Changing Geography of Himachal Pradesh PDF

[AdSense-B]
ISSN: 2319-8753
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)
Vol. 2, Issue 11, November 2013
Changing Geography of Himachal Pradesh
Jagdish Chandl
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Geography, Govt. PG College, Nahan, HP, India‘
Abstract: Administrative geography of Himachal Pradesh has been a saga of several territorial surgeries and shuffling.This hill state has a colonial past and since its formation on April 15”‘, 1948 it has undergone a number of administrative
readjustments and alterations. This process has been of merger of new areas and realignment of internal boundaries.This resulted into gradual increase in the geographical area of the state along with changing territorial expressions. The
entire course of administrative realignment was not an arbitrary or spontaneous process but it was interplay of variouscultural, politico-historical and geographical factors. In the present study, administrative history of Himachal Pradesh
since 1872 to 2001 has been examined from a geographical perspective using administrative maps of different time periods prepared by Census of India, This study is primarily focused on changing nature of administrative boundaries in Himachal Pradesh.
Keywords: Administrative, Hill, Politico-historical, Himachal Pradesh.
I. INTRODUCTION
The evidences of human occupancies in the Himalayan region can be traced back to two million years ago. As the time
passed, primitive human groups organized themselves into tribal republics, which were called janapadas in Sanskrit
literature. These were both a state and a cultural unit. There is a reference in the Mahabharata about four famous
janapadas existing at that time in the Himalayas namely Audambara, Trigarta, Kuluta and Kunindas (Singh, 1997) [7].
This is also verified by Panini in his Ashtadhayi. Thus the emergence of janapadas signified the birth of administrative
geography in the history of Himachal Pradesh. This was the time when primitive men learnt to call a geographical space
as their own territory. This geographical space was separated from those of other communities, which might be friendly
or hostile to them.
The cultural landscape of Himachal Pradesh witnessed emergence of numerous princely states of varying size however,
most of them have been very small. There was no single powerful empire or dynasty, which could control all the
princely states. Due to this fact, the political matrix of Himachal Pradesh has always been fragmented and the present
geographical manifestation of Himachal Pradesh could never be experienced in the ancient and medieval times. Thus,
the present geographical extent of Himachal Pradesh is the outcome of the interplay of various social, cultural, political
and historical processes in the last 200 years.
H. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY
The geographical personality of Himachal Pradesh depicts a rich physiographical and cultural diversity. The physio-
cultural diversities have been of paramount significance in shaping the political units of the state since ancient times. In
the discipline of geography, physiographic and cultural aspects have been recognized as a vital tool and basis for
regional studies. In Himachal Pradesh, physiographic contours have also played a great deal in socio-political arena
even after attaining the present shape. The state of Himachal Pradesh has always been haunted as old and new Himachal
and with the change of the political seats of the government the debate of old and new Himachal catches fire which
Copyright to IJIRSET www.ijirset.com 6049

5*
29
ISSN: 2319-8753
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)
Vol. 2, Issue 11, November 2013
undermines the evolution and entity of this hill state. The present study is an attempt to comprehend the administrative
history ofHimachal Pradesh from a geographical and regional perspective.
III. DATA AND METHODOLOGY
Present study is primarily based on secondary data extracted from Administrative Atlas published by Census of India in
the year of 2005. Beside this some official documents and books have also been consulted to validate and substantiate
the historical facts. This is a descriptive as well as analytical research wherein administrative maps of different time
periods have been described from a geographical perspective using cartographic techniques. Along with it an effort has
been made to identify various factors, which have influenced the changing administrative geography of Himachal
Pradesh.
IV. ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS IN 1872
The state of Himachal Pradesh started taking a territorial expression only after the coming of the British people. After
the defeat of Gurkhas in 1815, British started organizing the state of Himachal Pradesh (Mittu, 2002) [6]. They kept the
princely state of Chamba. Mandi. Suket, Bilaspur. Sirmoor. Bushehr and its feudatories under their indirect control by
giving them internal autonomy by singing ‘Sanads’ (a written document) in 1862 (Singh, 1997) [7] while the Kangra,
Kullu and Lahul and Spiti were put under the direct control due to their strategic importance. So this was the spatial
arrangement of administrative units during the formative period of British raj in Himachal Pradesh.
V. ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS IN 1951
After India became free there was a demand from some quarters for the merger of the hill states with the East Punjab;
but it was met with vehement opposition from the rulers as well as people due to distinct cultural identity of the hill
region. Solan Constituent Assembly meeting of January 1948 could not bring any desirable results on account of
adamant attitude of the rulers. The political forces of East Punjab were earnestly advocating for its merger with Punjab
but Pt. Nehru and Sardar Patel rejected this idea recognizing the distinct entity of this hill region. They felt an intensive
effort for development as an important consideration to keep it a separate political unit. (Singh, 1997) [7].
The state of Himachal Pradesh came into existence on April 15, 1948 as a Chief Commissioner’s province. It was
formed by merger of 26 Shimla hill states and 4 Punjab hill states. In 1951, Himachal Pradesh was divided into four
districts of Chamba, Mandi, Mahasu and Sirmour .The state of Bilaspur was an independent entity during that time.
Erstwhile princely states of Chamba and Sirmour became district Chamba and Sirmour respectively. Mandi district was
formed by merging areas of former Mandi and Suket states. Mahasu district was organized by grouping of 26 Shimla
hill states viz. Bushehr, Khaneti, Daleth, Keonthal, Koti, Theog, Madhan, Ghund, Kumarsain, Mahlog, Dhami, Balsan,
Kuthar, Kunihar, Beja, Darkoti, Tharoch, Mangal, Bhajji, Jubbal, Rawingarh, Ratesh, Bhaghat, Baghal, Dhadi and
Sangri (Thakur, 1997) [8]. At the time of its formation the total geographical area of Himachal Pradesh was 25829 sq.
kms (Jaret, 2006) [4].
VI. ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS IN 1961
In 1953, the Government of India constituted State Reorganization Commission in order to determine the political
boundaries of the states. It is worth mentioning that the State Reorganization Commission in its report, submitted on
September 30, 1955 recommended the merger of Himachal Pradesh with the neighbouring state of Punjab, though the
commission chairman Fazal Ali was personally against this move due to distinct identity of culture, religion, ethnic
diversity, and history of Himachal Pradesh (Attri, 2000) [1]. In 1961, the state of Himachal Pradesh was comprised of
six districts of Chamba, Mandi, Bilaspur, Mahasu, Sirmur and Kinnaur. Part ‘C’ state of Bilaspur was merged into
Himachal Pradesh on July 1, 1954 and became the fifth district. Kinnaur, the sixth district of Himachal Pradesh was
carved out of Mahasu district in 1960. Mahasu was the largest district and Bilaspur was the smallest one in terms of
geographical area. With the merger of Bilaspur the total area of the state increased to 28192 sq. kms (Jaret, 2006) [4].
Copyright to IJIRSET www.ijirset.com 6050

5/X
26
ISSN: 2319-8753
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)
Vol. 2, Issue 11, November 2013
VII. ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS IN 1971
Himachal Pradesh attained its full statehood on Jan 25, 1971 and became the 18“ state of the union of India. Due to
Reorganization of Punjab states Act I966, drastic jurisdictional changes were experienced after 1961. This Act was
mainly aimed at consolidation of the geographically fragmented territories of both the states of Punjab and Himachal
Pradesh. Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh was lying far away from rest of the Himachal Pradesh. Similarly some
parts of Punjab were lying between the geographical limits of Himachal Pradesh. On November lst, 1966 four districts
of Punjab state viz. Lahul and Spiti. Kullu, Kangra and Simla were merged in Himachal Pradesh (Punjab State
Reorganisation Act, I966) [3]. With the integration of these districts 27263 sq.km area was transferred from Punjab and
the total geographical area of Himachal Pradesh was increased to 55.673 sq. km. (Jaret, 2006) [4]. In 1971, there were
ten districts in Himachal Pradesh viz. Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Lahul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Mandi, Bilaspur. Mahasu,
Simla and Sirmaur. These were further divided into 40 tehsils l3 sub-tehsils.
VIII. ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS AFTER
STATEHOOD
In 1972, once again, some alterations were made in district boundaries and in this process Mahasu district lost its entity.
It was, renamed as Shimla district. A new district Solan was also carved out of Mahasu district. Besides this, two new
districts of Una and Hamirpur were carved out from Kangra district. Thus it was only in 1972 the final alignment of the
administrative boundaries get materialized. The total number of districts was twelve. After 1972 no alterations have
been made in the district boundaries till date. Lahul and Spiti with 24.85 percent of the total area is the largest district
and Hamirpur (2 percent) is the smallest district of the state. The administrative changes of I-limachal Pradesh were not
arbitrarily done, but there have been several factors, which influenced the existing alignment of administrative
boundaries. Some of these factors, which have played an important role in the administrative and geographical history
of the state, have been discussed as under:
A. CULTURAL FACTORS
The culture of an area acts as both uniting and divisive forces because the people of any area are very conscious about
their culture. Cultural factors played a predominant role in shaping the district boundaries in Himachal Pradesh.
Religion and dialects are the two most important factors responsible for it. In the north-eastern part of the state the Indo-
Tibetan contact zone presents the influence of socio-religious modes of Tibetan Buddhism while along the southern
fringe, the Indian plains has brought in the influence of more universalized Hindu faith (Joshi, 1984) [5]. The districts of
Lahul and Spiti and Kinnaur have been created on the basis of their distinct cultural identity. Both of the districts have a
strong influence of Buddhistic culture and hence created as two separate districts. Likewise, the influence of dialect can
be observed in the other districts. For instance Mandyali in Mandi. Chamyali in Chamba. Kehluri in Bilaspur, Pahari in
Shimla etc. Thus dialects have also their bearing on the formation of political units in Himachal Pradesh.
B. POLI TIC 0-HIS TORI CAL FA C TORS
As mentioned earlier, that Himachal Pradesh was comprised of several small principalities during the ancient times.
These princely states were distinct political units with a close social and political relationship with their subjects due to
single administrative structure. After the formation of Himachal Pradesh, the princely states of Chamba, Mandi, Sirmur,
Bushehr, Bilaspur, Kullu were organized as the districts of Chamba, Mandi, Sirmaur, Mahasu. Bilaspur and Kullu
respectively. Thus political and historical factors have also influenced the formation of district boundaries.
C. PHYSICAL BARRIERS
As it is a well known fact the physical barriers such as mountain ranges, rivers, deserts etc. affects the culture of a
region and function as physical, cultural and administrative divides. In fact culture is the outcome of man’s interactions
with his physical environment. Influence of physical environment is more in the areas where the, level of technological
Copyright to IJIRSET www.ijirset.com 6051

[AdSense-B]
:5
ISSN: 2319-8753
International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,
Engineering and Technology
(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)
Vol. 2, Issue 11, November 2013
advancement is low e.g. Lahul and Spiti and Kinnaur. The peculiar culture of these two districts is attributed to its
typical geographical conditions. Due to very harsh climate, rugged topography and isolation from the outer world such a
distinct culture has evolved in this region. The lofty mountain ranges and the rivers have served as natural boundaries of
administrative units. The Pir Panjal range separates the district of Lahul and Spiti from Kullu, Chamba and Kangra
districts. The great Himalayan range forms the boundary between Kullu and Lahul and Spiti districts. Likewise, Nag
Tibba range forms boundary between Sirmour and Shimla districts and Dhauladhar range makes the boundary between
districts of Mandi and Kullu. The river Satluj forms the boundary between Kullu and Shimla, Kullu and Mandi and
Mandi and Solan districts. Similarly the river Beas makes the boundary between Kangra and Hamirpur and Kullu and
Mandi districts in some parts. The river Giri forms the boundary between Shimla and Sirmour districts. Similarly,
Yamuna and Tons river separates Himachal Pradesh from the neighbouring state of Utterakhand. Thus the physical
barriers have also played a paramount role in determining the administrative boundaries in Himachal Pradesh.
IX. CONCLUSIONS
The administrative history of Himachal Pradesh has been the history of small local principalities in the ancient and
medieval periods and British rule in the modern period. Since the formation of the state on April 15m, 1948 several
alignments and realignments have been made in internal and external boundaries of the state. During its formative
period Himachal Pradesh was an administratively fragmented political unit. Transfer of some hilly regions from Punjab
state with the enactment of Punjab States Reorganization Act, 1966 was a landmark development in the administrative
history of Himachal Pradesh. On this date, the state of Himachal Pradesh attained its complete geographical expression.
Though some internal reshuffling of boundaries was made in 1972 but the outer limits of the state remained intact. Thus
in the year of 1972 the state attained its present administrative shape. For the purpose of delimitation of district
boundaries cultural, political, historical and physical factors have played a significant role. Along with it regional
aspirations of the people have also been recognized by the state and have been accommodated cautiously in the process
of realignment of administrative units and to uphold the unity and integrity of the state. Thus in spite of the futile debate
on Old and New or Upper and Lower Himachal this hill state has remained resilient and consistently treading the path
of development.
REFERENCES
[l] Attri, R., “Introduction to Himachal Pradesh Sarla Publications Shimla. pp. I00»I07, 2000.
[2] Directorate of Census Operations, “Himachal Pradesh: Administrative Atlas“, Census of India pp. 4—17, 2005.
[3] Government of India, Ministry of Law, “Punjab State Reorganization Act“, pp. 3-4. 1966.
[4] Jaret, M., “Geography of Himachal Pradesh“, Indus Publication Company, New Delhi. pp l5~l6, 2006.
[S .loshi_ K.L., “Geography of Himachal Pradesh”, National Book Tnist, India, 1984.
[6 Mittu, l-l.K., “Himachal Pradesh”, National Book Tmst, India, pp. 36, 2002.
[7 Singh, M.G., “Himachal Pradesh, History Culture and Economy“. Minarwa Book House, Shimla. pp. 136, 1997.
[8 Thakur, M.R., “Myths. Rituals and Beliefs in Himachal Pradesh”, Indus Publishing Company. New Delhi. pp.24, 1997.
Copyright to IJIRSET www.ijirset.com 6052