Kullu district

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**Kullu**

Capital	Kullu
Area	5,503 sq km
Population	379,865 (2001)
Population Density	69/km² (2001)
Literacy	63.45% (2001)
Urbanization	7.922% (2001)

Kullu is a district in Himachal Pradesh, India. The district stretches from the village of Rampur in the south to the Rohtang Pass in the North.

The largest valley in the district is called the Kullu Valley, which is also known as the Valley of the Gods. There is also a town called Kullu which sits on the banks of the Beas River in the central part of the valley. Another important valley in the district is the Lug valley where the main forest contractors have been extracting timber from the forests for the last 150 years and continue to do so today.^[1] Farther north lies the town of Manali.

The ancient seat of the kings of Kullu was at Naggar Castle, about 12 km north of the present town, and thought to have been built in the early 16th century by Raja Sidh Sing. Raja Jagat Singh (1637-72) moved the capital in the middle of the 17th century to its present position, and called it Sultanpur. The Royal compound consists of the "Rupi Palace, several temples, and a long narrow bazaar descending the hill."

The British took all of Kangra and Kullu from the Sikhs in 1846. It is still used as home by the royal descendants, but the more ancient Naggar Castle was sold to the British.

Since the onset of the most recent unrest in Kashmir, Manali and the Kullu Valley in general, have become important destinations for tourists escaping the summer heat of India.

In the eastern part of the district, the village of Manikaran contains Sikh and Hindu temples and popular hot springs. The Hidimba Devi Temple is at Manali.

1 Gallery
2 See also
3 See notes
4 Further reading

[edit] Gallery

Sikh pilgrims cheering on bus to Manikaran	Manikaran, Kullu District, 2004	Shiva shrine, Kullu, 2004	Road workers crushing rocks, Kullu, 2004
Steam from Manikaran baths, 2004	2 friends - a Sikh & a Gaddi, Manikaran, 2004	Diners at Sikh Gurdwara, Manikaran, 2004	Roadside restaurant, Kullu, 2004
Raja Rupi Kulu Palace, 2004

[edit] See also

[edit] See notes

^ History of Ropeways in Kullu. Retrieved on 2006-12-24.

[edit] Further reading

Chetwode, Penelope. 1972. Kulu: The End of the Habitable World. John Murray, London. Reprint: Time Books International, New Delhi. ISBN 81-85113-20-3

Geography of Himachal Pradesh
Lakes	Renuka Lake \| Maharana Pratap Sagar \| Gobind Sagar (more...)
Rivers	Beas \| Chenab \| Ravi \| Sutlej \| Yamuna
Districts	Bilaspur \| Chamba \| Hamirpur \| Kangra \| Kinnaur \| Kullu \| Lahul and Spiti \| Mandi \| Sirmaur \| Shimla \| Solan \| Una
Other	Climate of Himachal Pradesh \| Protected areas of Himachal Pradesh \| List of peaks in Himachal Pradesh