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Himachal Pradesh Portal
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Himachal Pradesh is a state in the north-west of India. Himachal Pradesh is spread over 55,673 square kilometres (21,495 sq mi) and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by Tibet area of China on the east. The literal meaning of Himachal Pradesh is land of snowy mountains. Himachal Pradesh was also known as Deva Bhoomi (i.e. the land of the gods). The Aryan influence in the region dates back to the period before the Rigveda. After the Anglo Gorkha war British colonial government came into power. In 1950 Himachal was declared as the union territory but after the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was enacted in 1971 Himchal emerged as the 18th state of the Indian Union. The state is located at altitudes ranging from 450 metres (1,476 ft) to 6,500 metres (21,325 ft) above sea level. The state capital is Shimla (formerly British India's summer capital under the name Simla); other major towns include Solan, Dharamsala, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Hamirpur, Dalhousie and Manali.
Himachal has one of the highest per capita incomes of all the states in India. Due to the abundance of perennial rivers, Himachal also sells hydro electricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan.
95.43% of the state population consists of Hindus. The major communities are of Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis.
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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.
Himachal Pradesh is a multireligional, multicultural as well as multilingual state like other Indian states. Some of the most commonly spoken languages includes Hindi, Punjabi, Pahari, Dogri, Mandeali, Kangri and Kinnauri. The Hindu communities residing in Himachal include the Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. There are also tribal population in the state which mainly comprise Gaddis, Kinnars, Gujjars, Pangawals and Lahaulis. Himachal is well known for its handicrafts. The carpets, leather works, shawls, paintings, metalware, woodwork and paintings are worth appreciating. Pashmina shawl is one of the product which is highly in demand not only in Himachal but all over the country. Himachali caps are also famous art work of the people.
The day to day food of Himachalis is very similar to the rest of the north India. They too have lentil, broth, rice, vegetables and bread.
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Preity Zinta ( Hindi: प्रीति ज़िंटा; born January 31, 1975) is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu and English-language movies. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year. These performances earned her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, and she was later recognised for her role as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna (2000). She would subsequently take on a variety of character types, and in doing so has been credited with changing the image of a Hindi film heroine. Zinta received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award in 2003 for her performance in the drama Kal Ho Naa Ho. She went on to play the lead female role in two consecutive annual top-grossing films in India: the science fiction film Koi... Mil Gaya, her biggest commercial success, and the star-crossed romance Veer-Zaara, which earned her critical acclaim. She was later noted for her portrayal of independent, modern Indian women in Salaam Namaste and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, top-grossing productions in overseas markets. These accomplishments have established her as a leading actress of Hindi cinema.
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Himachal Pradesh is a well known habitat to a variety of animals. There are around 1200 bird and 359 animal species in the state. This includes the leopards, ghoral, musk deer (the state animal) and monal, (the state bird).
Did you know...
- ...Tribal District of Himachal Pradesh Lahaul and Spiti had been adjudged the Best in maintaining female sex ratio in the country with 1017 females against one thousand males during past decade.
- ...that the Kalka-Shimla Railway holds the world record for greatest inclination of over 5816 ft (1772 mt) in its 96 kms stretch?
- ...that Himachal Pradesh is ranked as second least corrupt state in India after Kerala?
- ...that Lahul and Spiti is the largest district of Himachal Pradesh with an area of 13,835km2?
- ...that with an area of 55,658 km² (21,490 sq mi), Himachal is one of the smaller states of the country and holds the 17th rank in the list of States and Union Territories of India?
- ...the Kalka-Shimla Railway track has a length of 96 kilometers and passes through 102 tunnels and crosses 864 bridges?
- ...there are over 10,000 primary schools, 1,000 secondary schools and more than 1,300 high schools in Himachal?
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 Photos required: Guge, Economy of Himachal Pradesh, History of Himachal Pradesh, Climate of Himachal Pradesh, Gobind Sagar, Renuka Lake, Ruskin Bond, Government of Himachal Pradesh
 Citations/References required: Institute of Engineering and Emerging Technologies, National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry
 Clean-up required: Virbhadra Singh, Sat Mahajan
 Information required: for towns. Please check list of towns in Himachal Pradesh and see if you can assist in improving the contents of any town, as per Guide to layout and Manual of Style.
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