Dera Gopipur

Dehra Gopipur is a town, a Municipal Council, and a Tehsil headquarter in Kangra district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. The River Beas divides the town into Dera (or Dehra) & Gopipur. One can reach Dera by train up to Una (UHL) then by MDR 46 road and NH 503, nearest airports are Bhuntar Airport (IATA: UAA) and Gaggal Airport (IATA: DHM, ICAO: VIGG).

Dehra Gopipur
Town
Dehra Gopipur Location in Himachal Pradesh, India Show map of Himachal Pradesh Dehra Gopipur Dehra Gopipur (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 31.90°N 76.22°E / 31.90; 76.22
Administrative Country	Dehra Gopipur India
State	Himachal Pradesh
District	Kangra
Government
• Body	Municipal Council
Area
• Total	5 km2 (2 sq mi)
Elevation	503 m (1,650 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	4,816
• Density	960/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	177101
Telephone code	01970
Vehicle registration	HP-36

History

The town of Dehra is as recent as mid-15th century when foreign invaders used this place as a dera (camp) for their expedition to hill states. British made the evolving town as the tehsil in year 1868. The official name of the town during British Raj was Dera.[1]

Geography

Dehra Gopipur is located at 31.90°N 76.22°E / 31.90; 76.22.^[2] It has an average elevation of 503 metres (1,650 feet). River Beas also flows past Dera. Pong reservoir (Maharana Pratap reservoir) is also a nearby major structure.

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[3] Dehra Gopipur had a population of 4336. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Dehra Gopipur has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82% and, female literacy is 76%. In Dehra Gopipur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Places of interest

Bagulamukhi temple, devoted to the goddess Bagulamukhi. President of India Sh. Pranav Mukherjee has also paid his obedience in this temple.

Pragpur, a small hamlet in the Dera Gopipur, has been listed as the Heritage village in India. It is known for its history as well as for an executive clan of 'Sood' (some write it as 'Sud') community. Three other hamlets, named Garli, Nagrota Bagwan and Chamba Pattan lie in close vicinity to Pragpur.

Other nearby towns include Rancer Island in Nagrota Surian, Jawalamukhi (a famous temple and one of the most visited religious shrines of Hindus); Hamirpur (the commercial hub of Himachal Pradesh); Kangra (known for its forts, temples and rich cultural heritage); and Nadaun (a place still remembered for having a Sikh's Gurdwara which was built to commemorate Guru Gobind Singh's victory in the Battle of Nadaun. Kaleshwar Temple: At a distance of around 15 km, this place has got great religious importance as pandavas stayed here during exile. Baisakhi fair is held on every 13 April. Pong river basin is a bird sanctuary included in Ramsar Wetlands list. Millions of Siberian birds visit it every year. Boating and water-sports is available in Dera and Chamba Pattan, Kaleshwar. Dera has great potential for water sports and tourism, ^{[citation needed]} but various governments had failed to develop it.^{[citation needed]}

Pong Dam

Dehra River Side

Main article: Maharana Pratap Sagar

As River Beas flows from the sub town it ends up in the Pong Dam reservoir/lake, also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar. This man made lake is 45 km long & 15–18 km wide. It attracts a lot of anglers come for fishing mahasher fish.

Dehra Town is so beautiful and it could become one of the most famous place among the historical place and it can also develop itself through various channels of development like National level Fairs, crafting etc.

Notable people

• Ramesh Chand Dhawala (born 1951), politician^[4]