India: All about Himachal Pradesh Quiz

Answer: East Punjab

During the British occupation, Shimla (officially called "Simla" until 1972) was considered the summer capital of the British Raj by 1864. The area was occupied by the British soon after the first Anglo-Gurkha war. After India gained independence from Britain, what is now Shimla was made the capital of the former state of East Punjab.

East Punjab was first a province, then a state of India from 1947-1966, with Shimla (Simla) being the capital of East Punjab from 1947-1953. The western area of East Punjab had a large Muslim population, and was known as West Punjab as a part of Pakistan from 1947-1955, and is now the province of Punjab, Pakistan. During this split of territory, the Sikhs and Hindus in the east of East Punjab relocated to India.

Shimla has been the capital of Himachal Pradesh since 1971.

Answer: Uttar Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh borders two union territories of India, Ladakh and Jammu, and Kashmir, with both territories lying north. Tibet lies east of Himachal Pradesh. Lying south of Himachal Pradesh are Haryana lying directly south, with Uttarakhand lying southeast, Punjab lying southwest and Uttar Pradesh lying directly south, as Himachal Pradesh's smallest state border.

The Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh border follows the River Yamuna, where the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh appear to meet at a tripoint.

Answer: Kasauli Brewery and Distillery

Established by Sir Edward Abraham Dyer in the 1820s, Kasauli Brewery and Distillery is located in Kasauli, a small hill station which is a district of the city of Solan, Himachal Pradesh. Dyer took the Grand Trunk Road to what is now Himachal Pradesh, bringing with him distilling equipment and machinery from Britain. Part of his reason for choosing Himachal Pradesh was due to the area's high altitude and clean waters, similar to that of many areas in Scotland where whisky is made. He said he wished to "produce a malt whisky as fine as Scotch whisky."

The Indian Pale Ale was the first alcoholic beverage to be produced by Kasauli Brewey and Distillery. The brewery also created Solan No. 1, India's first ever malt whisky, and the sole malt whisky produced in the Himalayas.

The brewery however had to be moved into Solan in 1835 (although Kasauli is now a district of the city) as the expanding population of Kasauli resulted in a shortage of fresh water. The site at Kasauli was converted to a distillery as opposed to a brewery. The distillery is still at Kasauli, and remains the oldest still functioning distillery in not only India, but all of Asia.

The brewery now provides tours and presentations on how malt whisky is made. Although there are no professional guides, locals and workers at the brewery are known to thoroughly explain the process, and the history of the building.

Answer: Reo Purgyil

Located in the Western Himalaya area of the Himalayas, in the southern tip of the the Zanskar Range and standing at around (22,360 feet (6,815 m), Reo Purgyil is between China, Tibet and India. Himachal Pradesh is the only Indian state the mountain is situated in. The mountain is home to the snow leopard.

Answer: Dagshai

Dagshai is a town that is one of the city of Solan's districts. The Dagshai Central Jail & Museum is one of the only two museums in India that were once prisons, the other being the Cellular Jail in the Andamans. Dagshai Prison was constructed by 1849 and consisted of 54 small cells with no ventilation or light. Nobody has ever been recorded to have escaped.

Dagshai Prison became well known after the mutiny of the Irish soldiers in 1920, and the imprisonment of the Gurkha fighters of the Nasiri Regiment. Mahatma Gandhi voluntarily spent a year in Dagshai to profess his support of the Irish. In 1920, 21 year old James Daly, leader of the Irish mutiny, was executed via firing squad in the prison yard. His remains were exhumed in 1970 and taken back to Ireland where he was given a funeral and awarded full military honours.

Answer: Dharamshala

Meaning "House or place of Dharma" in Hindi, Dharmshala is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh. Dharmshala is encompassed by cedar trees, and has been a haven for Tibetan refugees since 1959.

In 1959, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was Prime Minister of India at the time, agreed to allow the 14th Dalai Lama, his family and his colleagues to flee to India and settle in McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharmshala. Here the Dalai Lama established a shadow government for Tibet, whose troops had been crushed by the Chinese. Tibetan culture has been part of Dharamshala ever since.

The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamshala contains over 80,000 records that are important in preserving Tibetan history and culture. It was opened by the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, in 1970. Thousands of Tibetans have relocated to the city since the 1950s, particularly in the McLeod Ganj area (also named "Little Lhasa") in Upper Dharamshala.

Answer: Dolanji

Dolanji is located near the city of Solan. The Bon monastery is located on top of a hill in Dolanji, and was inspired by a Bon monastery in Tibet, which is the oldest Bon monastery in the world.

The Bon Monastery of Dolanji is also called Yung Drung Ling, and adheres to the Bon religion which is older than Buddhism, however the religions are similar. The Bon religion was established between the 10-11th centuries and is still a notable minority religion in Tibet, particularly in the east. Bon was taken more seriously as a religion after the Chinese invasion of Tibet happened, and Bonpo (followers of Bon) would travel to Europe and subsequently spread their religious beliefs.

There is a Bon nunnery across the road from the monastery in Dolanji, and this is the only Bon nunnery in India. The Bon monastery of Dolanji features a large statue of Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche, the founder of the Bon religion.

There is quite an age difference between the Bon monastery in Tibet, and the monastery that was inspired by it in Himachal Pradesh. The one in Tibet was founded in 1405, whereas the one in Himachal Pradesh was established in 1969.

Answer: Suraj Tal

Located at an altitude of around 16, 240 feet (4,950 m) just below the Bara-lacha-la pass of the Zanskar Mountain Range, Suraj Tal is the third-highest lake in India, and the 21st highest lake in the world. Suraj Tal gets its name from two Hindi words, with "Suraj" meaning "Sun" and "Tal" meaning "lake." It is surrounded by valleys and mountains and provides some beautiful views. It is a locally held belief that anyone who swims in the waters of Suraj Tal is cleansed of their sins. Suraj Tal is formed by the Bhaga River.

The areas surrounding Suraj Tal are largely uninhabited because of the cold conditions and high altitude. It is however popular with mountaineers and hikers.

Answer: Kalka-Shimla Railway

The Kalka-Shimla Railway was constructed between 1855-1913, with Herbert Septimus Harington being the Head Engineer of the project. Himachal Pradesh is known for its picturesque railway stations highs in the hills and valleys. The stations themselves have regular tourists who wish to ride the train and take in the beautiful natural sights. The railways in these mountains are usually narrow-gauge and metre-gauge tracks, having a narrow width of around between 600 mm and 1,065 mm.

Kalka-Shimla Railway has 20 stations along its track. By the time the train reaches Shimla from Kalka (located in the neighbouring Indian state of Haryana), the train is at an elevation of around 6,810 feet (2,075 m). The first place the railway enters in Himachal Pradesh is Taksal, a small village with a history of coin making, whichthe village gets its name from.

It is believed that Baba Bhalkhu, a local holy man who was said to have supernatural powers, assisted the British in successfully installing the railway. The Baba Bhalkhu Rail Museum is named in his honour.

Kalka-Shimla Railway is a UNECSO World Heritage Site, collectively with two other mountain railways of India: the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in West Bengal.

Answer: Hockey

Shilaroo Hockey Stadium is located in the Himalayas between Hatu Peak and Narkanda, around 8,000 feet (250 m) high above sea level. Shilaroo is located just over 30 miles (50 km) away from Shimla, via the road that connects Shimla to Kinnaur. The stadium was opened in 2010, with construction beginning in 2009.

Located in the Chail District of Solan, Chail Cricket Ground is a cricket stadium that is around 8,000 feet (2,445 m) high above sea level. The ground is surrounded by cedar trees and has spectacular views of Sutlej Valley, Shimla and Kasauli. The ground features a basketball court, and is used as a playground for nearby Chail Military School. It is also used as a polo stadium. The ground was first established in 1893, however, it was not properly constructed until the intervention of Bhupinder Singh of Patiala (1891-1938) an Indian prince and avid cricket fan.

Answer: Masrur Temples

Carved from sandstone rock, the Masrur Temples were established in the early 8th century, and are located just over 20 miles (35 km) west of the city of Kangra, and around 140 miles (225 km) northwest from Shimla. These ancient Hindu temples are located in Kangra Valley of the Beas River. The temples are dedicated to several Hindu deities, including Vishnu, Shiva, and others. There is a sacred pool in front of the complex. Legend asserts that the five brothers of the Mahabharata, the Pandavas, built the temple after arriving in the area after being exiled.

Archaeologists who have explored the area suggest that the original builders of the complex did not complete their work, and the temples have been subject to theft over the centuries as well as damage sustained from earthquakes, particularly the 1905 Kangra earthquake, which caused severe destruction in the valleys.

Attention, in modern history, was first brought to the temples in 1913, when they were discovered by Henry Shuttleworth, who reported his findings to archaeologists.

Answer: Renuka Lake

Named after the Hindu goddess Renuka (the mother of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu), Renuka Lake is located in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmour district. The lake is around 2,200 feet (670 m) above sea level, and the area is popular for mountain climbers and hikers. Self-driven boats and canal boats are available to hire to explore the lake and its surroundings. Renuka Sanctuary is on the lake, and even has a lion safari.

Renuka Lake is said to be the birthplace of Parashurama, Vishnu's sixth avatar. The Puranas assert that Parashurama was born to Renuka and her husband, Maharishi Jamadagni. The couple meditated on the lake regularly and Shiva finally blessed them with a son in the form of Parashurama. Renuka was said to take the form of the lake and become part of it, after she threw herself into it in a suicide attempt, after her husband became obsessed with the goddess Kamadhenu. Another legend states that Renuka jumped into the lake and became one with it, after her husband was killed by a devil who then began chasing her.

Renuka Lake has an annual festival, celebrated on the Prabodhini Ekadashi (the 11th lunar day on the fortnight of the full moon) of Kārtika (the eighth month of the Hindu calendar). This is to celebrate the birth of Parashurama.

Govind Sagar Dam is the largest manmade lake of Himachal Pradesh.

Answer: Hanuman

Located on top of the highest peak in Shimla, the Jakhu Temple is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Shilma, seeing many visitors within and outside the Hindu community. The temple sits atop Jakhoo Hill, which is around 8,055 feet (2,455 m) high. The temple is surrounded by cedar trees and mountains.

The temple is mainly of red décor and features a red statue of Lord Hanuman which is just under 110 feet (35 m) high. The statue was established for the temple in 2010. Legend asserts that Lord Hanuman stopped on Jakhoo Hill whilst on his quest to find a Sanjeevani herb that would cure Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama (the seventh avatar of Vishnu) from an injury caused by an arrow. It is said that Jakhu Temple contains the footprints of Hanuman. There is an abundant population of monkeys around this temple. Hanuman was associated with monkeys, and some believe that the monkeys that congregate near his shrine in the temple are his descendants.

Answer: Christ Church

Christ Church was designed in 1844 by J.T. Boileau, but was not consecrated after 1847 and did not receive its striking giant round clock that sits on the face of the church until 1860 when it was donated by Colonel Dumbleton. The hands of the clock no longer work due to their age.

The church has a neo-gothic style and yellow décor and took 13 years to construct. Christ Church's tower stands at 90 feet (27 m) high and was added to the church in 1900.

Answer: Hindi

Hindi is the official language of Himachal Pradesh, and has been so since 1975 as stated in the Himachal Pradesh Official Language Act. Hindi is also an official language of Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Sanskrit is the second official language of Himchal Pradesh. Although Hindi is widely spoken throughout the state, other languages are also often used, such as Kangri and Punjabi. It depends strongly on which part of Himachal Pradesh one is in. For example, Kinnauri is spoken by about 75% of the Kinnaur District, and Spiti Bhoti is a Tibetan language that is often spoken in the Spiti Valley.