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Himachal pradesh
Himachal
Pradesh हिमाचल प्रदेश, is a state in the north-west of India.
Himachal Pradesh is spread over 55,780 square kilometres (21,537 sq
mi) and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on
north, Punjab on west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on
south, Uttarakhand on south-east and by China on the east. The
literal meaning of Himachal Pradesh is Land of snowy mountains.
Himachal Pradesh was also known as Deva Bhoomi (the land of the
gods). The Aryan influence in the region dates back to the period
before the Rigveda. After the Anglo Gorkha war, the British colonial
government came into power. It was initially in Punjab, except Siba
State of Punjab Hills, under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh till
1857 [3] In 1950 Himachal was declared as the union territory but
after State of Himachal Pradesh Act 1971 Himchal emerged as the 18th
state of Indian Union.
The state is located in 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 Una, Solan, Dharamsala, Kangra, Mandi,
Chamba, Hamirpur, Dalhousie and Manali.
Himachal Pradesh has one of the highest per capita incomes of any
state in India. Due to the abundance of perennial rivers, Himachal
also sells hydro electricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab &
Rajasthan. The economy of the state is highly dependent upon three
sources i.e. Hydel power, tourism and agriculture.
95% of the state population constitutes of Hindus. The major
communities are of Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. As
per the survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International
Himachal Pradesh is ranked second least corrupt state in the country
after Kerala.
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