Kangra district is situated in the western part of the state of Himachal Pradesh,
in the northern region of India. The administrative head quarter is
located at Dharmashala, 18 km from Kangra town. Both Kangra and
Dharmashala are important tourist destinations known for their ancient
temples and picturesque surroundings.
Kangra is steeped in
history and its ruined fort - Nagarkot, stands as testimony to its
glorious past. The town was attacked by Mohammed Ghaznavi and subjugated
by Emperor Feroz Tuglak and Maharaja Rant Singh. Earlier, Kangra was
the capital of the great hill state, its renowned ruler being Maharaja
Sansar Chand Katoch, a great patron of arts. The Miniature and Rajpur
Schools of hill paintings flourished during his reign.
Facts & Figures
| Area | 5739 Sq. km |
| Area under forests | 2367 Sq. km |
| Latitude | 31º41'- 32º28'(N) to 31º 45'0''-32º28’05’’ (N) |
| Longitude | 75º35' - 77º4' (E) to 75º35' 34''- 77º 4'46'' (E) |
| Altitude | 1220 mtr. (Head Quarter) |
| Population | 13, 39,030 |
| Population Density | 233 |
| Male | 6, 61,254 |
| Female | 6, 77,776 |
| Sex ratio | 1025 females per 1000males |
| Literacy Rate | 80% |
| No. of Tehsils | 14 |
| No. of Sub-Tehsil | 5 |
| No. of Villages | 3868 |
| No. of Panchayats | 760 |
| No. of Sub-Division | 8 |
| No. of Block | 14 |
| STD Code | 01892 |
| Postal Code | 176001 |
| Religion | Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims |
| Languages spoken | Pahari (Kangri), Punjabi, Hindi |
How to Reach
The nearest Airport is at Gaggal, 13 Kms from Dharamshala (the head quarter of Kangra district)
and 8 Kms from Kangra Town. The schedule of Jagson Airlines flights are
on every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday by route
Gaggal-Bhunter-Delhi.
The town can be better approached either by train or by bus or taxi. The two railway stations viz. Kangra station and Kangra Mandir station are 3 km from the downtown. Indian Railways has introduced the "Kangra Queen" rail link between Pathankot and Palampur.
The road distances between Dharmashala and important places of the neighboring states are given below.
- Amritsar - 190
- Baijnath - 62
- Chandigarh - 255
- Delhi - 525
- Jalandhar - 170
- Jammu - 210
- Ludhiana - 200
- Manali - 135
- Palampur - 45
- Pathankot - 88
- Shimla - 250
- Una - 125