Himachal Pradesh is a mostly mountainous state in northwest India. Neighbouring regions are Tibet to the east, Jammu and Kashmir to the north and northwest, Punjab to the southwest, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the south and Uttaranchal to the southeast. It is 55,658 sq km (21,490 sq mi) and the population in 1991 was 5,111,079.

The State capital is Shimla (formerly British India's summer capital under the name Simla), other major towns are Dharamsala, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Dalhousie and Manali. The western Himalaya lies in the north and east and the smaller Shiwalik (or Shivalik) range in the south. The Ghaggar River originates in the Shivalik range. The main rivers are the Sutlej (home of the Bhakra Nangal Dam Project) and the Beas. The bridge on the Sutlej River at Kandraur, Bilaspur is one of the highest bridges in Asia.

The major spoken languages are Kangri, Pahari, Punjabi, Hindi and Mandiali. Kangri and Mandiali are believed to be twin dialects originating from Punjabi.

Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism are the main religions. Dharmshala, in the western area of the state is the home of the Dalai Lama and many Tibetan refugees.

History
The region of Himachal Pradesh was called 'Deva Bhoomi ' (the land of the gods). From the early period of its history it was inhabited by tribes like the Koilis, Halis, Dagis, Dhaugris, Dasa, Khasas, Kinnars and Kirats. The Aryan influence in this area of India dates back to the period before the Rigveda. Sankar Varma, the king of Kashmir exercised his influence over regions of Himachal Pradesh in about 883 AD. This region witnessed the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni in 1009AD, who during that period invaded and looted the wealth from the temples in the North of India. In about 1043AD the Rajputs ruled over this territory. Known for its vibrant and exquisite natural scenery it received the royal patronage of the Mughal rulers who erected several works of art as an appreciation of this land. In 1773 AD the Rajputs under Sansar Chand possessed this region, till the attack by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1804 which crushed the Rajput power here. The Gurkhas who migrated from Nepal captured this area and devastated it. In about the early 19th century the British exercised their influence and annexed the areas of Shimla after the Gurkha War of 1815-16. It became a centrally administered territory in 1948 with the integration of 31 hill states and received additional regions added to it in 1966.

Himachal Pradesh came under British control in the middle of the 19th century. The British annexed Kangra District, which includes the present-day Kangra, Kullu, Hamirpur, and Lahul and Spiti districts, in 1846 at the conclusion of the First Anglo-Sikh War. The remainder of Himachal Pradesh was made up of a number of princely states. Kangra District was part of the British province of Punjab, and the princely states, then known as the Simla Hill States, were under the authority of Punjab until the early 1930's, when the Punjab States Agency was created, under the direct authority of the Governor-General of India. The Punjab Hill States Agency, which included most of the princely states in present-day Himachal Pradesh, was separated from Punjab States Agency in 1936.

India became independent of the United Kingdom in 1947, and Himachal Pradesh was established as a state on April 15 1948, composed of the territory of some 30 Hill states (including feudatories) that acceded to the Government of India, while Bilaspur remained a separate state in the Indian Union. Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh on July 1, 1954 by an act of the Indian Parliament. Himachal Pradesh became a union territory on November 1, 1956. The state was enlarged in 1966 by the transfer of the districts of Shimla, Kangra (which included present-day districts of Kangra and Hamirpur), Kullu, Lahul and Spiti, and Una from Punjab state. It was made the 18th state of India on January 25, 1971.