Punjab States Gazetteer vol 8--Simla Hill States 1910

· 1911 · Text public domain; the scan hosted non-commercially, with credit · archive.org ↗

1CHAPTER I.—DESCRIPTIVE.

2Section A.—Physical Aspects.

3Bilaspur lies between 31° 12’ and 31° 35’ and 76° 26’ and 76°

458’ E. It has an area of 448 square miles and a population of

590,873.

6The State was originally known as Kablir, after a fort of that

7naine, built by Raja Kahal Chand, sixth of his line, and called

8after himself Kot Kahlir. R:ijad Dip Chand who succeeded to the

9gaddi about 1653 a. pv. founded Bydspur, the present capital, in

10honour of Bydsji; hence Bildspur.

11Biléspur or Kahltr is situated on both banks of the Sutlej, in

12a tract where the river, breaking away from the middle ranges of

13the Himalayas, threads its way through the valleys of the lower

14hills. It is bounded on the north by the States of Mangal, Suket

15and Mandi, on the west by the Districts of Kangra and Hoshiarpur,

16on the south by the Nalagarh State, and on the east by the Baghal

17State.

18The country to the north and west of the Sutlej resembles

19that of the north-east of the Kdngra District. A large portion of

20it is undulating, or slightly hilly, and between 1,500 and 2,000

21feet in elevation, but there are four well defined ridges which rise

22to an elevation of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet, and have a general

23direction from north-west to south-east. Commencing from the

24south-west there are the Naina Devi dhdér on the left bank of the

25river, and the Kot-ki-dhd, the Janghar dhdr and the Tiun dhdr on

26the right bank.

27To the south-east of the Sutlej the country is altogether

28mountainous, and is an offshoot from the higher hills. The

29elevation rises in one place to over 6,000 feet, that of the Sutlej

30being about 1,500 feet. The two principal ranges here are the

31Bandla dhdér and the Bahddurpur dhdv, which run parallel to one

32another from the north to south, the latter being the easternmost.

33On the highest point of the Bahddurpur dhdr, 6,164 feet above sea

34level, stands the Bahddurpur fort, and further south, where the

35range extends into Nalagarh, the Maldon fort. The slopes of

36both ranges are generally steep and-their upper parts sometimes

37precipitous.

38The Sutlej] passes through the middle of the State from east

39to west with a large bend in the centre, and divides it into two

40approximately equal parts, that on the right bank being termed

41Parla (trane) and that on the left Warla (cis). These divisions have

42in recent times been utilised for the formation of tahsils, Parla

43becoming Ghemarwin tahsi], and Warla Bilaspur tahsil.

44CHAP. 1, A

45Physical

46Aspects.

47Situation and

48extent.

49Name.

50Boundaries,

51The Trans-

52Sutlej tract.

53The Cia.

54Sutlej tract.

55Bivers,