The Bilaspur district was formerly known as Kahlur, a princely state of British India. The ruler acceded to the Government of India on 12 October 1948, and Bilaspur was made an Indian State under a Chief Commissioner. The state of Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh on 1 July 1954, and became Bilaspur District. Bilaspur is surrounded by Mandi in north; Hamirpur in west and Solan and Shimla districts in south east .The main city of Bilaspur district is situated on the bank of Govind Sagar Lake.
According to the Geographical survey of India, the total area of Bilaspur is 1,167 km sq. It is the second smallest district (area wise) of Himachal Pradesh. From administrative point of view district has been divided into Four Developmental blocks namely Bilaspur Sadar, Ghumarwin, Shri Naina Devi Ji and Jhandutta. There are 151 Panchayats covering 1,061 villages in the district.
The Bilaspur district lies between 310 12' 30" and 310 35' 45" North latitude and between 760 23' 45" and 760 55' 40" East longitude in the outer hills of the Himalayas next to the Punjab plains and forms a part of the basin of river Sutlej which flows meandering across it for about 90 kilometres.
Bilaspur district comes under sub tropical climatic zone. The winter spreads from Nov. to March, spring in April and May, summer June to September. The minimum temperature in the winter season goes to 20 C and rises up to maximum 400 C in summer. The annual rainfall in this area varies from 1500 mm to 1800 mm.
The net cultivated area of the district is 29,909 Hectares out of which only 3,164Hect is irrigated. The total production of the Agriculture Produce in the district is 41,706 MT out of which 2411MT in Horticulture, 941.8 MT in Fishery. Lift irrigation, kuhals, Tube well and wells are the main sources of irrigation. The elevation varies between 350 meters to 1050 meters above mean sea level.
Population ( As per 2011 Census ) | |
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Total | 3,82,656 |
Male | 1,92,827 |
Female | 1,89,282 |
Sex Ratio | 981 / 1000 (F / M) |
Density of Population (Per Square KM) | 327 |
Major Religions | Hindu, Muslim, Sikh |
Language Spoken | Kahluri or Bilapsuri( Written Script is Devnagri), Hindi |
Traditional Food | Maize, Rice and Wheat |
Economy | Agriculture based and Service |
Male Literacy | 92.39% |
Female Literacy | 78.90% |
Total | 85.67% |
Total ( In Hectares) | 1,11,776 |
Forest Area | 14,013 |
Cultivated Area | 56,011 |
Unusable Area | 72,423 |
Altitude | 610 m( above sea level) |
Major Rivers | Sutlej ( Hot in the summer and cold in winter) |
Rainfall | Max 62 mm, Min 1.5mm |
Temperature | Max 37C , Min 5 C |
From State Capital Shimla | 85kms |
Near Railway Station Kiratpur | 65kms |
Nearest Airport Shimla | 85kms |
Length of Pucca Roads(Road in Km) | 691.932 |
Length of Kutcha Roads(Road in Km) | 504.106 |