kinnars, Pangawals, Sulehria, and Lahaulis^.

 The main communities are Rajputs, Rathis, Brahmins and Ghirth. The Ghirth (choudhary) community is found mainly in Kangra District. Himachal has a sizeable population of Tibetans. Himachal Pradesh has the one of the highest proportion of Hindu population in India (95.45%). Other religions that form a small percentage are Buddhism and Sikhism. The Lahaulis of Lahaul and Spiti region are mainly Buddhists. Sikhs mostly live in towns and cities and constitute 1.21% of the state population. For example they form 10% of the population in Una District adjoining the state of Punjab and 17% in Shimla, the state capital. The Buddhists are mainly natives and tribals from Lahaul and Spiti, where they form majority of 60% and Kinnaur where they form 40%, however the bulk are refugees from Tibet. The Muslims constitute slightly 1.94% of the population of Himachal Pradesh.

Religion

Hinduism is the main religion in Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh is ranked first in India having a high percentage of Hindu in India statewise. More than 95% of the total population belongs to Hindu, spread all over the state. Muslims are mainly in the Chamba and Solan districts. Buddhist are in the Lahul & Sapiti and Kinnour districts.

Religion in Himachal Pradesh
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			95.45%
Islam			1.94%
Buddhism			1.25%
Sikhism			1.21%
Christianity			0.12%
Others			0.03%

Dev Bhumi Himachal.... !!!!!!!!!!!!

Himachal Pradesh ( हिमाचल प्रदेश ) is a state in Northern India. It is spread over 21,495 sq mi (55,670 km²) and is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east.
 The economy of Himachal Pradesh is currently the third fastest growing economy in India. Himachal Pradesh has been ranked fourth in the list of the highest per capita incomes of Indian states. This has made Himachal Pradesh one of the most wealthiest places in entire South Asia. Abundance of perennial rivers enables Himachal to sell hydroelectricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan. The economy of the state is highly dependent on three sources: hydroelectric power, tourism and agriculture. The government has successfully imposed Environmental protection and tourism development meeting European standards and it is the only state which forbids the use of polythene and tobacco products.