A well-laid out picturesque town of Nahan is situated on an
isolated ridge in the Shiwalik hills, overlooking greenfields. Known for
its cleanliness and dust free streets, saints and princes are linked with
the origin of Nahan. The city was founded as a capital by Raja Karan
Prakash in 1621. Another version recalls a saint who lived with a
companionable Nahar on the site where the Nahan palace now stands. "Nahar"
means a lion and probably the town takes its name from this saint.
At
an altitude of 9,32m, Nahan is a good base for visits to the surrounding
pilgrim areas viz. Renuka,
Paonta Sahib, Trilokpur
temple and the Suketi
Fossil Park. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year and is
watered by man made lake and decorated with temples and gardens. It is
also the headquarter of Sirmaur district.
CITIES
Nahan Town: The gentle level walks of Villa Round, Military Round
and Hospital Round are evocative of the city's past. The hub of Nahan's
activities is Chaugan, Bikram Bagh and Khadar-Ka-Bagh. Gift shops, Rosin &
Turpine factory and local temples are among the other major attractions.
In the heart of Nahan town is Rani Tal, where a large temple and a tank
from the days of ex-rulers of Sirmaur state can be seen. Ducks and cranes
are seen playing in the Ranital Tank, and Ranital Garden further adds to
the charm.
Giri Nagar: Situated at a distance of 7-kms from Dhaula Kuan, this
town has a power house of 60 M.W. capacity, constructed after diverting
the Giri river through a 6-kms long tunnel.
TEMPLES
Trilokpur Temple: Raja Dip Prakash built it in 1573 and is
situated at a distance of 23-kms from Nahan and 6-kms from Kalka-Ambala
highway, the gateway to Nahan from
Haryana .
Trilokpur is a place of great religious importance. The temple of the
goddess Mahamaya Bala Sundri is very famous and attracts lakhs of pilgrims
from all over northern India, especially from
Haryana and
Himachal. A fair is held twice an year during the
Navratras in April and October when a large number of devotees visit this
temple and pay their respects to the goddess.
OTHERS
Suketi Fossil Park:
Suketi Fossil Park displays life size fiberglass models of pre-historic
animals whose fossil, skeletons were unearthed here. The park is first of
its kind in Asia to be developed at the actual site where fossils were
discovered. At a distance of 21-kms from Nahan, the Suketi Fossil Park is
located on the bank of Markanda river and is approachable by a link road
4-kms from Kalka-Ambala highway from Haryana. Located on upper and middle
Shiwaliks, consisting mainly of soft sandstone and clay rocks, the park at
present has six sets of life-size models of Stegodonganesa Sivatherium,
Hexaprotodon-Sivalensis, Colosschelys Atlas, Paramachaerdus and
Crocodilia, the animals which once thrived in the region. more...
Dhaula Kuan: On the road to
Paonta Sahib 20-kms from
Nahan, it is worth while to stop and see a sprawling orchard consisting of
citrus plants and mangoes and a fruit canning factory of various kinds of
juices, jams, pickles and canned fruits. A little away from Dhaula Kuan is
Kastasan Devi temple where Raja Jagat Singh defeated the advancing army of
Rulam Quadir Rohilla in a great battle. Their victory is commemorated in
the Devi Temple, built in gratitude by the Raja. Dhaula Kuan also has a
research station of H.P., KVV where useful research on tropical fruits is
carried out.
Air: Nearest airport is
Chandigarh ,
with Delhi as an
alternative.
Rail: The nearest railway stations are Ambala,
Chandigarh
and Kalka, which are connected by a regular bus service.
Road: Nahan is approachable from many directions by road: via
Dehra
Dun through Paonta Sahib;
via Kalka-Ambala from Haryana
and via Solan from Shimla
. There are regular bus services linking it to the other towns like
Manali ,
Delhi and
Haridwar
.
A major pilgrimage center of district Sirmaur, Nahan is flushed with resonable guesthouse and hotel accommodations.
Nahan celebrates Bawan Dwadshi towards the end of the
monsoon, when fifty-two idols of local gods are carried in procession to
Jagannath temple, where they are floated ceremoniously in a pool and are
restored at midnight to their niches.
BALA SUNDARI FAIR
The Bala Sundari fair is held at Trilokpur near Nahan, this coincides
with the sacred days of the Navratras.
SHRAVAN SANKRANTI
Shravan Sankranti is celebrated at Nahan, in the month of July, at Arki.
Buffalo fights mark the Sair Fair that is cunducted in the honour of Banar
devta of Shari. The Rampur Jatar is held near Jubbal in district
Shimla .
Paonta Sahib:
42-km
Suketi 21-km
Trilokpur: 23-km
Dhaula Kuan: 20-km
Giri Nagar: 27-km
Renuka: 45-km