Bilaspur
Bilaspur is located at an altitude of about 673 mtrs(2,208 ft.). It is the major town in Himachal Pradesh on the way to Manali. Sutlej is the main river which passes through the middle of the district and divide this place into equal parts. The New Bilaspur and The Old Bilaspur. Best season to visit this place is in the month of July to September. One can see Temples, Hills, Bhakra Dam, Forts, Caves at this place. Bilaspur is located in a district that is surrounded by seven hills namely -Naina Devi, Kot, Jhanjiar, Tiun, Bandala, Bahadurpur and Rattanpur. One can explore this place as there is lot more to do here like trekking, mountaineering, fishing, para-gliding, skiing, ice skating and golf, also blessed with lofty snow peaks, deep gorges, lush green valleys, fast flowing rivers, enchanting mountain lakes, flower bedecked meadows, beautiful temples and monasteries. Bilaspur has its own charm which cannot be describe in words, one has to visit here to experience this charm.
The Historical part of Bilaspur is in the dim past of Bilaspur, Rishi Vyas had stayed on the banks of river Sutlej, in order to do atonement. It is the Vyas Gufa where he stayed, in order to prepare himself for the difficult task, which he was about to execute latter in some other cave in the Uttrakhand. Bilaspur was founded in the 7th Century in the year 1663 also known as Kahlur. The town was earlier under the Chanderi kings rule. Later during the British rule in India was declared to be a princely state, the historic town was submerged in 1954 when the Sutlej River was dammed to create the Govind Sagar, and a new town was built upslope of the old.
By Air- Shimla is the nearest Airport from Bilaspur which is about 124 km away. Alternatively Internationsl Airport Chandigarh is another nearest Airport which is around 75 kms from Bilaspur. Cabs/ Taxis are available from Airport.
By Rail- Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab is the nearest airport to Bilaspur which is about 98 kms away.Cabs/ Taxis are available from Railway Station.
By Road- Bilaspur is well-connected with the major cities of Himachal Pradesh and also with the cities of nearby states. One can hire Cabs/ Taxis to come to this place.
Best Time To Visit
Summer (April - June): The temperature ranging from 22 to 38 degrees celsius. Summers in Bilaspur is hot and humid.
Monsoon (July - September): Bilaspur receives the moderate amount of rainfall, this is not the right time to visit Bilaspur, as the water level of dam increases and it disrupts the adventure sports in the lake and high water level.
Winter (October - March): The temperature in winters ranges from 5 to 22 degrees Celsius. It is the best time to visit Bilaspur.
Foods
You will get the Himachali cuisine here like Chapati, dals, vegetable gravy and curd.You will get the pickles with every meal in most of the eating joints. There are limited restaurants you can have your food in hotels and resorts where you stay.
Attractions
Gobind Sagar Lake
It is a man made reservoir for the Bhakra Dam. This place is famous for fishing as it has 51 species. This artificial lake was named after Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of Sikhs,it is a short cut to Baba Balak Nath Ji. It is a source of Hydro Power for Bhakra Dam in 1976. Some of the species of fishes are Labeo dero, Tor pitutrata, Mystus seenghala and Mirror carp. As water level increasesin lake one can enjoy water sports activities like water skiing, sailing, motorboat racing, surfing, kayaking, rowing, canoeing and river rafting. The Tourism Department of Himachal Pradesh in Luhnoo Ground has constructed a huge water sports complex.
Bhakra Dam
The dam is situated in bhakhra village across the sutlej river. Bhakra Dam is about 15 km from Nangal Dam. Nangal Dam is a downstream dam to Bhakra Dam and together they are calledBhakra Nangal Dam. It is one of the highest gravity dam in world. The Gobind Sagar reservoir created by the dam is the third largest reservoir in India. The Dam is 741 ft high and has four spillway gates. The dam was completed by the end of 1963. Initially, the project was started by Sir Louis Dane, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab. However, due to some reasons construction was put to a halt. Post independence the work was continued by the chief architect Rai Bahadur Kunwar Sen Gupta.
Sri Naina Devi Ji
This temple is situated at a height of about 1219 mtrs above sea level, it was built by Raja Bir Chand in 8th Century. It is one of the 52 shakti peeths of sati. As per mythology at this place Sati eyes fell, hence it is named as Shri Naina Devi ji . All the major festivals are celebrated in this temple and most importantly is in Navratras in the month of October- November. Another interesting feature of this temple is the Ropeways and Palkis are used for people comfortability.
Paragliding
In Bilaspur Bandla hills is the most popular site for Paragliding , this place is somewhere on top of the list for adventurous activity.
Kandraur Bridge
This is one of the highest bridge in Asia at a height of about 80 mtrs. This bridge is on Sutlej River surrounded by limestone rocks.
Vyas Cave
This cave is situated at a height of about 610 mtrs on the left bank of Sutlej , in this cave Rishi Vyas stayed in his days of permorming penance , he is the author of Mahabharta Epic.
Nahar Singh Dhaulra
This temple is dedicated to Baba Nahar Singh, local people of this place has strong faith . This temple also holds fairs on Tuesdays during the mid May- mid June.
