Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh
| Nurpur Kangra | |
|---|---|
| City | |
  Nurpur Kangra Location in Distt. Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India  Nurpur Kangra Nurpur Kangra (India) | |
| Coordinates: 32°18′N 75°54′E / 32.3°N 75.9°ECoordinates: 32°18′N 75°54′E / 32.3°N 75.9°E | |
| Country |
 |
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| District | Kangra |
| Elevation | 643 m (2,110 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 9,807(17th) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | HP- |
Nurpur is a city and a municipal council in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was formerly part of the Nurpur State ruled by the Pathania clan of Tomara Rajputs, since the 11th century AD. The capital of the kingdom was at Pathankot formerly known as Paithan, now in Punjab.
Geography
Nurpur is located at 32°18′N 75°54′E / 32.3°N 75.9°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 643 metres (2109 feet).
Demographics
As of 2001, according to the India census,[2] Nurpur had a population of 9,045. Men constitute 52% of the population and women 48%. Nurpur has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 75%. In Nurpur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
History
Nurpur was founded in the 11th century by Raja Jhet Pal, who was the younger brother of the ruler of Delhi. It reached its peak during the reign of Raja Basu, from 1580 to 1613, who built an impressive fort that can still be seen today.
Earlier Nurpur was known with the name of Dhameri. This was changed when it was visited by Queen Nur Jehan, the wife of the Mughal emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir, who ruled between 1569–1627. According to the local legend, the queen was so impressed by beauty and richness of town that she decided to stay there for the rest of her life. This decision made the local administration worry since the Mughal empire at that time were expanding across India and the local leaders of Dhameri did not want their peaceful town to be a central point for Mughal domination and influenced by external politics. So, to deal with this without offending the queen and suffering the wrath of the Mughal empire, they devised a simple but effective plan. They advised the queen that staying in their town for a long period of time could spoil her great beauty, and that there is also a fictitious local disease in town that might afflict her. This terrified the queen so much that she hurriedly left. So in 1622, during the reign of Raja Jagat Singh Pathania, the name of the town was changed to Nurpur in honor of the Mughal queen who fell in love with the beauty of the place. Before 1947, Nurpur was a princely state ruled by the Pathania clan of Rajputs. The Pathania Clan (or Tomar / Tanwar clan of Chandravanshi Rajputs) had ruled here for more than eight centuries.
Climate
Nurpur has a pleasant climate. The summer season is slightly higher than Himachal Pradesh's seasonal average, but the morning and evening daily weather is relatively cooler, thanks to a sustained, chilled breeze descending from the nearby snow-clad Dhauladhar mountains. During the monsoon season, there is a considerable amount of rainfall because Dharamsala, which receives second highest rainfall in India, is nearby. The winter season is very cold because of windchill from the aforementioned Dhauladhar. The temperature during the summertime rises up to 40 °C, but only for a few days at a time. Monsoons arrive by the end of July and remains until September. The presence of tourists peaks between October and November, largely because of the ideal weather.
Access
Air: Nearest Airport is at Gaggal, Dharamshala (DHM) (in Kangra) - 45 km away. Jammu (J&K) Airport- 129 km away; and Amritsar Airport -134 km away.
Rail: Nearest Railhead is at [Pathankot and Pathankot Cantt.]- 24 km away, which is connected by train from all the major cities, going to Jammu/Katra.
Road: Nurpur is connected by road network from all sides and Pathankot/Kullu Manali highway passes through Nurpur. It is just 30 km from Pathankot, 88 km from Palampur and 61 km from Dharamsala
Entertainment
Emax Theater near PWD Guest House screens the latest Hindi and Punjabi movies.
References
- ↑ "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Nurpur". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
- ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
Further reading
- Hutchinson, J. & J. PH Vogel (1933). History of the Panjab Hill States, Vol. I. 1st edition: Govt. Printing, Pujab, Lahore, 1933. Reprint 2000. Department of Language and Culture, Himachal Pradesh. Chapter VI Nurpur State, pp. 213–267.
External links
