BILASPUR

The entire area of the present Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh was a princely State and with the lapse of paramountcy in India was taken over under the Central Administration as a separate unit but not made over to Himachal Pradesh because of the multi-purpose Bhakra Dam Project over the Sutlaj* river. It was thought that till the Dam was completed Bilaspur should be under the Centre.

This Centrally administered unit was merged on Ist July, 1954 into Himachal Pradesh State as a district. A picture of the erstwhile Bilaspur State will be found in the following account from the History of Punjab Hill States. "Bilaspur State is situated in the Lower Sutlej Valley in the outer hills, and is divided into two almost equal portions by that river, named Warla and Parla.

Kangra and Mandi bound it on the north, on the west by Hoshiarpur, on the south by Hindur (Nalagarb), and on the east by Baghal and Suket. The Satluj enters the State from Mangal at the village of Kasol, and, traversing it in a tortuous course for 56 miles, leaves the territory at Naila and enters Hoshiarpur District.

Author - P.C. Roy Choudhoury

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