CHAIL | DHARAMSHALA | KULLU | MANALI | SHIMLA
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 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.
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 history of Himachal Pradesh dates back to the time when the Indus valley civilisation flourished i.e. between the time period of 2250 and 1750 B.C. From the pre historic time it was inhabited by tribes like the Koilis, Halis, Dagis, Dhaugris, Dasa, Khasas, Kinnars and Kirats.
The small kingdom enjoyed a large degree of independence till the eve of the
Muslim invasions in northern India. The states of the foothills were devastated by
Muslim invaders a number of times. Mahmud Ghaznavi conquered Kangra at the
beginning of the 10th century. Timur and Sikander Lodi also marched through the
lower hills of the state and captured a number of forts and fought many battles
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Shimla, Kullu (for Manali) and Kangra or Pathankot (for Dharamsala) have small airports, with services largely limited to Delhi. Flights are frequently cancelled or delayed by adverse weather. In addition the airport in Pathankot (Punjab) can be a convenient connection for Dharamsala and Dalhousie.
By train - Few points in Himachal are easily accessible by train, but there are narrow-gauge railways from Pathankot (Punjab) to Kangra and Kalka (Haryana) to Shimla. This will take you through beautiful rural Himalayan regions. The ride beyond Kangra is amazing. You ride along the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas via Palampur and Baijnath to Joginder Nagar. The region is criss crossed by rivers and streams.
By bus - Bus is the only practical means of getting to many points in Himachal. All cities of interest have direct services to Delhi, and the Dharamsala-Manali-Delhi triangle is fairly well served. Note that travel times are long and the roads often hair-raisingly hilly.
