Kangra
Kangra district obtains its name from Kangra town which was primarily called as Nagarkot in the ancient age. The modern Kangra district was founded on the 1st September, 1972 by the Government of Himachal Pradesh. The people of Kangra district mainly follow the Hindu religions and some other religions (Muslim, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians and Janis) are also followed by few people. Most of the Hindus are Rajputs Brahmins and Scheduled Cast in Kangra district. The main Rajputs are viz. Katoch, Pathania, Dogra, Jasrotia, Jaswal, Jamwal, Katwal, Thakur, Rana, etc. The Rajputs of higher caste never make a marital relationship to lower ones. The people of Kangra celebrate various festivals in their local custom. They perform Jhamakada dance (a regional dance form) to celebrate festivals. It is usually performed by women.
Kangra district forest is full of various animals and birds some of them are rare species. The animals that are found in the district are Ghoral, Kakar, Kastura, Aimu, Thar, Samber, Ibex, Blue mountain sheep, Black Bear, Brown Bear, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Wild Boar, Spotted Deer, Porcupine, Flying squirrel etc. and the birds that are found in Kangra are Snow cock, Western horned, Pea-cock, Ring dove, Spotted dove, parrot, tawny eagle, green pigeon, pigeon, tits, nut cracker, Pies, Woodpecker, Crow, Himalayan fly catcher etc.
How to reach at Kangra
By Railway: Kangra Head Quarter, Dharamshala is well connected by rail services. The nearest railway station of Dharamshala is Pathankot Station which is just 17 Km (by road route) from Dharamsala. There has a narrow gauge railway line from Pathankot station to Kangra station. The distance between Pathankot to Kangra is 94 Km.
By Roadway:Roadway transport is very well in Kangra district. Road route is well connected by the National Highway No-20 and other state roads. You will found a number of overnight Buses run from New Delhi and Chandigarh to Kangra throughout the year. Several state Buses are also run from Shimla, Manali, Dehradun and Pathankot to Kangra town.
By Air: Gaggal airport is the nearest airport from Kangra Head Quarter (Dharamshala). This Airport is near about 12 Km away from Dharamsala Town and 20 km away from Mcleodganj town and only 7 Km from Kangra Town.
There is a chart of road distance from neighboring places of Dharamshala Headquarter. Kangra district is well-connected with bellow mentioned places by a good road network.
| Places | Distance (Km) | Places | Distance (Km) |
| Dehli | 510 | Chandigarh | 242 |
| Amritsar | 212 | Lahul And Spiti | 102 |
| Jalandhar | 106 | Pathankot | 90 |
| Dalhousie | 118 | Mandi | 127 |
| Chamba | 186 | Shimla | 234 |
General Info of Kangra
| Area | 5,739 sq km |
| Altitude | 1220 Meters (Avg.) |
| STD Code | 01892 |
| Postal Code | 176001 |
| Sub-Division | 8 |
| Block | 14 |
| Head Quarters | Dharamsala |
| Temp. Summer | 35 ° C (max) |
| Temp. Winter | 1° C (min) |
| Best Seasons to Visit | January to June and September to December |
| Place of Interest | Baijnath Shiv temple, Bhagsunag falls, Dal Lake, Dehra Gopipur, Dharamkot, Jawalamukhi temple, Kareri, Kunal pathari, Masroor, Nurpur, St. John's Church, Trilokpur |
| Languages | Pahari (Kangri), Tibetan, Hindi, English in some urban places |
| Population | 1,507,223 (according to census 2011) |
| Clothing | Cotton clothes in summer season and heavy woolen clothes in winter season |
| Religion | Hindus (95%), Buddhism and Sikhism |
| Currency | Indian Rupee ( ) |
Interesting place to visit in Kangra district
Dharamsala Headquarter: Dharamshala is the main city and also the Head Quarter of Kangra diastrict. It is the centre of the Tibetan exile world in India. Following the 1959 Tibetan rising there was an entry of Tibetan refugees who followed the 14th Dalai Lama. His presence and the Tibetan community has made Dharamshala a popular destination for Indian and foreign tourists. You will found a number of tourist spot to trip in the city. There is a list of tourist spots in Dharamsala-
| Tourist spots | Distance (Km) | Tourist spots | Distance (Km) |
| Baijnath temple | 54 | Bhagsunag falls | 11 |
| Dal lake | 12 | Dehra Gopipur | 52 |
| Dharamkot | 11 | Jawalamukhi temple | 54 |
| Kareri | 22 | Kunal pathari | 03 |
| Masroor | 42 | Nurpur | 66 |
| St. John's Church | 08 | Trilokpur | 41 |
| Triund | 18 | War memorial | 03 |
Brajeshwari Devi Temple: Brajeshwari Devi Temple was built in the medieval time period. It is situated just a little away from the Kangra town and it devoted to Brajeshwari Devi. The temple was destroyed totallyin 1905 due to a destructive earthquake, after that in 1920, the temple was rebuilt.
Kangra Fort: You will found a fort named Nagar Kot in Kangra usually it is said as Kangra fort. It is just 3 km away from Kangra town and on the top of the fort is a place from where you can see a stunning view of the Kangra valley and found also the meeting point of the Manjhi River and Ban Ganga River. There you also found two Jain temples in the fort.
Trilokpur Temple: Trilokpur Temple is 80 km away from Dharamshala and it is totally made of with stones. This temple is a must watch things while visiting Kangra district.
Kangra Valley: Kangra valley is a perfect place for adventure and sports activities like mountaineering, trekking, rock climbing and fishing.
Jwalamukhi temple: Jwalamukhi temple is the most attractive place in the kangra district. This temple was established by the ancient king Ranjeet Sing. It was totally constructed with wooden and the entire wall of the temple is covered with golden color.
Nadaun: Nadaun was built by the ancient king Sansar Chand on the river Beas. It is place where you found several beautiful arts and paintings.
Sujanpura Tira: The city Sujanpura Tira is situated on the bank of the Beas River. You will found here three small temples namely, Narbadeshwar temple, Gauri Shanker temple and Murli Manohar temple.
Maharana Pratap Sagar: The Maharana Pratap Sagar is a big Lake which was created by the water of Beas River. It covers an area of about 45000 hectares at maximum possibility of flooding.