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Lying 526-km north-west of New Delhi,
Dharamshala is the headquarters of the Kangra
District in the Indian state of Himachal
Pradesh. Kangra valley is one of the most
pleasant, relaxing and spiritual places in the
Himalayas. Marvelously scenic, especially upper
Dharamshala, is well wooded with oak, cedar,
pine and other timber yielding trees and offers
some lovely walks and finer views. In 1855,
Dharamshala had only two major areas where
civilians settled in : McLeod Ganj, named after
Lieutenant Governer of Punjab "David McLeod",
and Forsyth Ganj, named after a Divisional
Commissioner.
Lord Elgin, the British Viceroy of India
(1862-63) fell in love with the natural beauty
of Dharamshala because of its likeness with
Scotland, his home in England. Lord Elgin died
in 1863 while on a tour. He now lies buried in
the graveyard of St. John's Church-in-Wilderness
which stands in a cosy pine grove between McLeod
Ganj and Forsyth Ganj.A Legend has it that Lord
Elgin liked Dharamshala so much that he had sent
a proposal to the British monarch to make
Dharamshala the summer capital of India.
However, the proposal was ignored. By 1904,
Forsyth Ganj and McLeod Ganj had become nerve
centres of trade , business and official work of
Kangra District, But on April 4,1905, as a
result of a severe earthquake, whole of the area
was devastated. Alarmed at the massive
destruction, the British goverment decided to
shift the district headquater offices to the
lower reaches of spur. As a result, the
present-day district courts and kotwali bazar
areas came into being which earlier had only a
jail, a police station and cobbler's shop to
boast of. Until India attained independence from
Britain on Aug. 15,1947 McLeod Ganj and Forsyth
Ganj continued to serve as health resorts and
resting places for the British Rulers. But all
this changed when the goverment of India decided
to grant political asylum to the 14th Dalai
Lama, Tenzin Gyatsho, in 1959. In 1960, he was
allowed to make McLeod Ganj his headquaters.
After his arrival, trade, commerce and tourism
picked up afresh. This because with the Dalai
Lama came thousands of Tibetan refugees, who
gradually settled in Mcleod Ganj. During the
last three decades, The Tibetans have built many
religious, educational and cultural instutions
in and around McLeod Ganj, which has helped in
preservation of their culture. This has been a
keen area of interst for the people around the
world and as a result they flock at Dharamshala
at various times.
The present Kangra district came into existence
on the 1st September, 1972 consequent upon the
re-organisation of districts by the Government
of Himachal Pradesh. It was the largest district
of the composite Punjab in terms of area till it
was transferred to Himachal Pradesh on the 1st
November, 1966 and had Six (6) tehsils namely
Nurpur, Kangra, Palampur, Dehragopipur and
Hamirpur. Kullu was also a tehsil of Kangra
district up to 1962 and Lahul & Spiti which also
formed a part of Kangra was created as a
separate district in 1960. On the re-organisation
of composite Punjab on the 1st November, 1966
the area constituting Kangra district were
transferred to Himachal Pradesh along with the
districts of Shimla, Kullu and Lahul & Spiti and
tehsils of Una and Nalagarh and 3 villages of
Gurdaspur district.
KANGRA VALLEY :
Kangra district
derives its name from Kangra town which was
called Nagarkot in the ancient times Kangra
proper originally was a part of the ancient
Trigartha (Jullundur) which comprises of the
area lying between the river "SHatadroo"
(probably Sutlej) and Ravi.A tract of land to
the east of Sutlej which probably is the area of
Sirhind in Punjab also formed a part of
Trigratha. Trigratha had two provinces. One in
the plains with headquarter at Jullundur and
other in the hills with headquarter at Nagrkot (
the present Kangra).
In the time of Harsha, the famous Chinese
pilgrim Huien Tsiang visited Jullundur some time
in March 635 A.D. and in his writings he has
referred to the principality of Jullundur
situated towards the north- east of China-Po-ti
(China Bhakti) and towards the south east of Kiu-lo-to
(Kullu). From the history of Kashmir given in
the Rajtirangini, Raja Shanker Verma (883 to
903) of Kashmir held suzerainty over Prithi
Chand of Trigartha.
In ancient times a number of petty chiefs ruled
in the hills within their respected domains
owning allegiance to the powerful Raja at the
center. However, Katoch princes ruled over
Kangra from the earliest times. At the time of
invasion of Punjab by Alexander in 326 BC
Trigartha was ruled by a Katoch prince.
In the beginning of 11th century, Mahmood of
Ghazni finished the Turki Shahi family and the
Hindu Shahi dynasty of Kabul in Afghanistan and
after defeating a large Hindu army at Ohind and
later at Peshawar, advanced into the plains of
the Punjab. After defeating the Hindu king at
Lahore he invaded Nagarkot. He was attracted by
the prestige of Kangra fort. After defeating the
Rajput Raja at Kangra, who had sent most of his
men to fight the Muslims elsewhere, Mahmood
satisfied his lust for wealth by carrying away
on camel backs, enormous wealth of gold and
silver from the fort and temple of Kangra. After
this storm had passed away, the Katoch kings
continued their rule over the Trigarth area
undisturbed. Even after the conquest of Lahore
by the Turks the Katoch family held some
territory of Jullundur in the Plains. However,
one lbrahim of Ghazni conquered this territory
from the Katoch King Jagdeo Chander in 1070 A.D.
In 1337. Mohd. Tuglak, an Afghan king of Delhi,
captured the fort at Kangra in the reign of Raja
Priti Chand. In 1351, however, Raja Purab Chand
recovered the fort from the Muslims. One of his
successors, namely Raja Roop Chand, became
ambitious and led an expedition into the plains
of Punjab, plundering the country right upto the
outskirts of Delhi. This was an act of
effrontery which could not be condemned by the
Sultan of Delhi. So Firoz Shah Tuglak invaded
Kangra, in 1366, to punish the Raja. The fort
was surrendered after a long siege. After the
death of Roop Chand, his son Singara Chand
succeeded to the throne and was ruling over
Kangra at the time of the invasion of Timur.
Sher Shah Suri, the Afghan king, who turned out
Humayun from India, also captured Kangra in
1540. By 1555, the Muslim influence again
declined. Akbar, however, subjugated all the
hill Rajas. Occasionally the hill Rajas rebelled
against the imperial authorities, but after a
few skirmishes with the Mughal Generals, they
submitted and renewed their pledges of loyalty.
Jahangir also became interested in the kingdom
of Trigarth of Kangra. He wanted to annex the
territory of this state and to capture the fort,
because a lot of prestige was attached to the
fort of Kangra. It was said that who-so-ever,
held the fort was the ruler of hill state. The
invasion took place in 1615 under the command of
Sheikh Farid, Murtaza Khan and Raja Suraj Mal of
Nurmal who was in the confidence of Jahangir.
The fort could not be captured and after one
year the siege had to be given up. Next year,
another expedition was sent by Jahangir under
Shah Quli Khan, Mohammed Taqi and Suraj Mal, but
Suraj Mal proved unfaithful. The emperor had to
send another strong force under Sunder Dass
against Suraj Mal and also against the Raja of
Kangra. After One year and two months siege,
Sunder Dass captured the fort in 1620. The
Katoch ruler lost the fort at least for 160
years. The entire state was annexed to the
Mughal Kingdom and a strong garrison was left
incharge of the fort. In 1622, Jahangir and
Begum Nur Jahan came to Kangra via Siba and
returned to Delhi via Nurpur and Pathankot. They
were fascinated by beauty of the Kangra valley.
In 1752, Punjab was transferred to Ahmed Shah
Durani by the weak Mughal rulers of Delhi. The
Afghans could not successfully control these far
flung areas from Kabul, so local governors were
appointed to administer the territory on the
behalf of the Afghan rulers. In 1758, Raja
Ghamand Chand was appointed Nazim or Governor of
Jullundur Doaba under the Afghans. Ghamand Chand
was a brave man and a strong ruler who restore
the prestige and glory of Kangra. As he was
unable to capture the Kangra fort, he built
another fort at Tira Sujanpur on the left bank
of the Beas almost opposite to Alampur on a hill
overlooking the town. This great ruler died in
1774 and was succeeded by his son Tegh Chand who
died after one year in 1775
Kangra then saw the rise of another great ruler
Sansar Chand(II). Though the Punjab has been
given to the Duranis, the old Mughal officers
had been proclaimed their independence in some
outlying part of the country. Nawab Saif Ali
Khan at Kangra was one such officer. Raja Sansar
Chand had an ambition to recapture the fort and
in 1781, he called to his aid Sardar Jai Singh
of Kanhaya Misal. The fort was surrendered by
the Mughal officer in 1783 but it fell into the
hands of the Sikhs. Sansar Chand got the fort
after some years by exchanging it with some
territory, which he had won in the plains of
Punjab. After getting the fort, Sansar Chand
revived the tradition and laid a claim to
supremacy over all the principalities and hill
states of the Jullundur Circle. He made the hill
chiefs tributary to himself in his capital at
Teera Sujanpur. He erected a great Darbar Hall.
For full twenty years he reigned supreme over
all the hill states of Kangra, Mandi, Kullu and
Chamba. Sansar Chand was well known for his
generosity, kindness, bravery, justice and good
administration, patronage of art and shewd
judgment of men and matters. Sansar Chand was
also a great builder. He had beautified many
places in the territory ruled over by him. He
planted numerous gardens and the one at Alampur
is said to have been as beautiful as the
Shalimar Gardens at Lahore. However, reckless
bravery and unlimited ambition of this great
Raja ultimately ruined him. His dream was to
regain the far-reaching dominions of his
ancestors and even to establish the Katoch rule
in the entire Punjab. In 1803-1804, he invaded
the plains of Punjab twice but was defeated by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In 1805 he annexed a part
of Bilaspur state, thus coming in conflict with
the Gurkhas, who in the later half of the 18th
century moved south to establish their dominion
over the entire hilly part of India from Nepal
to Kashmir and had actually come up to the river
Sutlej. Gurkhas became angry at the annexation
of a part of Bilaspur state, which was under
their suzerainty. They invaded Kangra, but were
defeated. The hill Rajas of Kangra however, were
feeling sore against Sansar Chand. They all
approached Raja Amar Singh Thapa of Gurkhas
through the Raja of Bilaspur to invade Kangra
again. In 1806, with the help of the hill
chiefs, the Gurkhas defeated Raja Sansar Chand
who had to take refuge inside the fort. The
country was laid waste and was plundered by the
enemies. During the siege of the fort, a state
of anarchy prevailed throughout the Kangra
valley. The siege lasted for four years. After
the Sansar Chand managed to get out of the fort
and fled to Tira Sujanpur.
In 1809, Maharaja Ranjit Singh visited
Jawalamukhi temple where Sansar Chand met him
and entered into a treaty with him. It was
agreed that the Maharaja should help Sansar
Chand in expelling Gurkhas from the state and
that in return the Maharaja would get the Kangra
fort along with nearby 66 villages. Gurkhas were
defeated by the combined forces of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh and Sansar Chand. The fort of
Kangra with 66 villages surrounding it, was made
over to Ranjit Singh. Dessa Singh Majithia was
appointed the Nazim or Governor of the fort and
Kangra hills and from that day all states of the
Jullundur Circle become tributary to the Sikhs.
Sansar Chand returned to Tira Sujanpur where he
died in 1823.
Sansar Chand's son, Anirudh Chand succeeded his
father in 1823 but he was not destined to rule
for a long time. Raja Dhian Singh, the Dogra
chief of Jammu ,the most powerful man in the
Sikh kingdom after Maharaja Ranjit Singh,
desired to marry one of the two sisters of
Anirudh Chand. For the rulers of the Katoch
family, this demand in itself was an insult.
Anirudh Chand was adamant not to permit that
alliance. The Maharaja got angry and led an
expedition against him. Anirudh Chand had to
flee and Sikhs occupied the entire state of
Kangra.
After the first battle of Sikhs in March 1846,
the territory of Punjab lying between the Sutlej
and Ravi rivers, including the hill states of
Kangra proper and Kullu were ceded to British
Government. The entire area, comprising Kangra
proper, Kullu and Seraj and the tracts of
Lahul-Spiti, was now constituted into the Kangra
district, with its headquarters at Kangra. After
a few years, the headquarters of district was
transferred to Dharmshala because that place was
considered cooler and healthier for the British
officers and also the slopes of Dhauladhar
provided ample room to accommodate in a newly
raised local contingent for the army.
THE KANGRA FORT : The Kangra Fort was the
seat of power of the Katoch Rajas from the time
of its 234th Raja, Raja Susharma Chand Katoch,
if not from the time of its first legendary
Raja, Raja Bhoomi Chand Katoch onwards. It is
said to have been founded by Susharma Chand
Katoch, an ally of Kauravas in the Mahabarata
war. It was the ancient capital of the Katoch
kingdom and symbol of power in Punjab Hill
States.The Fort is situated on a precipitous
cliff overhanging the Ban Ganaga and Manjhi
rivers. The ruins still dominate the Kangra
valley. One can enter the fort by a narrow path.
It was protected by a number of gates named
after its winners like Jahangir, Ranjit Singh
and the British. At the top of the fort, there
was the palace of the Katoch kings.
When Mahmud Ghazni conquered it in 1009, the
place was known as Bhima Nagar probably after
Bhima, the second of the Pandavas. Muhammed
Tughlaq also plundered the fort in 1337 but
could not hold it for long. Feroz Tughlaq also
invaded Kangra and laid siege of the fort in
1365 A.D. For six months the siege went on. Raja
Rup Chand Katoch exhibited great courage and
endurance, but ultimately submitted and offered
apologies to the Sultan who with much dignity
placed his hand on the back of the Raja.
Jahangir himself states that Akbar could not
succeed in capturing the Kangra fort, it was he
who did so in 1619-20. Akbar made many attempts
to capture the fort but failed. However, his
frequent visits to Kangra can also be inferred
from the popular song sung in the hill states
and elsewhere in the country in praise of Durga
Jawalji.
“Nangi-Nangi Peri Mata Akbar Aya, Sone Da
Chattar Chadaya”
Encouraged by the anarchy which prevailed in the
plains, during the reign of Akbar all the chiefs
of Hill States, resumed their independence and
recovered the tracts of which they had been
deprived of by the Mughals. It is found that the
states of Kangra, Chamba, Jammu etc. were
clashing with one another frequently. Raja Bidhi
Chand of Kangra and a number of Rajas of the
Hill States were involved in the revolt which
took place in 1889-90 AD. The 35th year of Akbar
reign.
The Rajas of Jasrota, Lakhanpur, Nurpur etc
united with the Raja of Kangra and the united
forces of these Rajas with horses numbering
about 10,000 and one lakh foot, revolted.
However, the Mughal forces defeated them. They
were all subdued and carried to the court of
Akbar who pardoned them and allowed them to
their respective states as his vassals.
However, the two Dogra chiefs, Lal Dev and Manga
Mana of Jammu, on behalf of the Raja of Jammu,
Samhal Dev fought bravely and the Mughalk forces
did not succeed in overpowering them. They
flouted the Mughal authority and therefore the
Mughal invasions frequently caused a flare up in
the hills of Kangra and Jammu.
The Mughals later made friendship with Raja
Sangram Dev of Jammu and with his help invaded
in 1621. The Mughal forces led by Jahagir’s
officers, Qasim Khan and The Raja of Jammu
succeed in reducing Kangra. The Mighals
entrusted the task to Sundar Das. He along with
the forces of Raja Sangram Dev and also of Raja
Jagat Singh of Nurpur, took over the Kangra Fort
the same year.The occupation of the Fort
continued with the Mughals from 1621 to 1782.
From 1782 to 1785 it remained under the sikhs.
Later the Mughals during the time of Shahjahan
captured the Nurpur fort also in 1641.
Murtaza Khan on this day( 2nd April, 1615)
obtained leave to go for the capture of the fort
of kangra, the equal of which for strength they
cannot point to in the hill country of the
Punjab or even all the habitable world. From the
time when the sound of Islam reached the country
of Hindustan up to this auspicious time, when
throne of rule has been adorned by this
suppliant at the throne of Allah, none of the
rulers or kings has obtained possession of it.
The Mughals forces inrested the fort, the
trenches were portioned out and the ingress of
provisions was completely stopped. Not corn or
food was allowed to be supplied. For four months
the forces of Katoch Raja lived upon dry fodder
and similar things which they boiled and ate;
but when death stared them in the face and no
hope of deliverance remained, the forces
surrendered the fort to the Mughals.
The fall of the invincible fort of Katoch to the
Mughals was possible only with the help of the
Hill Rajas adjoining the state of Kangra. The
Rajas of Guler and Nurpur and in particular, the
Raja of Jammu, played a very important role in
helping the Mughals. They were all aware about
the secret hideouts of the fort, the style of
defence of Kangra Rajas and their internal
weakness.
Once all such secret information was available
to the Mughal forces, the possibility of capture
of the fort became easy. These Rajas helped the
Mughals in order to see that the Katoch Rajas
are defeated and weakened as the Katoch Rajas
had become powerful neighbour of these Hill
states. Mughals needed local Rajas to help them
and were looking for an opportunity to win tem
over who in turn were looking for such a golden
opportunity in order to defeat Katoch of Kangra.
RAJA GHAMMAND CHAND KATOCH ascended the throne
in 1751. he made all the states as his
tributaries but could not capture the fort from
Mughal Kalidar Saif Ali Khan whose control was
limited to the walls of the fort. After the
death of Raja Ghammand Chand, his son Teg Chand
ascended the throne of Kangra. He did not
survive and his son Sansar Chand ascended the
throne in 1775. It was his greatest ambition to
take over the fort from Mughals. Raja Sansar
Chand, therefore sought the help of Jai Singh
Kanhai a Sikh commander, who agreed. They laid
siege of the fort in 1781-82. The Kalidar Saif
Khan deid defending the fort and after his
death, the fort fell in the hands of Jai Singh,
who did not give it to Sansar Chand as promised
but kept inder his control till 1785.
In 1785, Jai Singh Kanhai was defeated by a
combined force of his rival Sikh General
assisted by Raja Sansar Chand. Jai Singh has
surrender the fort to Raja Sansar Chand in
exchange for some territories in the plains of
Pathankot. With the occupation of the fort, Raja
Sansar Chand became the supreme ruler of the
Kangra Valley. The fort fell in the hands of
legitimate chief in 1785 itself. >From 1785 to
1809 the fort remained with Maharaja Sansar
Chand Katoch.
In 1805, General Amar Singh Thapa invaded Kangra
and laid siege of the fort for four years.
Maharaja Sansar Chand had to take assistance of
Ranjit Singh of Lahore who in turn wanted to
take over the fort before expelling the Gorkha
invaders from the Kangra valley. Maharaja Sansar
Chand had to agree to the demand of Ranjit Singh
and in 1809 itself the fort was taken over by
the Sikhs from Maharaja Sansar Chand. The Sikhs
expelled the Gorkhas from the hills forever.
After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the
British violated the Treaty of Amritsar and
defeated the sikh forces. It took them only 10
years to capture Punjab and along with Punjab,
Kangra fell into their hands also. During the
British rule, the fort remained in their
control.
The palace and the fort were destroyed by the
earthquake in 1905 in Kangra. It is now in
ruins. In the courtyard there are two temples.
One is that of Lakshmi Narayan and the other of
Ambika Devi, a family goddess of Katoch. Jain
temple with Adinath in stone image also exists.
Jains found this place as a tirtha and settled
in Kangra. The fort remained neglected during
the British period but now the Archaeological
Department of the Government maintains it. The
fort is still an attraction to the tourists and
the pilgrims visiting Kangra.
DHARAMSHALA : Under the shadow of the
great rock wall of Dhauldhar, where those
legendary shepardesses, the Gaddi maidens,
immediately above Dharamshala rises one of the
main spurs of Himalayas, the dark, pine covered
mountain-side reaching out towards the upper
peaks that soar into the regions of eternal
snow. Divided into upper and lower towns with a
difference of some 457 metres (1,500 ft) between
them against a background of snow-capped
mountains, forests if giant conifers meet
carefully cultivated tea gardens at the
beautiful resort of Dharamshala which stands on
the spur of the Dhauldhar range. The mountains
enfolds the three sides of the town and the
valley stretches beyond to the south. Known for
its scenic-beauty amidst high pine trees, tea
gardens and other timber-yielding trees vying
with one another for height, calmness and
serenity. Dharamshala’s altitude varies between
1,250 metres (4,400 ft) and 2,000 metres (6,460
ft). the snow line here is perhaps more easily
accessible than at any early morning’s start.
The glittering rays of the sun fall upon the
glossy snow and cast their reflections back in
the valley in all the seven colours of the
rainbow, beckoning people on.
The scene shifts as one approaches Dharamshala,
the plains below wear a veil of blue while the
Dhauldhar spur on which Dharamshala stands rises
dark and pine covered. Now the seat of his
holiness, Dalai Lama, after the Chinese conquest
of his country, Dharamshala is evocative of
imperial days in places like Mcleodganj and
Forsythe Ganj. Headquarters of the Kangra
District, it became the capital in 1852 and is
52 years old.
Wrecked by an earthquake in 1905, it rose like a
phoenix from the ashes, more resplendent than
ever steadily acquiring a pride place among
tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh. When
Tibetan exodus began, they first went to
Dalhousie but later shifted their colony to
Mcleodganj in upper Dharamshala. Dalhousie’s
loss was Dharamshala’s gain.
Since 1960, when it became temporary
headquarters of the Dalai Lama, Dharamshala has
risen into international repute as “The Little
Lhasa in India”. http://www.tibet.net
The high altitude, cool and favorable weather
have contributed towards the creation of a
Tibetan environment. More than 3,000 Tibetan
have made Dharamshala their temporary living
mostly in Mcleodganj.
The People
Predominant population of the district comprises
of Hindus followed by Muslim, Bhudhists,Sikhs,
Christians and Jains constitute the negligible
proportion of the district population. The
Hindus mostly constitute Rajputs Brahmins and
Scheduled Cast. The main Rajput community in the
district are viz. Katoch, Pathania, Dogra,
Jasrotia, Jaswal, Jamwal, Katwal, Guleria, Mian,
Thakur, Rana, Rathi etc. The Rajputs are well
known in the history for displaying their valour
and fighting qualities. The Rajput of high class
never gave their daughters in marriage to those
belonging to lower ones. The Brahamin generally
acted as priest and religious devotees. During
the early period they occupied an important
position in royal courts as well as in the
religious life of the people. The Brahmins also
constitute various classes/groups. Those
belonging to high class generally act as priest
and preceptors of the people. The lower class
Brahmins apart from their religious function
also plough their fields. Still lower in
hierarchy are Acharj and Ghirath. The
matrimonial alliances of the Brahamin of
different classes are restricted to their own
class/group.
Apart from these, the cast Hindus also
constitute communities like Sood, Khatri,
Mahajan, Walia, etc; who are mainly engaged in
business activities.The scheduled castes
constitute Chuhre/Bhangi, Barad, Chamar, Chhimbe,
Dumne, Julahe, Lohar, Sanhai, Teli etc. (Hindi
caste names) Matrimonial alliance of Schedule
Caste are also restricted to their own
community. The scheduled Tribes population is
negligible in the district Gaddi and Gujars two
tribal communities have lost their Scheduled
Tribes status in district because of area
restriction. The Scheduled Tribe population in
the district is mainly represented by the
persons belonging to other Scheduled Tribe
communities in the state who are mostly in
government service.
Folk Dances
Jhamakada is a group dance performed in Kangra.
This dance is exclusively performed by women.
The dance is accompanied by a variety of
percussion instruments and lyrical songs.
Fauna & Flora
Fauna
The district is rich in animals and birds which
include some of the rare species. The animals
and birds that are found in the district are-
(1) Ghoral, (2) Kakar, (3) Kastura, (4) Aimu,
(5) Ibex, (6) Blue mountain sheep, (7) Thar, (8)
Black Bear, (9) Brown Bear, (10) Panther or
Leopard, (11) Snow Leopard, (12) Wild Boar, (13)
Spotted Deer of Chital, (14) Samber, (15)
Porcupine, (16) Flying squirrel and (17)
Himalyan Pine Martin. Apart from the important
game animals described above animals like
Jackal, Monkey, Langoor, Fox etc. are also met
within the area.
There is a variety of birds in the district like
Monal pheasant, Snow cock, Western horned
tragopan, Juguriam, Pea-cock, Ring dove, Spotted
dove, shikara, parrot, tawny eagle, green
pigeon, pigeon, gritton vulture, tits, nut
cracker, Pies, Wood peaker, Crow, Himalyan fly
catcher, etc. which are found in the tract of
this district.
Flora
This district is rich in flora. The following
various species of plants and forest trees are
generally found in Kangra district.
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