Train : 52473 Pathankot – Joginder Nagar Passenger
Loco : Pathankot ZDM4A #232
The Kangra Valley Railway is a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge railway that runs from Pathankot, Punjab to Jogindernagar in Himachal Pradesh. It runs through the sub-Himalayan region of Kangra Valley and is164 km (101.9 mi) long. The railway is part of the Firozpur division of Northern Railway.
The highest point on this line is Ahju station at an elevation of 1,290 meters (4,230 ft).
The railway line was planned in May 1926 and commissioned in 1929. The line has two tunnels, one of which is 250 ft (76 m) and the other 1,000 ft (300 m) in length. Trains on this narrow gauge line are pulled by small and less powerful engines than on a broad gauge main line, therefore steep ascents had to be avoided. But instead of expensively boring through the mountains on a straight way, a much longer right-of-way further south was chosen that allowed gentle slopes. From 1942 to 1954 there was no train service east of Nagrota.
When the Maharana Pratap Sagar was constructed, the line had to be diverted between Jawanwala Shahr and Guler into higher grounds along the eastern shore of the new reservoir. In 1973, the section between these two stations, along with Anur, Jagatpur and Mangwal stations was abandoned, and the new alignment with several new stations opened three years later.
Kangra Valley is situated in the Western Himalayas. Administratively, it predominantly lies in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India. It is a popular tourist destination, with the peak season around March and April. The Kangri dialect is spoken there. Dharamshala, the headquarters of Kangra district, lies on the southern spur of Dhauladhar in the valley. It is home of Masroor Rock Cut Temple, also known as “Himalayan Pyramids”, a possible contender for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The valley is filled with numerous perennial streams, which irrigate the valley. The valley has an average elevation of 2000 ft. Kangra Valley is a strike valley and extends from the foot of the Dhauladhar range to the south of river Beas. The highest peak on the Dhauladhar, White Mountain, marks the boundary between the valley and Chamba, and reaches 15,956 feet (4,863 m). The peaks of the range are approximately 13,000 feet (4,000 m) above the valley floor, rising sharply from its base with no low hills in between.
Baijnath is a town in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. It is about 50 kilometres from Dharamshala which is the district headquarters. The ancient temple of Lord Shiva (Baijnath) is situated here giving the town its name .
Baijnath is famous for its 13th-century temple dedicated to Shiva as Vaidyanath, ‘the Lord of physicians’. Originally known as Kiragrama, the village lies on the Pathankot-Mandi highway (National Highway No. 20) almost midway between Kangra and Mandi. The present name Baijnath became popular after the name of the temple. The village is located on the left bank of the river Binwa, a corrupt form of ancient Binduka, a tributary of river Beas.
The Baijnath temple has been continuously under worship ever since its construction in 1204 A.D. The two long inscriptions in the porch of the temple indicate that a temple of Shiva existed on the spot even before the present one was constructed. The present temple is an example of the early medieval north Indian Temple architecture known as Nagara style of temples. The Svayambhu form of Sivalinga is enshrined in the sanctum of the temple that has five projections on each side and is surmounted with a tall curvilinear Shikhara. The entrance to sanctum is through a vestibule that has a large square “Mandapa” in front with two massive balconies one each in north and south. There is a small porch in front of the mandapa hall that rests on four pillars in the front preceded by an idol of “Nandi”, the bull, in a small pillared shrine. The whole temple is enclosed by a high wall with entrances in the south and north. The outer walls of the temple have several niches with images of gods and goddesses. Numerous images are also fixed or carved in the walls. The outer doorway in the porch as also the inner doorway leading to the sanctum of the temple are also studded with a large number of images of iconographic importance. Some of them are very rare to be found elsewhere.
The temple attracts tourists and pilgrims from all over India and abroad throughout the year. Special prayers are offered in the morning and evening every day besides on special occasions and during festive seasons. Makara Sankranti, Maha Shivaratri, Vaisakha Sankranti, and Shravana Mondays are celebrated with zeal and splendour. A five-day state level function is held here on Maha Shivratri every year.