Himachal Pradesh is located in North West in India in the lap of the Great Himalayas . It is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir in the North , Punjab in the West , Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the South and Tibet in the East. This beautiful state is divided into two parts Southern and Northern Himachal. The southern Himachal also known as lower Himachal is as hot as plain areas ,where as upper is Northern Himachal less hot in Summer and extreme cold and heavy snow in Winter.
Himachal Pradesh - the land of eternal snow peaks - takes in the transition zone from the plains to the high Himalaya and in the trans-Himalayan region of Lahaul and Spiti, actually crosses that mighty barrier to the Tibetan plateau. The Kullu valley, with its developed and tourist-oriented economy, can be considered the backbone of the state. Off the east is thew Parbati valley, popular with long stay visitors. In the Chamba and Kangra regions can be found typical British hill stations and small but beautiful temple complexes.
Himachal Pradesh is dominated by mountains and their associated rivers and valleys. Himachal Pradesh can be easily segregated by its valleys. Lahaul consists of the Chandra and Bhaga valleys. Further east, the Spiti river joins the Sutlej river in Kinnaur and flows all the way to the Punjab. In the west, the beautiful Kangra valley stretches from Mandi to Shahpur, near Pathankot.
Kotwali Bazaar and Mcleod Ganj are major shopping areas. Mcleod bazaar has numerous shops selling Tibetan handicrafts including woollen carpets, metalware, jewellery, jackets, handknitted cardigans, gloves etc.
| Area | 55,673 sq. km. |
| Population | 6.13 Million |
| Literacy | 64% |
| Language | Hindi, Parhari |
| STD Code | 011 |
| Best time to visit | Mid-May to Mid-October, Late December to March |