Valleys of Himachal Pradesh

||Valleys of Himachal Pradesh ||Valleys of HP In English||

The landscape of Himachal Pradesh is dotted with many magnificent valleys where many important cities and towns are established. Some of the important valleys of the state are as follows:

Kullu Valley

It is situated at the height of 1279 m. The Beas river runs through the middle of the valley. It is also called the Valley of the Gods. It connects with the Lahaul and Spiti valleys via Rohtang pass. The valley extends 80 km North from Larji Gorge, near Mandi and ends near the famous Rohtang Pass (gateway to Lahaul and Ladakh). The valley is covered with pine deodar forests and wild flowers. The main town of this valley is Kullu which is situated at a height of 1,200 metres. Manali at an altitude of 1926 metres is a famous tourist destination of this valley. The Kullu valley is famous for apple orchards, hot water springs (e.g. Manikaran, Nehru Kund), Hidimba temple, Kullu Dussehra, handwoven shawls and Kullu caps.

Kangra Valley

It is situated in Kangra district. It is also known as Veer Bhoomi of Himachal Pradesh. Its average elevation is 610 m. The valley has numerous perennial streams along with Beas river that irrigates the valley. The slope of the valley rises from West to East rising gradually from Shahpur to Baijnath and Palampur. The Kangra valley is also important from historical point of view as Palaeolithic hand tools were found in this area. The important towns of this valley are Baijnath, Palampur, Kangra and Dharamshala (district capital). The valley is best known for its beauty, ancient temples, Kangra fort, Kangra paintings and a home to Gaddi shepherds.

Lahaul and Spiti Valleys

Lahul and spiti are two valleys of Himachal Pradesh that lie on the Indo-Tibet border. These valleys are surrounded by mountains with elevations from 3000 to 6500 m above the mean sca level. Lahaul Valley It lies to the North of the Pir Panjal range in between Chandra and Bhaga rivers that meet at Tandi to form Chenab river. Big Shigai and Nohtang mountains are located here. Lahaul has a mix of Hindu and Buddhist population and the entire valley gets heavy snowfall.

Spiti Valley

The name Spiti means the Middle Land, i.e. the land between Tibet and India. It literally means Land of Jewels. It lies in the North-East comer of the state and bounded by Ladakh, Tibet and Kinnaur on other three sides. It is situated along the Spiti river at an elevation of about 4,000 m above mean sea level. The Spiti valley is a cold desert mountain valley.

Chamba or Ravi Valley

This valley lies between the Zanskar and Dhauladhar range in the South of the Himalayas. This U-shaped valley is situated at the height of 996 m on the South bank of the river Ravi. According to historians, Chamba was founded by Raja Sahil Verma in AD 920 who named it after his daughter Champavati. In the lower parts of the valley, wild olive, pomegranate and fig trees grow along with scmi tropical trees like pipal, shisham, acacia. The valley is densely populated as it provides gentle slopes where cultivation is possible. This valley is famous for medicinal herbs and varieties of flowers. The famous Monkey valley (Bandar Ghati) lies in Chamba. The important towns located in this valley are Dalhousie, Khajjiar, Chamba and Bharmour. Chamba is the district headquarters in this valley. The people who live in this valley are called Chambial.

Paonta or Kiarda Dun Valley

It lies in Sirmaur district between the Eastern edge of Markanda and the Dharti ranges. It slopes towards South-Eastern corner of the state. River Yamuna separates it from Dehradun. A Sikh Gurudwara at Paonta Sahib and a Ram Mandir are the two famous religious places in this valley. This valley is divided into three parts or regions as follows:

i. The first region is Dun Giri and Bata river flow here.

ii. The second region consists the Neli Khera and the adjoining hills of the lower Dharti ranges.

iii. The third region is Par Dun which is located north of Majra village across the Bata stream. The valleys are heavily cultivated and support large number of population.

Some Other Valleys of Himachal Pradesh Valleys

Sangla/Baspa :-It lies in Kinnaur and ranges from 1830 m to 3475 m (in Chitkul). It is the largest Valley and most beautiful valley in Kinnaur
Mulgun and Rupin :-It is located at Kinnaur district. Hangrang Valley This valley is located near the Indo-Tibetan border in the Kinnaur district
Pattan Valley :-It is located at Lahaul and Spiti district
Pin Valley It is situated in Lahaul and Spiti and ranges from 3500 to 6000 m. It is also declared as National Park in 1987.
Pangi Valley It ranges from 2000 to 3400 m and lies along the banks of Chenab river. Gyas peak lies here.
Solang Valley It lies in Kullu district and is famous for winter skiing festival and paragliding in Himachal Pradesh
Balh Valley It is situated in Mandi district between Shimla ridge and Shiwalik hills. The valley’s altitude is about 800 m above mean sea level. m .
Demi Valley It is situated between Bahadurpur and Bandla ranges at an elevation of 800 m
Pabbar or Rohru It begins at Hat-Koti and extends upto Tikri at the base of Chanshal range. Blue, Valley Pine, Spruce, Silver fir trees grow here.
Kunihar Valley It is situated in Solan district at a height of 1000 m. It is also known as Hat Kot and Choti Vilayat.