1 My City My Heritage Nurpur is a historic town on the northwestern region of Kangra.Nurpur is located at 32.3 N 75.9 E. 75.9 E. It has an average elevation of 643 metres (2109 feet). Before the independence of India, this place was ruled by the Pathania clan of Rajputs. It is evident that this Tanwar clan of Chandravanshi Rajputs ruled the region for over 800 years. During that time, the city of Pathankot served as the capital of the region. Mangoes, Mangoes, oranges, lychee and amla, are some of the prominent fruits found in the region. Poultry farming is one of the major occupations of natives of Nurpur. Apart from this, Silk and Pashmina shawls of Nurpur are also quiet famous among tourists. http://mynurpur.webs.com Page 1
2 History of Nurpur : The state was founded in the 11th century (1095), by Raja Jhet (or Jit) Pal, younger brother of Raja Anangpal II, the Ruler of Delhi, who established himself at Pathankot and subsequently moved to the hills. It was originally known as Dhameri. Nurpur is famous for an old fort and a temple of Brij Raj. Nurpur acquired its name in 1672, when Jahangir, the Mughal Emperor named it after his wife Nurjahan. Built in the late 16th century by Raja Basu the Nurpur Fort is massive and sprawling. It spreads across a long flat plateau forming the western end of the ridge and bears signs of great architectural designs. The fort overlooks the Jabhar Khud, a tributary of the Chakki rivulet and the vast valley formed by it. Earlier name of Nurpur was Dhameri, later changed to Nurpur after Empress Nur Jahan who took a fancy to the beautiful valley. Inside, the palace walls, though crumbling, have deep niches, decorative arches and the faint signs of some paintings. The northwest walls of the fort have some deeply carved panels showing animals. Particularly graceful are the bulls in their various actions like pulling a cart, or walking in a file; there are also figures of men, women, children, the kings, gods and goddesses and birds. The overall impact of the fort is one of awe and wonder. Before 1947, Nurpur was a princely state ruled by the Pathania clan of Rajputs. The Pathania Clan (or Tanwar clan of Chandravanshi Rajputs) had ruled here for more than eight centuries. Nurpur was known as Dhameri until a visit from Noorjehan, the Queen of Emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir (1569 1627) of the Mughal Dynasty. The queen was so impressed by the natural beauty of the town, that she decided to construct her palace here. This posed a problem for then local ruler Raja Jagat Singh Pathania he did not want his freedom to be curtailed by the Mughal domination and politics. So, he perpetrated the story that the climate of the place was not good and caused a disease Goiter, which was at that time very common among locals. Horrified, the queen dropped the idea of constructing her palace, but the name of the town was changed to Nurpur in 1622, by the Raja Jagat Singh Pathania to commemorate this visit of Begum Nur Jahan who had instantly fallen in love with this place. http://mynurpur.webs.com Page 2
3 Place to See in Nurpur 1) Mata Nagni Devi Mandir at Bhadwar-Nagni The Nagni Mata temple, located about 6 km from Nurpur town on Pathankot/ Kullu highway, is also very famous. It is unique because water comes from below the temple where the idol of Nagni Mata is placed. People who get snake bite, come to Nagni Mata and simply drinking water and applying the Mitti, get cured completely. The amount of water which flows there is quite sufficient, and there are number of water mills installed for grinding grain. (Nagni Mata Temple - Badi Nagni - Bhadwar) (Nagni Mata Temple Inner View - Badi Nagni - Bhadwar) http://mynurpur.webs.com Page 3
4 (Nagni Mata Temple at Chhotti Nagni- Baranda/Kandwal) 2) Brij Raj Swami Mandir In Nurpur fort The famous Brij Maharaj temple, inside the fort complex, is dedicated to Lord Krishna and it has a beautiful black stone idol of the Lord. It was brought from Rajasthan during Raja Jagat Singh s reign. The walls are decorated with exquisite paintings from Indian mythology. The Brij Raj Swami temple inside the Nurpur fort is a 16th century historical temple of Lord Krishna and home to a much revered deity of the local population and attracts tourists. It is the only temple in the world, where Lord Krishna and Meera idols are worshipped. It is said the statue of Lord Krishna was worshipped by Meera, and when Raja of Nurpur went to Chittorgarh he got this statue as a return gift from the Maharana of Chittorgarh. Along with this, Raja also brought a Moulsary (a fruit-bearing plant) sampling and it was dried on way back and it was put to life through Puja and chanting of mantras. This plant has now grown into a huge tree. It flowers, but does not bear any fruit unlike such plants in Rajasthan. http://mynurpur.webs.com Page 4
5 (Brij Raj Swami Temple - Nurpur) http://mynurpur.webs.com Page 5
6 3) Dibkeshwar Mahadev Mandir at Suliali This place is a naturally made cave which is supposed to be a place where Lord shiva Lived once. Some myths are that this cave is made by Pandavas during their exile. This holy place of Mahadev is 15 K.M's from Nurpur. http://mynurpur.webs.com Page 6