Himachal Pradesh is a land of gods with very little discovered and so much to explore and discover about this adobe of natural beauty and snow. There are things which are still quite strange and unknown about this state of Himachal Pradesh. For most of these I can bet that you did not know about all of these before. So, here are a few interesting and amazing facts about the state for you to read, enjoy and share.
- The word “Himachal Pradesh” comes from the Sanskrit word “Hima”(हिम) which means “Snow”. And also the literal meaning of the State’s name is in the lap of Himalayas (हिम+आँचल). (हिम = snow, आँचल=lap)
- Himachal Pradesh was formed on 15 April,1948 as Chief Commissioner’s Province of H.P. by integration of 28 princely states with four Districts Chamba, Mandi, Sirmour and Mahasu. Himachal got complete statehood on 25 Jan,1971 and became the 18th state of India.
- The most exciting way to commute to Shimla is by the Kalka-Shimla Railway, better known as the Toy train. But what’s more amazing is that it declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO and holds the world record of being the train to cover the steepest slope (5816 ft) in least distance (just 96 km). The Kalka-Shimla express is runs through a massive stretch of 806 bridges, 103 tunnels and 18 stations.
- Himachal Pradesh proudly holds the title of being the second least corrupt state of India after Kerala; so you can stop worrying of getting duped or overcharged and enjoy your trip to the beautiful Himachal Pradesh.
- Himachal Pradesh has 11th rank in literacy rate in India after having literacy rate of 83.78%.
- Himachal has 37,033 square km of forest area which is 66.52% of the total area of the state.
- Shigri Glacier in Lahaul-Spiti is the largest glacier in Asia.
- Manali–Leh National Highway is the highest motor able road in the world.
- Shimla Kalka toy train and The Great Himalayan national Park in Kullu are the world heritage sites.
The Great Himalayan national Park in Kullu - Malana is one of the oldest Democracy of the world and interestingly it has its own set of Greek-resembling beliefs and ways. They even consider themselves to be the descendants of Alexander the Great and consider non-Malanis as inferior and untouchables. That must explain the above fact. Malana, a fairly unexplored and hidden village in Himachal Pradesh is also famous by the name of ‘The Village of Taboos’ which is mainly because of their strict rules of no outsider touching any wall or belonging of the residents.
Malana Village.. Read about Malana village - Himachal Pradesh is the land of deities. Almost every village has its own Gods and Goddesses which the local people rigorously worship.
- Himachal has a vast potential of Hydro Power generation with a estimated capacity of 25,000 MW, out of which 3934.74MW has been harnessed so far and many projects are under construction. Shanan Power house in Joginder Nagar, built in 1896, was the first Power Station of the state and in fact of Asia.
- Himachal Pradesh on 2 July 2013 was declared as the first Smoke-free state of the country. “Smoking in Public Places is Prohibited in the state.
- Himachal Govt has imposed a ban on production, storage, use, sale and distribution of all types of polythene bags made of non-biodegradable on October 2, 2009.
- Solan is known as the ‘Mushroom City’ for Mushroom Production, This is also one of the fastest growing hill town in Asia.
- Khajjiar, considered to be our very own ‘Mini Switzerland’, has a lake that boasts of afloating island right in its centre.
Khajjiar - Himachal Pradesh is the second largest producer of apple in the country after Jammu & Kashmir. Himachal has a rich collection of as many as 450 cultivars of apples. Himachal Pradesh currently produces over 4 lacs tones of apple annually in 92.8 thousands Hectare, which grossed about Rs.2500 crores.
- Himachal has 9 national highways of 1,208 km length, 19 state highways with total length of 1,625 km and 45 major district roads with total length of 1753.05 km.
- The three airports in Himachal Pradesh are: Jubbar Hatti Airport near Shimla, Gaggal Airport near Kangra and Bhuntar Airport near Kullu. The flights operate only seasonally due to extreme conditions. All these airports have shorter runways that are capable of landing the smaller aircraft such as the 18-seater Dornier & 42 seater ATR.
- Some famous celebrities associated with entertainment industry and sports from Himachal are Anupam Kher, Preity Zinta, Kangna Ranaut, Mohit Chauhan, Yami Gautam, Rubina Dilaik.
- Deepak Thakur (Hockey) , Vijay Kumar (Shooting), Samresh Jung (Shooting),Anuja Jung(Shooting), Suman Rawat (Athletics), Great Khali (WWE) and Ajay Thakur (Kabaddi) have represented India in respective sports.
