Nahan

Nahan

Nahan is situated on an isolated ridge in the Shiwalik hills, overlooking greenfields. Nahan is a well laid-out picturesque town, known for its cleanliness and dust free streets. Saint 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. Nahan situated at an altitude of 932 meters, is a good base for visits to the surrounding 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 the headquarter of Sirmaur district.

Lytton Memorial, Nahan

There gently level walks; 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. 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. 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.

General Information

Altitude: 932 meters

Area: 2825 sq km

Population: 4.58 lakh

Temperature: Max. 38°C Min. 6°C

Clothing: Cotton clothes in Summer and light woolens in winter.

Language: Hindi, Punjabi, English are understood and spoken by the people engaged in tourism trade.

Approach

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

1. via Dehradun (Uttrakhand) through Paonta Sahib
2. via Kala-Amb from Haryana and
3. via Solan from Shimla ( H.P.)

There are regular bus services linking it to the other towns like Manali, Delhi and Haridwar.

Distances from Nahan

Places to visit	Km
Dhaula kuan	20
Giri Nagar	27
Paonta Sahib	45
Renuka	38
Suketi Fossil Park	21
Balasundri temple, Trilokpur	23
Rajgarh valley	40

Renuka lake is situated at a height of 672 m and lies in Sirmour district. It is 123 km from Parwanoo, 60 km from Paonta Sahib via Sataun and 38 km from Nahan via Dadahu. With a circumference of 3214m, Renukaji is the largest natural lake in Himachal. Shaped like the profile of a reclining woman, this is regarded as the embodiment of the goddess Renuka. Near the lake's feet is another lake held sacred by Hindus, and is associated to a legend surrounding her son, the legendary sage Parshurama. Both have temples built around them and the main temple dedicated to Goddess Renuka is regarded to have been built overnight in 18th century. The lake lies in a long valley and surrounding slopes are covered with thick woods. The lake is full of colourful fish and other acquatic animals. The lake is surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary and a few other temples. Boating facility is available at the lake.

Accomodation: The HPTDC has hotel Renuka ji just by the side of the lake. Two km away is a small town Dadahu which has some low-budget private hotels, along with PWD and Forest rest houses.

Tourists enjoying boating in Renuka Lake

Rajgarh

Popularly known as the Peach valley, Rajgarh is a lush green valley in Sirmaur district. Rajgarh has two sub-divisions namely, Rajgarh and Sarahan, which is also a beautiful valley of Sirmaur. Rajgarh is a place of great natural beauty and is about 40 km from Solan. One can camp and trek in the valley. At Rajgarh, rest house of PWD and Forest Department are available for staying, besides private hotels and guest houses.

The people of this valley are dynamic and hardworking. They are religious and worshippers of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. The local Shaya temple of Lord Shirgul has a mammoth following. According to a legend, Lord Shirgul had first come to Shaya village and later settled in Churdhar Mountain at height of 12,000 feet.

The famous Baru Sahib Gurdwara also lies in this valley and is worth a visit. It is 29 km from Rajgarh and is situated beyond Kheri, a picturesque spot on the banks of a tributary of the Giri River.

Habban Valley: It is an enchanting destination and the area has thick pine fir, kail, baan and deodar forests besides orchards of apples and peaches. The climate is pleasant round the year and in winter, Habban occasionally has snow. Habban is about 70 km from Solan via Yashwant Nagar and Rajgarh.

Haripurdhar: Haripurdhar is about two hour journey from Rajgarh and is famous for the temple of Bhangyani Devi, a god sister of Lord Shirgul, the principal deity whose seat is at Churdhar. For staying PWD rest house (3 sets) and newly constructed trekkers hut is available, besides the Sarai in the temple.

Nohradhar: On way to Haripurdhar from Rajgarh, Nohradhar is one hour journey and is a base for trekking to Churdhar. There are many trek routes in the valley to Churdhar, like-Sailpaw-Dokhta-Churdhar (7 km), Haripurdhar-Churdhar (17 km), Nohradhar-Churdhar (14 km), Sarahan-Churdhar (7 km), Habban-Churdhar (15 km). For staying rest house of PWD (3 sets), IPH (2 sets) and some Guest houses are available.

Paonta Sahib is a sacred town built in the memory of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. The road passes through Sataun and follows the Giri River along the beautiful scenery. Situated on the banks of Yamuna River, Paonta Sahib is a bustling township with growing industries. It is one of the important holy places for the Sikhs. It retains tangible memories of Guru Gobind Singh in the form of his weapons and a majestic Gurudwara. It recalls his presence even in the name of the city which is derived from Paonta meaning "foot", either because he set foot on this place or, according to an alternate story, he lost an ornament which he wore on his foot called "Paonta" while bathing in the Yamuna river.

There is a legend in this town that surrounds the ruins of this old capital of a princely state. Sirmouri Tal, not very far from Paonta Sahib was destroyed by the curse of a court dancer when the the ruler went back on an oath to give half of this kingdom in case she crossed a narrow gorge on a rope. This, she did but the wily ruler the offered her the entire kingdom if she could dance her way back. She started back but as she was half way across, he cut the rope hurling the helpless girl into the stream. Floods followed which swept away the city, the ruler and the royal house, as a result of dancer's curse. Vishawkarma temple and few other Hindu temples are also located in Paonta Sahib. The water of river Yamuna is being dammed down stream of Paonta which will soon have a water reservoir where water sports will be organised.

Approach
Road: Paonta Sahib is easily approachable from Nahan (45 km) and there is regular bus service connecting the places. One can also come from other routes by bus or car/taxi from Dehra Dun (45 km), Haridwar (117 km) and Shimla (180 km).

Accomodation
There is adequate accommodation in Paonta Sahib. visitors can stay at the HPTDC Hotel Yamuna, PWD Rest House, SFDA Bhawan, Paonta Sahib gurudwara, Mata Bala Sundri Sarai and in some private lodges and hotels.

• Distances from Paonta Sahib

  Places to visit	Km
  Gurudwara
  Kafota	42
  Khoodri Dak Pathar	25
  Old temples
  Sahastra Dhara	25

Dominating the entire landscape of fields, forests and ravines is the Churdhar peak, which rises to 3647 meters and is a trekkers’ treat from Nahan and Renuka. Approached by way of Dadahu, Sangrah, Bhawal, Gandhuri and Nauhra, it is a 50 km trek. A less taxing journey is by taxi or car to Nauhra and thereafter a walk of 16 km. The climb is difficult but rewarding. The peak offers a fine view of the Gangetic plains and the Satluj river in south, and Badrinath towards the north, a well known Hindu pilgrimage. Also seen are the hills of Chakrata and Shimla from the top. An alternative route to Choordhar is through Rajgarh, an orchard country.