Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh

Bilaspur is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

History

thumb|Princely flag of Bilaspur

Bilaspur was the capital of a state of the same name founded in the 7th century, also known as Kahlur. The ruling dynasty were Chandel Rajputs, who claimed descent from the rulers of Chanderi in present-day Madhya Pradesh. The town of Bilaspur was founded in 1663. The state later became a princely state of British India, and was under the authority of the British province of Punjab.

On 13 May 1665, Guru Tegh Bahadur went to Bilaspur to attend the mourning and funeral ceremonies for Raja Dip Chand of Bilaspur. Rani Champa of Bilaspur made an offer to the Guru of a piece of land in her state, which the Guru accepted at the cost of 500 rupees. The land consisted of the villages of Lodipur, Mianpur, and Sahota. Guru Tegh Bahadur broke ground on a new settlement on 19 June 1665, which he named, Nanaki, after his mother.

In 1932, the state became part of the newly created Punjab States Agency, and in 1936 the Punjab Hill States Agency was separated from the Punjab States Agency. On 12 October 1948 the local ruler, Raja Sir Anand Chand, last ruler of Bilaspur [CHANDEL DYNASTY] acceded to the Government of India.

Bilaspur became a separate state of India under a chief commissioner, and on 1 July 1954, Bilaspur State was made a district of Himachal Pradesh state by an act of the Indian Parliament. When the Sutlej River was dammed to create the Govind Sagar, the historic town of Bilaspur was submerged, and a new town was built upslope of the old.

Geography

Bilaspur is located at , with an average elevation of . It is situated on the foot of the Bandla Hills, along the left bank of river Sutlej which forms picturesque landscape here owing to creation of Govind Sagar Dam on it. It is the first major town after entering Himachal Pradesh on the way to Manali.

Climate

Bilaspur experiences warm summers and cool winters but is protected from the extremes temperature of the surrounding mountains by its situation in a valley. The monsoon, from July to September, is a period of high rainfall. From October to November, the lake is completely full. The highest temperature months are May and June when the temperature is typically around and , sometimes exceeding .

Demographics

As of the 2001 Indian census, Bilaspur had a population of 13,058. Males constituted 56.25% of the population and females 43.75%. Bilaspur has an average literacy rate of 91%, which is higher than the national average of 74%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Most people here live in the town or commute from nearby suburbs and rural areas for work. Most people work in services sector here.

Transportation

Buses and taxis are the mode of public transport to the district and run from all major towns within the state as well as from those outside it. Bilaspur lies on the Chandigarh-Manali NH-205 highway. It is away from Shimla, the state capital, and from Delhi. The nearest major airport with daily scheduled flights from major cities is in Chandigarh, which is . Manali, a major tourist attraction in Himachal Pradesh, is located from Bilaspur. Mandi, away, contains the Zonal headquarters of the district. Most of the long route buses that service Bilaspur are run by the state owned HRTC; local routes are operated by private bus operators.

Landmarks

thumb|Panoramic view of Bilaspur.

thumb|View of Bilaspur with Govind Sagar Lake completely full.

Naina Devi Temple: The Temple of Shri Naina Devi Ji is situated on a hilltop in Bilaspur. The temple is connected with National Highway No. 21. The temple at the top of the hill can be reached via road (that curves around the hill up to a certain point) and then by concrete steps (that finally reach the top). There is also a cable car facility that moves pilgrims from the base of the hill all the way to the top. The hills of Naina Devi overlook the Gobind Sagar lake, which was created by the Bhakra-Nangal Dam. Several religious stories are associated with the establishment of the temple.
Bhakra Dam: Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam across the Satluj River in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam, located at a gorge near the (now submerged) upstream Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh of 226 m. India's tallest dam is "Tehri dam "of 265 m. The length of the dam (measured from the road above it) is 518.25 m and the width is 9.1 m. Its reservoir known as "Gobind Sagar" stores up to 9.34 billion cubic metres of water. The 90 km long reservoir created by the Bhakra Dam is spread over an area of 168.35 km2. In terms of quantity of water, it is the third largest reservoir in India, the first being Indira Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh with capacity of 12.22 billion cu m and second Nagarjunasagar Dam. Described as "New Temple of Resurgent India" by Jawaharlal Nehru,