COVERY STORY
PATHANKOT
This is a major city of the kingdom of Audumbaras, an important tribe of northeastern Punjab region. The train leaves the station, crossing the Chakki River and moves towards Nurpur. After the flatness of the plains, one encounters Nurpur fort, perched on its hill.
A journey across Kangra Valley Board the narrow guage Kangra Valley Train and embark on a scenic route across the valley. Selected excerpts from the book...
T
he Kangra Valley lies between the Shiwalik Hills that rise from the Punjab plains and the Outer Himalayas, dominated by the Dhauladhar ranges. Known as Dev Bhumi or the Land of the Gods, one can see vistas of verdant lands, green with rice fields and tea gardens. HISTORY This railway line was first proposed in 1902, and in 1912 the Railway Board sanctioned a 26-km route from Pathankot to Nurpur and two years later, the extension
32 | Rail Bandhu - January 2017
to Baijnath was passed. However, World War I broke out and the whole plan was shelved until 1925. The line opened to general traffic in 1929. The Kangra Valley Railways (KVR) is an excellent example of how railway engineers worked in harmony with nature; their work, which was sensitively conceived and carried out, is a tribute to the beauty of this sub-Himalayan region. The route runs from Pathankot in the Punjab plains to Joginder Nagar in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh and covers a distance of 164 km.
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