Una District

 Una district

The present Una district until 1st Nov., 1966 was one of the tehsil of the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. Consequent upon reorganization of Punjab all the hill areas including Una tehsil was transferred to Himachal Pradesh. Eversince, until September, 1972 it continued to remain as tehsil of the then Kangra district. On the 1st September,1972 the Himachal Pradesh Govt. reorganised the then Kangra district into three districts namely Una, Hamirpur and Kangra. Una district consists of two Sub-Divisions(Una and Amb), three Tehsils(Banganga, Amb and Una) and two Sub-Tehsils(Haroli and Bharwain) and is having five Development Blocks(Una, Bangana, Gagret, Amb and Haroli).

Pre-Independence History

It is believed that the present Una district, its Eastern side, was formally a part of the erstwhile Kangra State. Present Una district which is otherwise popularly known as Jaswan Dun was ruled by the Katoch family of Kangra. The Jaswan State which occupied a fertile tract in the Jaswan Dun valley of the outer hills of the historical Kangra state was founded by a cadet of the Katoch line about A.D.1170, whose name is said to have been Purab Chand. Jaswan was the first off shoot from the parent stem. It is not improbable, however, that the State was originally a fief (Jagir) which became independent in the unsettled times following on the Muhammadan invasions. From Purab Chand to Ummed Singh 27 Rajas in all ruled the Jaswan State.


Not much is known about the Jaswan state until the time of Akbar when it became subject to Mughal rule. But for one or two unsuccessful rebellion it remained loyal to the Mughal empire and assisted the Mughals with contingents as and when required. But with the decline of the Mughal empire and rise of the Sikhs, the Jaswan state came under their dominance and in 1786 Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra acquired paramount power in the hills. With the acquisition of Kangra Fort, on the expulsion of the Gurkhas in 1809, Jaswan state became subject to Ranjit Singh and in 1815 it was annexed to the Sikh Kingdom.

 In consequence to the treaty of Lahore of 9th March 1846, Hoshiarpur as a part of Jalandhar Doab had been annexed to the British Territories.

Geography

Una lies in the southwestern part of Himachal Pradesh, with the beautiful Sivalik hills of the Himalayas gently rolling on one side. The Satluj river passes alongside Shahtalai hills, known for the shrine of Baba Balak Nath.

The altitudes vary from more than 408 meters in city Una to over 1000 meters in Chintpurni. Una district is bounded by the river Beas on the north and the river Sutlej in the east, the Swan river which is basically seasonal river flows 65 km right across the Jaswan Valley towards south until it submerges in the Sutlej river near Anandpur.

Una is full of Fauna and Flora as the area cover mostly forest zone of Pines and Devdar trees. Una is home of many species of birds, Neel Gai , Wild Pig, deer, porcupine and Leopard also.

Demographics 

According to the 2011 census Una district has a population of 521,057, roughly equal to the nation of Cape Verde. This gives it a ranking of 543rd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 338 inhabitants per square kilometre (880/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 16.24%.Una has a sex ratio of 977 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 87.23%.
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In the 1961 Census of India, 71.2% of the Una tehsil of the Hoshiarpur district registered their language as Hindi and 28.4% registered it as Punjabi.

Temples

Chintpurni is the most visited temple by Hindus and Sikhs, especially on weekends and on special religious days. The Hindu genealogy registers at Chintpurni, Himachal Pradesh are kept at Chintpurni.

Mahakaal Mahakaali Temple is a temple situated in Rakkar Colony, Una dedicated to the Goddess Mahakali & Lord of Lords Mahakaal. 

Bhadurkali Mata Mandir, Guga Jahar Peer, Dera Baba Barbhag Singh Mairi, Dera Baba Rudru in Nari village; Radhe Krishna Mandir, founded by Baba Bal, Kotla Kalan; Baba Moni temple, Ghanari Jogi Panga: Dharamshala Mahanta; Dhunsar Mahadev Temple, Talmehra; Pir Nigaha, Madanpur Basoli; Shivbari Temple, Gagret; Dmamiya, Ispur, Suhin Guga, Lohara Mandir are some other popular temples. Ashatbhuja Mandir in village Panoh , made by Pandava is also famous where devotees from Himachal and Punjab especially in Navratra to seek blessings.

Brahmahooti, situated near Mehatpur, is one of the two temples in India dedicated to God Brahma, the other being in Pushkar, Rajasthan. Though less known, this temple is situated close to a serene lake in the laps of hills.

Una has five tehsils, namely Ghanari, Haroli, Amb, Bangana and Una itself.Una although unchanged for the past century has shown huge appetite for growth and development. The city and urban area is expected to grow at a rapid pace

By: Pooja Sharda