[Himachal GK] Kangra District- An Introduction

Kangra district lies between 31˚ 21′to 32˚ 59′N latitude and 75˚ 47′55″to 77˚ 45′E longitude. It is situated on the southern escarpment of the  Himalayas. The entire area of the  district  is  traversed  by  the  varying  altitude  of  the  Shivaliks,  Dhauladhar and  the Himalayas from  north-west  to  south-east.  The  altitude  varies from  500  metres above mean sea level (amsl) to around 5000 metres amsl. It is encapsulated in the north by the districts of Chamba and Lahaul and Spiti, in the south by Hamirpur and Una, in the east by Mandi and in the west by Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

The present Kangra district came into existence on the 1st September, 1972 consequent upon the re-organisation of districts  by  the  Government  of  Himachal  Pradesh. It was  the  largest  district  of  the composite Punjab in terms of area till it was transferred to Himachal Pradesh on the 1st November,  1966  and  had  six  tehsils  namely  Nurpur, Kangra,  Palampur,  Dehragopipur, Hamirpur and Una. Kullu was also a tehsil of Kangra district up to 1962 and Lahaul & Spiti which also formed a part of Kangra was carvedout as a separate district in 1960. 

On  the  re-organisation  of  composite  Punjab  on  the 1st November,  1966  the  area constituting Kangra district were transferred to Himachal Pradesh along with the districts of Shimla, Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti and tehsils of Una and Nalagarh and three villages of Gurdaspur district. Kangra  district  derives  its  name  from  Kangra town  that  was  known  as  Nagarkot  in ancient  times. Kangra  proper  originally  was  a  part  of  the  ancient Trigarta (Jullundur), which comprises of the area lying between the river "Shatadroo" (probably Sutlej) and Ravi. A tract of land to the east of Sutlej that probably is the area of Sirhind in Punjab also  formed  a  part  of  Trigrata.  Trigrata  had  two provinces.  One  in  the  plains  with headquarters at Jullundur and other in the hills with headquarters at Nagarkot (the present Kangra).