Kangra Valley

Kangra valley is situated in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is a popular tourist destination, with the peak season around March and April. Dharamshala, the headquarters of Kangra district. It is one of the most pleasant and relaxing destination in the Himalayas. The Valley was called as the Nagarkot in the ancient times, as it was the ancient capital of the hill state of Nagarkot.

                                                                                       
Kangra vision valley is well protected by the himachal pradesh dhauladhar range. Valley provides the magnificent view of the dhauladhar Range in gentle slopes covered with the forests of pine, tea gardens and terraced fields. Dotted with some of the most revered kangra temples of India, like the temples of Brajeshwari, Baijnath, Jawalamukhi and Chamunda Devi, a tour to Kangra Valley is blessed with all the ingredients necessary for that dream vacation.

About Geography: Kangra valley is filled with numerous perennial streams, which irrigates the valley, which has a general height of 2000 ft. The highest peak on the himachal pradesh dhauladhar range (White Mountain) which marks the boundary between the valley and Chamba, lies at 15,956 ft, the range lies 13,000 ft above the valley as it rises sharply from its low base.

Land Of GodKangra TemplesKangra Valley, Dharmsala

Delhi

495 Kms

Delhi to Kangra-13 hours  Chandigarh to Kangra-8 hours Shimla to Kangra-7 hours Pathankot to Kangra-3 hours Dalhousie to Kangra-6 Hours Manali to Kangra-7 hou

Places to visit in Kangra

People Of Kangra: The people of Kangra are quite adept at various crafts and arts.Gaddis of Kangra lead a simple and unsophisticated life, with a few needs and fewer worries. The Gaddis are Hindus and have permanent villages in the valley bottoms. Gaddi women remain in the villages while the men roam with their sheep and goats in the higher meadows during summer.

Brajeshwari Devi Temple: Situated just outside the Kangra town, this temple dedicated to Brajeshwari Devi, was once filled with a legendary fortune in diamonds and pearls. Hearing the wealth of this temple.Mahmood of Ghazni carried off the fortune in gold, silver & jewels in 1009. Temple is situated in the bazaar and destroyed completely in 1905 by an earthquake, it was rebuilt in 1920.
  
Trekking & Mountaineering: There are many peaks between 3,500m to 5,000 in Dhauladhar ranges. Most of the treks which start from Dharamsala, Palampur or Baijnath are of 5 to 8 days duration and ultimately terminate at Bharmaur and Chamba, over the majestic. The regional mountaineering centre at dharamsala provides technical know-how and equipment besides organising adventure courses.

Kangra Fort: The Kangra Fort situated at a 20 KM distance from Dharamsala on the out start of the Kangra Town. The fort is entered through a small courtyard enclose between two gates which are known as Patak and only date from the Sikh period .These gates possess no archaeological interest. From here a long and narrow passage leads up to the top of the Fort through the Ahani and Amiri Darwaza, both attributed to Nawab Alif Khan, the first governor of Kangra .

DAV college:The DAV College, Kangra has been the first choice with all those seeking admission to undergraduate programmes in Arts, Commerce and Science. D.A.V college offers a really big challange as one has to match one's performance with the predecessors who are many ways the role-models.

Navratri 2013 Celebrations in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

Vasant Navratri, also known as Vasant Navratras, begins on April 11, 2013. This festival of nine nights in Hinduism is dedicated to Goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. It is also known as Chaitra Navratras or Spring Navratri or Basant Navratri. As this Navratra coincides with Ram Navami, it also referred as Ram Navratri. The dates are from  April 11, 2013  to April 19, 2013.

It is believed that Goddess Durga was originally worshipped (Durga Puja) in the Chaitra month and was also referred as Basanti Puja. It was Lord Ram who changed the period of Durga Puja.

Vasant Navratri  2013 dates:

•     Ghatsthapana – Navratri Day 1 –  April 11, 2013
•     Sindhara Dooj, Dwitiya -  April 12, 2013
•     Gaur Teej, Saubhagya Teej, Tritiya -  April 13, 2013
•     Varadvinayak Chaturthi -  April 14, 2013
•     Sri Laxmi Panchami Vrat, Naag Vrat Pujan -  April 15, 2013
•     Skand Shashthi, Yamuna Jayanti -  April 16, 2013
•     Mahasaptami Vrat, Chaiti Chath, Vijaya Saptami -  April 17, 2013
•     Sri Durga Mahaashtami, Annapurna Ashtami -  April 18, 2013
•     Vasant Navratri ends – Ram Navratri Day 9 –  April 19, 2013

The Vasant or Spring Navratri is widely observed in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), Haryana, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Most Hindu devotees in this part of India undertake Navratri Vrat or fasting. The festival occurs during the beginning of summer season. And it is said that the fasting helps in adapting the body to the changing climate.

Some of the important Temple fairs in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are organized during this period.

Almost all the rituals observed during Navratri (held in October-November) are also observed during Vasant Navrati. 

Snow fall in Kangra district of Himachal after 35 years

For the first time in over 35 years, towns in the sub-tropical zone of Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district had snowfall on Saturday, a weather official said.

Snowfall broken the year's records as the whole Kangra valley received snow, earlier Kangra has not received snow for more than 30 yrs. It surprised the residents of the Kangra. In Dharamshala also the snow fall was witnessed after so many years.

Most of the popular hill destinations in the state have been witnessing light to moderate snow, Meteorological Office director Manmohan Singh said.

It is snowing in Shimla, Manali, Chamba, Dalhousie and Kalpa. Nurpur and Kangra, both in the Kangra district, saw a mild spell of snow after a gap of over 35 years. McLeodganj, a tiny hamlet in upper Dharamsala, known for its British flavour has received some of the heaviest snowfall in many years. According to the Met department, Shimla recorded 7.8 cm of snow till early Saturday. 
  

Snowfall was experienced in Kangra in Himachal Pradesh after nearly 68 years. At the same time heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir has affected movement of traffic on the state highway. As a result intense cold weather has gripped many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Christmas Festival

Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. December 25–Christmas Day–has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.

The origin of Christmas differs as the precise date of the birth and historicity of Jesus are much debated. Christmas, literally meaning the Mass of Christ, is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar. The festival of Christmas takes place on 25th December, every year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is also celebrated as a secular holiday throughout the world, including countries with small Christian populations like India. Various theories of the origin of Christmas exist that give a clear insight into the celebration of Christmas.

The date of Christmas is based on the date of Good Friday, the day Jesus died. Since the exact date of Jesus' death is not stated in the Gospels, early Christians sought to calculate it, and arrived at either March 25 or April 6. Then, wishing to calculate Jesus' birthday, they followed the ancient idea that Old Testament prophets died either an anniversary of their birth or of their conception. In Jesus' case, they reasoned that he died on an anniversary of the Incarnation so the date of his birth would have been nine months after the date of Good Friday-either December 25 or January 6. The date of 25th December became popular.

Kangra – Vignettes From The Valleys

Kangra the capital city of Chand dynasty tells a story of glory, which has faded into history. One of the most picturesque valley of lower Himalayas, the valley, sheltered by the sublime Dhauladhar hills, is green and luxuriant.

Kangra Valley is well protected by the Dhauladhar range. The valley provides the magnificent view of the Dhauladhar Range in gentle slopes covered with the forests of pine, orchards, tea gardens and terraced fields. The valley is known for the scenic beauty, ancient temples and numerous adventure sports.

Kangra Valley ( 2000 feet) lies in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The exotic Kangra Valley lying between the Dhauladhar and the Shivalik foothills in the state of Himachal Pradesh is the conglomeration of valleys and plateaus of the Himalayas. It is one of the most pleasant and relaxing destination in the Himalayas. The Valley was called as the Nagarkot in the ancient times, as it was the ancient capital of the hill state of Nagarkot. Renowned for its natural beauty, the valley attracts thousands of tourists every year.

Kangra is a very famous district and town in the Himalayan region. Kangra encompasses almost all the popular valleys in the Himalayan region, and the natural beauty of this region is the sole reason for its popularity.