Kalka
Encyclopedia
Kalka is a town
in the Panchkula district
of Haryana
, India
. The name of the town is derived from the goddess Kali
. The town is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas
and is a gateway to the neighbouring state
of Himachal Pradesh
. It is on the National Highway 22
between Chandigarh
and Shimla
, and is the terminus of the Kalka-Shimla Railway
. To the south of Kalka is Pinjore
, and the industrial town of Parwanoo
(Himachal Pradesh) is to the north on the NH 22. Industrial development has led to a continuous urban belt from Pinjore to Parwanoo, but Kalka remains largely unaffected by these developments. Nearby is Chandimandir Cantonment
where the Western Command of the Indian army
is based.
of Patiala in 1843 as a depot for Simla, the summer capital of the Raj. It became the junction for the Delhi-Ambala - Kalka, and the Kalka - Simla railways
. By 1901, the town, administered as a notified area
, had a population of 7,045, a railway workshop, and was a market for ginger and turmeric. The Kalka municipal committee was created on 11 April 1933.
, near the end of winter.
Winter season, even though being chilly, is mostly free of fog unlike most north Indian cities in planes.
Government and private buses are also very common for commuting to near by towns. Many intercity govt buses start or pass through Kalka, connecting it with Chandigarh, Ambala, Delhi, Shimla and many other cities.
's World Heritage site
s list as the Mountain Railways of India
. Work on the railway line started in 1898 and it opened for traffic in 1903.
is situated on the National Highway 22
that runs through Kalka town. The temple is very popular with hundreds of devotees pay their respects annually during the Navratri.
It is believed that this temple was build in the age of Mahabhrata by Pandvas, during "Agyat Vas" when they stayed here for some time.
) was excavated on one of the hills overlooking the town. This temple has also become popular destination among devotees, including localites.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Panchkula district
Panchkula District
Panchkula district is the newly formed 17th district of Haryana state in India. As formed 15 August 1995, it comprises two sub divisions and two Tehsils named Panchkula and Kalka. It has 264 villages out of which 12 villages are un-inhabited and 10 villages wholly merged in towns or treated as...
of 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...
, 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 name of the town is derived from the goddess Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
. The town is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and is a gateway to the neighbouring state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
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...
. It is on the National Highway 22
National Highway 22 (India)
National Highway 22 is a National Highway in Northern India that connects Ambala with Khab, a small town near the India-China border and Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh. In reality, Khab is not the last place in India on the NH22. The NH22 extends beyond Khab into Namgial, situated on the top of the...
between 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...
and 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...
, and is the terminus of the Kalka-Shimla Railway
Kalka-Shimla Railway
The Kalka–Shimla Railway is a narrow gauge railway in North-West India travelling along a mostly mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla. It is known for breathtaking views of the hills and surrounding villages.- History :...
. To the south of Kalka is Pinjore
Pinjore
Pinjore is a town in Panchkula district in the Indian state of Haryana.-Demographics: India census, Pinjore had a population of 25,498. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Pinjore has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is...
, and the industrial town of Parwanoo
Parwanoo
Parwanoo is a city and a municipal council in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is an industrial town. It borders Panchkula district of Haryana, and is after the towns of Pinjore and Kalka on the Chandigarh Simla Highway. In fact it is separated by a river bed from the...
(Himachal Pradesh) is to the north on the NH 22. Industrial development has led to a continuous urban belt from Pinjore to Parwanoo, but Kalka remains largely unaffected by these developments. Nearby is Chandimandir Cantonment
Chandimandir Cantonment
Chandimandir Cantonment is a Military Station of the Indian Army, generally referred to as Chandimandir Cantonment, located in Panchkula district, at the foot of the Sivalik Hills adjoining Panchkula city, in the state of Haryana, India. It is the headquarters of the Western Command of Indian Army...
where the Western Command of the Indian army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
is based.
History
Kalka was acquired by British India from the Princely statePrincely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Patiala in 1843 as a depot for Simla, the summer capital of the Raj. It became the junction for the Delhi-Ambala - Kalka, and the Kalka - Simla railways
Kalka-Shimla Railway
The Kalka–Shimla Railway is a narrow gauge railway in North-West India travelling along a mostly mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla. It is known for breathtaking views of the hills and surrounding villages.- History :...
. By 1901, the town, administered as a notified area
Notified area
In urban planning, a notified area is any land area earmarked by legal provision for future development. The term is used in the Hindi belt region of North India....
, had a population of 7,045, a railway workshop, and was a market for ginger and turmeric. The Kalka municipal committee was created on 11 April 1933.
Climate
Kalka enjoys a pleasant weather for most of the year, compared to nearby big cities like Chandigarh, Ambala, Delhi etc. Summers are hot during May and June. Monsoon bring in heavy rainfall for about 4 to 5 months starting around late May/June. Around October/November temperature start falling rapidly and chilling winter sets in by December. Winter season lasts for another 3–4 months. Kalka also receives some rainfall from Western DisturbanceWestern Disturbance
Western Disturbance is the term used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal to describe an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean, that brings sudden winter rain and snow to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent. This is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by...
, near the end of winter.
Winter season, even though being chilly, is mostly free of fog unlike most north Indian cities in planes.
Road
Kalka is situated along slope. This makes it somewhat difficult to commute on foot. Local transport (within Kalka) is by shared auto-rickshaws. These autos ply to a distance of around 15–20 km. There are also shared cabs (not the luxury ones) for distances up to 25–30 km.Government and private buses are also very common for commuting to near by towns. Many intercity govt buses start or pass through Kalka, connecting it with Chandigarh, Ambala, Delhi, Shimla and many other cities.
Kalka Bypass
As Kalka falls on a major tourist circuit (Delhi-Shimla), it presents a major traffic snarl. During peak rush, traffic jams up to 1–2 hours were a common problem. To counter growing local and tourist traffic, NHAI is constructing Pinjore-Parwanoo link road which will bypass Kalka and parts of Parwanoo and Pinjore.Rail
Kalka has a railway station of Northern railways, Indian Rail (Station code KLK) serving as terminal station for broad gauge line (towards Chandigarh) and narrow gauge line (towards Shimla). Direct trains on broad gauge, connect to Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah etc.Kalka Shimla Railway
The Kalka Shimla Railway features on the UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's World Heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s list as the Mountain Railways of India
Mountain railways of India
The Mountain Railways of India refer to the five railway lines built in the mountains of India in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, during the British Raj, which are run even today by the Indian Railways...
. Work on the railway line started in 1898 and it opened for traffic in 1903.
Kali Mata Temple
The ancient temple of the Hindu goddess KaliKali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
is situated on the National Highway 22
National Highway 22 (India)
National Highway 22 is a National Highway in Northern India that connects Ambala with Khab, a small town near the India-China border and Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh. In reality, Khab is not the last place in India on the NH22. The NH22 extends beyond Khab into Namgial, situated on the top of the...
that runs through Kalka town. The temple is very popular with hundreds of devotees pay their respects annually during the Navratri.
It is believed that this temple was build in the age of Mahabhrata by Pandvas, during "Agyat Vas" when they stayed here for some time.
Shri Balaji Temple
In 1988 an ancient temple of Balaji (childhood incarnition of Hindu god HanumanHanuman
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...
) was excavated on one of the hills overlooking the town. This temple has also become popular destination among devotees, including localites.
Pinjore Garden
The Yadavindra Gardens at Pinjore, believed to be built by Mughals, is another popular destination among people visiting the area.External links
- http://panchkula.nic.in/Official Website of the Panchkula districtPanchkula DistrictPanchkula district is the newly formed 17th district of Haryana state in India. As formed 15 August 1995, it comprises two sub divisions and two Tehsils named Panchkula and Kalka. It has 264 villages out of which 12 villages are un-inhabited and 10 villages wholly merged in towns or treated as...
] - Panchkula district
- Kalka