Himachal Pradesh, situated in the heart of western Himalayas, is
one of the most beautiful states in India. It became an
independent state of India in 1971 with as the capital. The
state shares boundary with Jammu and Kashmir in the north,
Uttaranchal in the south-east, Haryana in the south, Punjab in
the west and China in the east. This tiny hill state ranges in
elevation between 350 and 7,000 m above sea level. The climate
varies from semi tropical to semi arctic and during winter there
is heavy snowfall. Majority of the people believe in Hinduism.
People living in areas that border China are Buddhists. There
are many beautiful Buddhist temples and pagodas in Himachal. At
the time of Dussehra a large congregation of village Gods takes
place at Kullu. Major festivals are Baisakhi, Nag Panchami,
Bhojri, Rath Rathni, Panj Bhikhami Ekadashi, Khaul Mela and
Jukaroo Mela of Pangi. The folk songs are based on religious and
romantic themes and people gather at village fairs and dance to
the tunes of these songs. Th