Himachal Pradesh

Sainik Schools were set up on the lines of Public Schools and were designed to cater to the needs of the common masses who could not afford to send their wards to expensive and elitist public schools. Sainik School Sujanpur Tira (HP) was set up to cater to the needs of the people of Himachal Pradesh and was inaugurated by His Excellency Shri Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, the President of India on 02 Nov 1978. He said, “A fine Institution. My best wishes for its progress”.

Sainik School Sujanpur Tira is 18th in the series of 23 Sainik Schools in the country.

Sujanpur Tira is located 24 Kms from itts district HQ Hamirpur and is connected to all other places in theState by road. Its nearest broad-gauge rail head is located 99 Kms away at Una. A narrow gauge train operates between Pathankot and Maranda (Palampur) which is 45 Kms away. Kangra Airport at Gaggal is located 75 Kms from Sujanpur Tira.

Sainik School Sujanpur Tira admits students in class VI, IX on the basis of All India Entrance Examination conducted on Ist or IInd Sunday of January every year. Also students are admitted in class XI on the basis of performance in class 10th examination. The advertisement are given in the leading newspapers during the month of August/September.

The school has extensive playground with lush green silken grass, which looks splendid against the Dhauladhar ranges and Baradari hill.The school has independent NCC unit and NCC is compulsory for all students from VI to XI standards.Sports facilities exist in Football, Hockey, Volleyball, Handball & Basketball besides other minor & indoor games.

The school has three Service Officers i.e. Principal, Head Master and Registrar deputed by Ministry of Defence and 50 experienced set of teaching and administrative staff together with 52 support staff for effective management of school activities. In addition, one JCO and three NCO’s from Army are appointed for NCC & Sports activities in the school.

Sainik School Sujanpur Tira “THE RED DRAGONS”

This is a video of the valiants of sanik school sujanpur tira showing there brave fighting sprit.

Main Attractions of Sainik School Sujanpur Tira

1. NDA Training
2. NCC Activities
3. Games & Sports
4. Extra Curricular Activities
5. Hostel
6. Online DateSheet
7. Photo Gallery
8. Application Form

Read More about Sainik School Sujanpur Tira >>

Sujanpur Tira is only 25 km from Hamirpur town and 120 km from Dharamsala. The district of Hamirpur having inherited its name from a descendent of a great Katoch lineage Raja Hamir Chand, has relatively been explored little by tourists though it houses some of the finest jewels connected with the rich legacy of the region. The lanes, temples, forts and palaces of Naduan and Sujanpur Tira still echo with stories about Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch, one of the greatest Katoch rulers, who had sought refuge at these places while fighting his adversaries. In 1758, overlooking the settlement of Sujanpur, Abhaya Chand, a Katoch ruler, built a fortified palace top of a hill. It acquired the name Tira and with time this ancient town on the bank of river Beas began to be called Sujanpur- Tira. Raja Sansar Chand Katoch converted Sujanpur- Tira into his third capital. Being a great patron of art and culture, soon many famous artists flocked to his court. Till his death in 1824, Sujanpur- Tira and nearby Alampur were homes for the Katoch ruler where he indulged with arts and artists and has gone down in history as a true parton.There is the Barahdari hall within the fort of Sujanpur- Tira, which had twelve chambers for other rajas.

Here, Sansar Chand Katoch used to hold his court. On a nearby hill at Tira is a temple dedicated to Chamunda Devi that still attracts a large number of devotees. At the southern end is the temple of Gauri Shanker that houses life-size statues in ‘ashtadhatu’ of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati.Every ‘Holi’, colours were added to the waters of a huge tank within the fort, which used to be celebrated with enthusiasm. The festival is still popular in the region. The devastating earthquake of 1905 in Kangra region had left a broken piece of history in the remnants of this fort and its great palace at Sujanpur- Tira. Some of the temples of Sujanpur may have been built over again but the Narbadeshwar temple survived the seismic shocks. The walls of this temple have given refuge to some of the finest frescoes of the famous Pahari School of painting.Archaeological Survey of India is helping to conserve its rich treasure. This temple was got built by Prasanni Devi, the Maharani of Sansar Chand Katoch in 1802 AD and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Built in an open yard ‘Panchayatan style’, the darbar artists have put their heart and soul to paint those exquisite frescoes on its walls and the ceiling leaving not an inch unadorned.

Scenes from the great Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are depicted in the frescoes.In one corner of the ‘chowgan’ ground, there is the Murli Manohar temple built by the Katoch ruler in memory of his mother in 1785 AD. The temple in ‘Shir Shaili’ style is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Here the wall frescoes have Krishna, Radha and Gopis as their motifs. Narmades’vara Temple Rulers for training their soldiers used the ‘chowgan’. However, the big ground these days is used for holding cultural, social and political functions.Only 10 km from the temple town of Jwalamukhi and 28 km from Hamirpur on the left bank of river Beas is Nadaun. This town came into prominence when the Kangra rulers shifted their capital here after they lost Kangra fort to invading armies. The scenic beauty of Nadaun in the vicinity is legendary with a saying recording it as ‘he who goes to Nadaun, why should he return?’Ruins of the old palace here tell tales of the better days it has seen. Kangra miniature paintings are still Housed at Amtar palace. In this land dominated by temples of Devi’s, at Naduan there is one dedicated to Lord Shiva. The turbulence of the Beas having calmed near Nadaun provides excellent river rafting sites.

And with the king of fishes ‘the Mahaseer’ among its waters excites all anglers.It was in these surroundings the luster faded Katoch Royalty after having ruled Kangra for about 2000 years spent its last days before the British took control. Trapped between the Sikh armies of Maharaja Ranjit Singh on one side and Gurkhas armies under Amar Singh Thapa on the other. The great Katoch Empire had shrunk to Nadaun and Sujanpur- Tira. Fort of Sujanpur- Tira. Raja Sansar Chand Katoch, unable to recover the famed Kangra fort, may have died a broken man but even in faded glory he had kept alive the famous school of Pahari paintings and is still remembered as its greatest patron. Many of these miniature paintings representative of oriental character adorn the galleries of museums world over and have an emotive quality that appeal even today. The broken forts of Sujanpur- Tira and Nadaun and the shine of the frescoes on the walls of its temples and palaces with time may dimmed a little, the townships may have lost their importance but these places wait their turn to be discovered again.

Hamirpur District is situated between 76º 18′ to 76º 44′ East longitude and 31º 25′ to 31º 52′ North latitude. The tract is hilly covered by Shivalik range. The elevation varies from 400 meters to 1100 meters having the configuration ranging from the almost flat-lands that border the portion of rivers Beas to the lofty heights of cliffs and precipitous slopes of hill-ranges. There are three principal ranges which run in a South-Easterly direction. It is situated at lower elevation and comparatively warmer but has some hilly ranges covered with Pine forests. This district was made in 1972 by carving it out from the Kangra district.

It is well connected by roads from all sides. At present the known tourist attractions are Deot-Sidh, Temples of Sujanpur Tira and Nadaun. Hamirpur town is the Headquarter of this District, which lies on Shimla Dharamshala road. Majority of the population here comprise of Hindus. Bulk of the people speak Pahari. Hamirpur is the most Literate district in Himachal Pradesh. The majority of its population fluently speaks Hindi. Beas river flows through the northern part of and Satluj river flows through the southern part of district Hamirpur. Both of these two rivers namely Beas and Satluj are the famous rivers in Himachal Pradesh.

Tourism in the Hamirpur

Sujanpur Tira

It was founded by Raja Abhay Chand, the king of ruling Katoch dynasty of Kangra in 1748 A.D. There is atomb of Nawab Gulam Mohammed of Rampur. There are five old temples at Tira and Sujanpur. The temple dedicated to Gauri Shankar was built during the time of Raja Sansar Chand in 1793 A.D. in the sacred memory of his mother. The temple of Murli Manohar and Narbadeshwar (built by Pransani Devi, The Suketi rani of Raja Sansar Chand) were also builit in this time in 1970 and 1823 A.D. respectively. Other temples of repute are the Mahadev temple, Devi and Vyasheshwar dedicated to Rishi Vyas) temple. Obreen’s horses grave ( he was Raja Sansar Chand’s commander) is also located in Sujanpur. This territory was first visited by a German, named ‘Traveck’ and then by a British traveller named ‘Moorcraft’. Sujanpur place is suitable for adventure sports like Paragliding, Angling, Rafting and trekking in and around this area.

Nadaun

In Princely days, it is used to be the headquarters of the Nadaun Jagir, Maharaja Sansar Chand of Kangra used to hold his court during summer for a number of year during his reign. Nadaun is also Known for Blikleshwar Mahadev temple which is said to be have been founded by the Pandavs. Nadaun is famous for its beautiful people and a Gurudwara founded in A.D. 1929. Nadaun was a gay place, during the reign of Sansar Chand II. There was a saying current in Kangra hill (Who that comes to Nadaun will not go away). This is explained by the fact that there were two hundred singing and dancing girls at Nadaun and whoever come under the spell of these enchantresses never thought of leaving. Thus writes Ghulam Mohiuddin in Tarikh-i Punjab. It is peaceful town with a good Rest House, an Old Palace and Shiva temple. The Palace Building at Amtar still houses some of the paintings of that time. Jawalajee temple is also not very far and can be visited from here. This place provides excellent facilities for Mahaseer fishing in the Beas River flowing close by. Another attraction is the river rafting from this place to Dehra and further. There are beautiful camping sites for anglers.

Deotsidh Temple

It is situated on the border of Bilaspur (70 Kms), Hamirpur (30 Kms) and is well connected by roads from all sides. During Navratras, there is a continuous stream of visitors to receive blessings of the Babaji.Government makes arrangements for stay in tented colonies and provides water, toilets and other essential services. Additional accommodation and installation of rope way to Shah – Talai is expected to attract more tourists. This temple is one of the biggest revenue earning institutions of the Himachal state and is visited by nearly 45 lakhs of devotees across the country every year. ‘Mela’s are organized during Holi festival. Sunday is considered auspicious day of Babaji and consequently attracts huge devotees on this day.

Markanda

It is located in district Hamirpur, 6 KM away from Dera parol on the bank of Kunah Khad is the place of Markandya Rishi. According to Puranas, it is there that the idol of Rishi Markandya was installed. A Natural water spring is also located there. The fair of markanda is also famous.

Bhota

It is located on Dharamshala-Shimla road at a distance of 15 KMs. from Hamirpur towards Bilaspur. The place is famous for Radha Swami Satsang and one of the largest charitable hospital of the state have been constructed by the same religious trust.

Fairs

Gasota Mahadev, Hamir Utsav (State fair), Holi fair of Tira Sujanpur (State fair), Baba Deotsidh fair, Ghasianfair, Awah devi fair, Chaniary fair, Piplu-ra-Mela, Sair fair (Ladraur), Baggi Mela, Tauni Devi, fair Markanda fair are worth mention. All these fairs have religious sanctity and commercial importance for local people. The fairs which have only commercial significance are the cattle fairs at Jahu, Chakmoh and Dhirar. Hamir Utsav is celebrated at Hamirpur town in the month of Oct-Nov every year. The Holi fair of Tira Sujanpur (State fair) is celebrated in Chaugan (Ground) of Sujanpur in the month of March ‘every year’. At Gasota Mahadev fair is held on 1st Monday of ‘Jeshtha’ month (last May) every year.

Folklore

The people have inherited a rich folk literature which is occasionally exhibited during the marriage, fairs and festivals. In ‘Jatras’ young girls sing folk-songs and also a group folk song by men which is commonly known as ‘Jheras’, which literally means battle. The most common ‘Jhera’ being ‘Gugga Chauha’, other ‘jhera’ sung in the district are ‘Raja Sansar Chand’ , ‘Raja Bhangal’ and ‘Raja Sirmour’. Other folk dances worth mentioning are Gidha of women folk and Chanderwali dance of men folk. Moreover as this district was the part of District Kangra earlier so many of its folk songs / cultural activities are inherited from that district. Traditional musical instruments used in marriages are Nagara, Shehnai, Dholak, Damroo, Dhafli, Thali, Tabla, Flute, Harmonium etc.

In Princely days, it is used to be the headquarters of the Nadaun Jagir, Maharaja Sansar Chand of Kangra used to hold his court during summer for a number of year during his reign. Nadaun is also Known for Blikleshwar Mahadev temple which is said to be have been founded by the Pandavs. Nadaun Fort Nadaun is famous for its beautiful people and a Gurudwara founded in A.D. 1929. Nadaun was a gay place, during the reign of Sansar Chand II. There was a saying current in Kangra hill (Who that comes to Nadaun will not go away). This is explained by the fact that there were two hundred singing and dancing girls at Nadaun and whoever come under the spell of these enchantresses never thought of leaving.

Thus writes Ghulam Mohiuddin in Tarikh-i Punjab. It is peaceful town with a good Rest House, an Old Palace and Shiva temple. The Palace Building at Amtar still houses some of the paintings of that time. Jawalajee temple is also not very far and can be visited from here. This place provides excellent facilities for Mahaseer fishing in the Beas River flowing close by. Another attraction is the river rafting from this place to Dehra and further. There are beautiful camping sites for anglers.

Living in Nadaun

Nadaun town is divided into following areas : New Bus-stand area, Old Bus-stand area (also called Jesri), the main-market area, the old-market area (also called Pattan). The old-market area used to be main center of shopping when the Nadaun Bridge was not present. After the construction of bridge the market shifted to what is currently main-market area. The main-market area is further divided into 2 parts : the upper bazaar which is close to the Bus-Station and the main-bazaar. Main-Bazaar is in the heart of Nadaun town which is the center of business in Nadaun. Pattan area has got a big play-ground which hosts various cultural events like Ramlila and sometimes used for political and election rallies.

Places to See and Various Pastimes

The place of historical importance to visit is the Old Fort situated on a hill top. The fort is in a dilapidated state but still representative of family of Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch. A place of religious importance is the old Shiva temple. The popular belief about the Shivalinga in the temple is that it grows every year by a height equal to one grain of rice. Another place of great religious significance for Sikhs is Gurdwara started after visit of Guru Gobind Singh to this place during Battle of Nadaun. Hence Nadaun is considered a town of multiple-religions all living in mutual-harmony. A favorite pastime of people of Nadaun is evening walk to the Nadaun Bridge. There are many restaurants which have come up in this area. This Bridge provides fantastic views of Beas River and of sunset. This bridge separates Hamirpur district from Kangra district. Another interesting pastime is river-cruise in a small wooden boat. One can enjoy this ride the whole day. The boat is still used as a mode of transport.

Education

Nadaun has been a center of education in this part of Hamirpur district. Until late 1980s it was the only place in surrounding areas where one could get education till 12th grade.

Educational Institutes

The oldest Educational institute of Nadaun is its Senior Secondary School for boys. It has provided quality education to the students for over a century. Another major Educational Institute is Senior Secondary School for girls. A government operated college was opened near to Nadaun in Kohla to cater the needs of higher education in this area. During recent time various privately operated colleges have come up in Nadaun and surrounding areas which offer lot of Bachelor Level courses. Nadaun had got a Kendriya Vidyalaya primarily meant for employees of Central Government of India. There are some Kindergartens and privately operately Primary Schools in Nadaun. Nadaun like many other parts of the country has seen a progressive shift to English as medium of education in most of the privately owned schools.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Nadaun had a population of 4405. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Nadaun has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 78%. In Nadaun, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transportation

There is no railway line connecting this town to rest of the country. The nearest railway station (Jwalamukhi Road) is around 25 km from Nadaun. However Naduan is well connected with road network. It has got a central position in terms of road connectivity. Two main roads diverge from Nadaun : One in the direction of state capital Shimla (National Highway NH88) and other other in the direction of the major nearby cities of Chandigarh and Hoshiarpur (National Highway NH70). The transportion within Nadaun and surrounding areas is done mostly with the help of privately and government operated buses. Nadaun has a large bus station (at least bigger compared to towns of similar size in this area). Adjacent to it is a taxi stand where one can easily rent a taxi for short or long distance. For transportation of goods within the Nadaun town one can take help from a Coolie. Occasionally people use boat to cross Beas River.

This is another area situated at lower elevation and comparatively warmer but has some hilly ranges covered with Pine forests. These hills can be developed for trekking and camping during winter months. This district was made in 1972 by carving it out from the Kangra district. It is well connected by roads from all sides and thus can be promoted as a tourist destination by developing some historical and religious places. At present the known attractions are Deot-Sidh, Temple of Sujanpur Tihra and Nadaun. Hamirpur town is the Headquarter of this District, which lies on Shimla Dharamshala road.

GENERAL INFORMATION

AREA: 1118 sq. km POPULATION: 4.12 lakh CLOTHING: Cotton clothes in Summer and light woollen in winter. LANGUAGE: Hindi, Punjabi, English are understood and spoken by the people engaged in tourism trade.

APPROACH

RAIL: The nearest broad gauge railway station is Una and nearest narrow gauge railway station is Ranital (Pathankot-Joginder Nagar railway line) and is connected by regular bus service. ROAD: Hamirpur is approachable by road from Shimla, Chandigarh and Pathankot.

WHAT TO SEE

DEOTSIDH TEMPLE

The cave temple of Baba Balak Nath is thronged by devotees all the year round. It is situated on the border of Bilaspur and Hamirpur (40 Kms from Bilaspur and 45 Kms from Hamirpur) and is well connected by roads from all sides. During Navratras, there is a continuous stream of visitors to receive blessings of the Baba. Government makes arrangements for stay in tented colonies and provides water, toilets and other essential services. Additional accommodation and installation of rope way to Shah -Talai is expected to attract more tourists - jaibabedi.com.

NADAUN

This town became famous when the Kangra rulers shifted their Capital here after they lost Kangra Fort to the army of Jahangir. However, it lost its glory when Raja Sansar Chand re-captured Kangra Fort and became the strong ruler of Kangra valley again. It is situated on the Shimla-Dharamshala road on the bank of Beas River, 27 kms. from Hamirpur town and 50 kms from Kangra. It is peaceful town with a good Rest House, an Old Palace and Shiva temple. The Palace Building at Amtar still houses some of the paintings of that time. Jawalajee temple is also not very far and can be visited from here. This place provides excellent facilities for Mahaseer fishing in the Beas River flowing close by. Another attraction is the river rafting from this place to Dehra and further. There are beautiful camping sites for anglers. In view of its beautiful setting, there is a famous local saying “He who goes to Nadaun, why should be return”.

SUJANPUR TIHRA

It is 22 kms. from Hamirpur town. This place had been the capital of Katoch Dynasty and the old fort is worth visiting. It has a huge ground, where the annual Holi fair is held for 4 days, besides being used for sports activities.Sainik school is also located here. It is also a religious centre.The well known temples are of Narbadeshwar, Gauri Shankar and Murli Manohar temple. This place is suitable for adventure sports like Paragliding, Angling, Rafting and trekking in and around this area.

It is situated in the historical chowgan of Sujanpur Tira. Murali Manohar Temple at Sujanpur.This temple is very old and is constructed in “Shikar Style”. Images of Lord Krishna and Radha are placed in it. The wood work is covered with sculpture of unique scenes. There is an open courtyard near the temple where images of different Gods and Goddesses are placed. This temple was constructed during the reign of Maharaj Sansar Chand. Tauni-Devi Temple: The temple of goddess Tauni- Devi is situated on the Hamirpur- Awah devi road at a distance of about 12 km from Hamirpur. The temple is more than 200 years old and a fair is held during the month of Asharh (June- July). A large number of people visit this temple during the fair. This goddess is considered as the sister of goddess Durga. People visit this place to get rid of rainy season deceases. The temple is well managed by a local committee.