Kotla, Himachal Pradesh
Encyclopedia
Kotla is a small hill town
situated on the Pathankot
–Dharamshala road, in Himachal Pradesh
, India
. The town is about 45 km from Pathankot
and the same distance from Dharamshala. Its geographical coordinates are 32° 15' 0" North, 76° 2' 0" East and its original name (with diacritics) is Kotla.
This hill town is situated in the lap of the Dhauladhar
hills, in the Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh
. A hill stream cuts through the town. Across the stream is a 100-year-old bridge connecting the two portions of the town. Construction work on a new bridge is underway. The town is famous for the old fort (Kotla Fort, see Pathania#Brief history, the Bagula Mukhi temple, and a number of additional religious places.
The Dehar Khad stream is an all-season stream, with fresh water coming from the higher Chamba
ranges. The stream has a water mill, the ancient water-run Gharat, which is used to make flour from grains. There is another unit which makes local ice cream with the refrigeration machine powered by the flow of river water.
There is a fish tank situated about 5 km from the hill town, in the village of Soldha, which is also an interesting locality. Nearby there is a Tibetan
monastery
with excellent carvings and a large statue of Lord Buddha. Just 1 km away on the Dharamshala road is Ram Tirath Ashram
. Another 1 km further on there is a Hanuman
mandir on the roadside. About 3 km from the town of Kotla is the Trilokinath Temple, famous for its natural cave with a Shiva
lingam
. By the side of the temple is a beautiful stream.
Hill town
Hill town is the term used to describe citadel towns built upon hills to ward off invaders. Often protected by defensive walls, steep embankments, or cliffs, such hilltop settlements provided natural defenses for their inhabitants....
situated on the Pathankot
Pathankot
Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...
–Dharamshala road, 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...
, 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...
. The town is about 45 km from Pathankot
Pathankot
Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...
and the same distance from Dharamshala. Its geographical coordinates are 32° 15' 0" North, 76° 2' 0" East and its original name (with diacritics) is Kotla.
This hill town is situated in the lap of the Dhauladhar
Dhauladhar
The Dhauladhar range is a southern branch of the main Outer Himalayan chain of mountains. It rises spectacularly from the Indian plains to the north of Kangra and Mandi...
hills, in the Kangra valley of 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...
. A hill stream cuts through the town. Across the stream is a 100-year-old bridge connecting the two portions of the town. Construction work on a new bridge is underway. The town is famous for the old fort (Kotla Fort, see Pathania#Brief history, the Bagula Mukhi temple, and a number of additional religious places.
The Dehar Khad stream is an all-season stream, with fresh water coming from the higher Chamba
Chamba district
Chamba is the northwestern district of Himachal Pradesh, in India, with its headquarters in Chamba town. The towns of Dalhousie and Khajjhiar are popular hill stations and vacation spots for the people from the plains of northern India....
ranges. The stream has a water mill, the ancient water-run Gharat, which is used to make flour from grains. There is another unit which makes local ice cream with the refrigeration machine powered by the flow of river water.
There is a fish tank situated about 5 km from the hill town, in the village of Soldha, which is also an interesting locality. Nearby there is a Tibetan
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
with excellent carvings and a large statue of Lord Buddha. Just 1 km away on the Dharamshala road is Ram Tirath Ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
. Another 1 km further on there is a Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
mandir on the roadside. About 3 km from the town of Kotla is the Trilokinath Temple, famous for its natural cave with a Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
lingam
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
. By the side of the temple is a beautiful stream.