Nahan
Encyclopedia
Nahan नाहन is a town in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

 in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and is the headquarters of the Sirmaur District
Sirmaur district
Sirmour is the most south-eastern district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is largely mountainous and rural, with 90% of its population living in villages...

.

Geography

Nahan is located at 30.55°N 77.3°E. It has an average elevation of 920 metre

Demographics

India census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Nahan had a population of 34,632. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Nahan has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 77%. In Nahan, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Nahan Town

A well-laid out picturesque town, Nahan is situated on a hill top in the Shiwalik Hills, overlooking green hills. Traditionally, saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...

s and prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...

s are linked with the origin of Nahan. The city was founded as a capital by Raja Karan Prakash in 1621. He was very fond of flying kites and he started a tradition of flying kites on rakshabandhan day - a tradition followed till today. Another version recalls a saint who lived with a companion named Nahar on the site where the Nahan palace now stands. "Nahar" means Don't kill and the town probably takes its name from an incident when a king was trying to kill a lion and the saint said Nahar, that is do not kill it. The name of the saint was Baba Banwari Das.

At an altitude of 932 m, Nahan is a good base for visits to the surrounding areas such as Renuka Lake
Renuka Lake
Renuka lake is in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh in India and it is 672 m above the sea level. It is the largest lake in Himachal Pradesh, with a circumference of about 3214 m. This lake was named after the goddess Renuka. It is well connected by the road. Boating is available on the...

, Paonta Sahib
Paonta Sahib
Paonta Sahib पौंटा साहिब is a small beautiful town in the south of Sirmour district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is an important religious spot for Sikhs and a bustling industrial town...

, Trilokpur temple and the Suketi
Suketi
Suketi is a village in Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh, India. It has Asia's oldest Fossil park. At a distance of 21 km from Nahan, it displays lifesize fiber reinforced plastic models of pre-historic animals whose fossil skeletons were unearthed here. The park is the first of its kind in...

 Fossil Park. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year and is watered by a man-made lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 and decorated with temples and gardens. Nahan has got the crown to organize the second Municipal Corporation in India, after Kolkata.

Underground sewerage system in this town is unbeatable and hence it bears the title to be a neat and clean town. Well planned streets make all the long distances calm and traffic free. The narrow fields are used by the pedestrians to move fast on foot to avoid traffic.

The Municipal Corporation Office is also situated near to the Pakka Tank only. The Sirmour district has been extensively criss-crossed by rivers and the streams and most of them having perennial water flow of considerable volume. With the result, fishing on the rivers and streams has been a pretty old past time in the district. The mulle, Masheer, Gid and Mirror cap varietiesare found on large scale, helping in the economic well being of the people.

Industrially, Sirmour district was not much advanced. The first such unit was set up in 1875, which was taken over by the govt.

In 1964 A.D. The Chief items of this foundry were cane crusher, cast iron and black sheet panes flour mills, centrifugal pumps mono-block pump sets and other agricultural implements and accessories. This Foundry was over taken by the Britishers During the British Rule in INDIA. This foundry is situated near famous Kalisthan Temple. Also there is a house opposite to Nahan Foundry which was constructed by Britishers for the general manager of the foundry in 1945, currently in possession of government as Sessions House where the District & Sessions Judge of Nahan resides.

Award-winning American pornographic actress Sunny Leone
Sunny Leone
Not to be confused with fellow pornographic actress Sunny LaneSunny Leone is an Indo-Canadian pornographic actress, actress, businesswoman and model. She was named Penthouse Pet of the Year in 2003 and was a contract star for Vivid Entertainment...

's (born Karen Malhotra, a Bigg Boss Season 5
Bigg Boss (season 5)
Bigg Boss 5 in 2011 is the fifth season of the Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss, which aired on Colors from 2 October 2011 to 7 January 2012 with Sanjay Dutt as the host...

 contestant) mother was born and raised in Nahan.

Places of interest

The gentle level walks of Villa Round and Hospital Round(Chakkar Ke Sadak) are evocative of the city's past. The hub of Nahan's activities is Chaugan. The Mall Road is one of the favourite place of the youngsters after the college campus to walk along, specially in evening. Evening walk is one of the most common habit found in the citizens of Nahan. People regularly go for evening walk in the market and on The Mall. People like to meet in market and also visit the homes of friends on regular basis, mostly during this evening walk. Gift shops, Rosin & Turpentine factory and local temples are among the other major attractions. Other places of visit include Markanda ( 8 km from Nahan ) , Jamta where,there is situated one Tri-star Hotel named "Grand View Resort" & one Five-star hotel named "The Sirmaur Retreat" where you can "Rest,Relax & Rejuvenate" (10–12 km) and Renuka Ji Lake (35 km) . In the heart of Nahan town is Rani Tal, where a large temple and a water pond from the days of ex-rulers of Sirmaur state can be seen. Ducks and cranes could be seen playing in the Ranital pond, and Ranital Garden further adds to the charm. Pakka Talab is one of the other ponds which has been renovated. A big fountain adds up to the beauty of the Pakka Tank, and the garden seats are being installed. Pakka Tank is also the place to celebrate two most important festivals of the town, that is BamanDwadshi Fair and Gugga Peer Fair. Pakka tank is also well known for its whole sale vegetable market, which is under operation in all the mornings,and recently shifted to Kanshiwalla. The one and only Railway reservation centre of Nahan is also situated in the Panchayat Ghar, Pakka Tank.Gunnu Ghat is the center of the Nahan City. All short-cuts leads to everywhere from this center point.Historical Miyan Ka mandir is very popular and gets good gathering on Krishna janam Ashtmi. In Nahan you can visit one more beautiful place called Shanti Sangam and Tallon and can admire natural beauty.

Famous religious places

  • Shiv Ji Temple Saltevni
  • Kalisthan Temple
  • Jagannath Temple
  • Rani Tal Shiv Temple
  • Gurudwara Dashmesh Asthaan Nahan
  • Shri Krishna Temple, Cantt.
  • Miyan Madir
  • Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Upper Stre
  • Shudh Dhar Shiv Mandir the Famous Place of Sirmour
  • Nainidhar Shiv Mandir
  • Bhagnari Shiv Mandir
  • Sanatan Dharam Mandir
  • Mata Balasundari Temple,Hospital Round
  • Mehlat

Nearby Places

  • Paonta Sahib
    Paonta Sahib
    Paonta Sahib पौंटा साहिब is a small beautiful town in the south of Sirmour district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is an important religious spot for Sikhs and a bustling industrial town...

    : 42 km
  • Baila
    Baila
    Baila is a form of dance music popular on the island of Sri Lanka. The genre originated centuries ago among the 'kaffir' or Afro-Sinhalese communities and was later amalgamated with European instruments and eastern and western rhythms, especially rhythms found in Spain and northern European folk...

     : 40 km
  • Neherla 20 km
  • Kala Amb
    Kala Amb
    Kala Amb is an Industrial Area in Sirmaur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. At present Kalaamb is an emerging town for industries as it hosts production units for Paper, Metal, chemicals, thread mills and Air-Conditioners; thus air pollution is quite a concern here...

    : 17 km
  • Suketi
    Suketi
    Suketi is a village in Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh, India. It has Asia's oldest Fossil park. At a distance of 21 km from Nahan, it displays lifesize fiber reinforced plastic models of pre-historic animals whose fossil skeletons were unearthed here. The park is the first of its kind in...

    : 21 km
  • Trilokpur
    Trilokpur
    Trilokpur त्रिलोकपुर Himachal stands on an isolated hillock about 24 km south-west of Nahan, 77-15’ north and 30’30’ east, at an elevation of about 430 m. The place is famous for its temple of renowned goddess Bala Sundri....

    : 23 km
  • Dhaulakuan
    Dhaulakuan
    Dhaulakuan or Dhaula Kuan is a small town in the Paonta Sahib tehsil of Sirmour district in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located between Nahan, one of the tehsils of Sirmour district, and Paonta Sahib. It lies on National Highway 72 between Dehradun and Shimla...

     : 24 km
  • Giri Nagar: 27 km
  • Renuka: 45 km
  • Kotla-Molar: 55 km
  • Palnoo: 50 km
  • Yamunanagar
    Yamunanagar
    Yamuna nagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Yamuna Nagar district in the Indian state of Haryana. This town is known for the cluster of plywood units. The older town is called Jagadhri...

     : 65 km
  • Chandigarh
    Chandigarh
    Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

      : 90 km
  • Sarahan
    Sarahan
    Sarahan is small town in Himachal Pradesh of India. It is the site of famous Bhimakali temple, dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali, presiding deity of the rulers of the former Bushahr State. The temple is situated about 180 kilometers from Shimla and is one of 51 Shakti Peethas. The town is...

      : 37 km
  • Sadhaura : 31 km
  • Mandhara
    Mandhara
    Mandhara is a small village in Tehsil Paonta Sahib, Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh. There are about 30 families in this small village with approx 400 population. The nearby Villages are Birla, Baila, Kando Kansar, Dabriya etc. This village is around 35 km from Paonta Sahib, a place which is...

     : 35 km
  • Jamta : 13 km
  • Surla(Sirmaur): 17 km
  • Kaulanwalabhood: 28 km
  • Badaban: 16 km
  • Shimla
    Shimla
    Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

    : 135 km

Suketi Fossil Park

Suketi
Suketi
Suketi is a village in Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh, India. It has Asia's oldest Fossil park. At a distance of 21 km from Nahan, it displays lifesize fiber reinforced plastic models of pre-historic animals whose fossil skeletons were unearthed here. The park is the first of its kind in...

 Fossil Park, also known as Shivalik Fossil Park
Shivalik Fossil Park
Shivalik Fossil Park is a fossil park situated at Saketi, India, 14 km from Nahan, the district headquarters of Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh....

, at a distance of 21 km from Nahan, displays lifesize fiber reinforced plastic(FRP) models of pre-historic animals whose fossil skeletons were unearthed here. The park is the first of its kind in Asia to be developed at the actual discovery site of fossils. The Park is located on the left bank of the Markanda river and is approachable by a link road 4 km from 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, Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...

 animals which once thrived in the region.

On October 30, 2010, Senior lecturer of commissioned Interns of Department of Geological Survey, found around two and half feet long Ivory (हाथी दांत), buried in Sand soil. The age of the ivory is being told as around 150,000 years, on bases of carbon dating done in the region in the past.

Trilokpur Temple

Raja Dip Prakash built Trilokpur
Trilokpur
Trilokpur त्रिलोकपुर Himachal stands on an isolated hillock about 24 km south-west of Nahan, 77-15’ north and 30’30’ east, at an elevation of about 430 m. The place is famous for its temple of renowned goddess Bala Sundri....

 Temple in 1573 and it is situated at a distance of 23 km from Nahan and 6 km from Kalka-Ambala highway, the gateway to Nahan from Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

. Trilokpur is a place of great religious importance. The temple of the goddess Mahamaya Bala Sundri is very famous and attracts lakhs of devotees from all over northern India, especially from Haryana and Himachal. A fair is held twice a year during the Navratra in April and October when a large number of devotees visit this temple and pay their respects to the goddess.

Dhaula Kuan

Dhaulakuan
Dhaulakuan
Dhaulakuan or Dhaula Kuan is a small town in the Paonta Sahib tehsil of Sirmour district in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located between Nahan, one of the tehsils of Sirmour district, and Paonta Sahib. It lies on National Highway 72 between Dehradun and Shimla...

 - On the road to Paonta Sahib 20 km 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 Rustam Qadir Rohilla
Rohilla
The Rohilla are a community of Hindi-speaking Pashtun also known as Pathan, historically found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in North India. Most are now also found in Pakistan where they are now part of the Mohajir community. At one time, they form one of the largest Pashtun diaspora community...

 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.

Giri Nagar

Situated at a distance of 5 km from Dhaula Kuan,Nahan- Paonta Sahib main highway, this town has a power house of 60 MW capacity, constructed after diverting the Giri river through a 6 km long tunnel. This town situated on the Giri river so called GIRI NAGAR.It has a power house of 60 MW capacity and supply the power to the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Air

The nearest airport is Chandigarh, with Dehradun as an option.Shimla Airport is also not too far.

Rail

The nearest railway stations are Barara,Ambala, Chandigarh and Kalka, which are connected by a regular bus service. Yamunanagar is another rail station close to the town

Road

Nahan is approachable from many directions by road: via Baila from Rajban, via Dehra Dun through Paonta Sahib; via Panchkula-Naraingarh-Kala Amb from Chandigarh, via Yamunanagar -Hathanikund from Haryana and via Solan- Kumarhatti from Shimla. There are regular bus services linking it to the other towns like Shimla, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Delhi and Haridwar.
If you are coming from Delhi, the best and shortest route option is to take the road via Saha. For Saha, take a right exit from NH1 after crossing Shahbad and then the bridge on River Markanda.

Bawan Dwadshi

Nahan celebrates Bawan Dwadshi towards the end of the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

, when fifty-two cult image
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...

s of local gods
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....

 are carried in procession
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...

 to Jagannath temple, where they are floated ceremoniously in a pool and are restored at midnight to their niches.

Gugga Peer Fair

A fair is celebrated in Nahan to mark the honour of Gogaji (गोगाजी) also known as Gugga (is a folk deity of Rajasthan state in India). He is an eminent warrior-hero of the region. Hindus and Muslims alike honor him. He is also venerated as a saint and even as 'snake-god'. He is known as Goga among the Hindus and Jahar Peer among the Muslims. The Kaimkhani Muslims claim descent from him and regard him as a peer (saint).

Jamta Fair

A Fair is organised by the Gram Panchayt in the village Jamta every year two days before the "DUSSHEHRA"(Vijaydashmi) and is famous as "JAMTA MELA" or "ASHTMI KA MELA". First of all there is done worship of Goddess "BALA SUNDARI" after that there is organised a "Kabaddi" Championship and the very old and famous "Kushti" championship consisting players of various states all over India. Various state teams or District teams take part in the Kabaddi championship. Many people across the State come to visit the sacred place and Cheerful fair.
At the night time, there is organised many cultural programmes in which participate the students of the local schools nearby. Since last 5 years the Panchayat Committee is organising the cultural programmes with the help of various Pahari artists who sing, dance & act the whole night to make that one day, the special day of the villagers.

Education facilities

Recently, quite a few schools have sprung up in this small hilly town. The absence of an integrated plan resulted in a sum of Rs 133.53 crore, received under various schemes and projects in Sirmaur district, remaining unspent and services in health and education sectors suffering.However the more reputed ones are ""'Carmel COnvent SchoolArmy school nahan'",A.V.N. Senior secondary school, D.A.V. School, More than 200 Years Old Government Shamsher Senior Secondary School for boys and Government Girls Senior Secondary School. A.V.N. School also provides Hostel Facility to the students. Also many coaching institutes have started offering guidance to students preparing for entrance examinations.
Along with this Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalay is the boarding school available in judda ka johar which is about 7 km from the main town. Students from distant places come to get education in this institute.

One of the five Sanskrit Colleges of Himachal Pradesh is in Nahan which provides a dual degree course .Shastri as well as B.A. degree can be availed from this college .The College has its Own building and provides a hostel for the boys.

Govt. Post Graduate College is the only centre for the Graduation and Post Graduation Courses of H.P University. Students from distant places come here for there higher education. The college provides the Hostel Facility to the girls.

Near to this town three engineering colleges namely IITT KalaAmb (20 km),Himalayan group of professional institutes kala amb (www.himalayaninstitutions.com) and Green Hills Engg College, Kumarhatti (About 60 km) are available.

Himachal may have been ranked amongst the best in the country with regard to health and education but the picture in the district of Sirmaur in this regard does not seem to be too rosy.Sirmaur district for the last five years from 2004 to 2009.

The report clearly points out that several developmental schemes like Vikas Mein Jan Sahyog and works undertaken with funds provided to MPs and MLAs were neither planned nor completed within the specified time limit

Town also has number of Computer Education centres.
Other schools available are
  • Carmel Convent School
  • Army School
  • A.V.N public school
  • D.A.V Public School
  • Sirmour Public School
  • Holy Heart Public School (for primary classes)
  • Silver Bells School (For primary classes)
  • S.V.N Public School
  • MRP public school
  • Model Primary School
  • Shamsher Senior Secondary School
  • Cantt Primary School
  • Mandir Primary School
  • Parangat Primary School


External links

  • http://www.himachaltourism.nic.in/sirm.htm
  • http://www.shamsherseniorsecondary.com
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