Geography
The Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh is situated in the Western Himalayas between 31°2 to 32°5 N and 75° to 77°45 E. The district has a geographical area of 5,739 km. which constitutes 10.31% of the geographical area of the State. According to 2001 census, the total population of the district was 1,339,030, which is the highest in the state (22.50% of the population). The altitude of the district ranges from 427 to 6401m above mean sea level, with the lowest being in the plains areas bordering Gurdaspur district of Punjab in the west and Una and Hamirpur districts of H.P to the south while the highest being amidst the Dhauladhar mountain range which forms the border with Chamba and Kullu districts. The district has considerable diversity in its soils, physiography, land use patterns and cropping systems. On the basis of these, the district has further been divided into five sub-regions i.e. Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar, Kangra Shiwalik, Kangra Valley and Beas Basin.
The Beas is one of the major rivers of this district, and contributes to the fertility of the land here. The district is bounded by the Himachal Pradesh district of Chamba and Lahaul valley of the Lahaul and Spiti district to the north, Kullu to the east, Mandi to the south-east, and Hamirpur and Una to the south. The district shares a border with the states of Punjab to the west. Due to the hilly terrain, not very much of the land is cultivated. The region is covered with uniform patches of barren land, as well as small forests.There is a reasonably good network of roads across the district.
Dharamshala, the district headquarters, is also the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile, headed by the His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Jwalamukhi, also known as Jwala ji, is famous for its ancient temple of the goddess of the same name, and features holy flames that run on natural gas. Other important temples include Brajeshwari Devi temple, Chamunda Devi temple, Chintpurni temple, Bhagsunag Temple in McLeodGanj, Mahakal and Baijnath's Shiva temple in Baijnath. There are also important Buddhist temples in Dharamshala, Sidhbari and the Bir Tibetan Colony in Bir. Historical villages of Pragpur and Garli are also located here.
Masroor Temple (also known as the 'Ajanta Ellora of Himachal Pradesh') is the only rock-cut temple in north India, believed to be built by the Pandavas during their exile period.
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