Pragpur
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Pragpur (प्रागपुर) is a village situated in Jaswan tahsil of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh.
Location
Lying in the shadows of Dhauladhar range, and developed about three centuries ago, the village of Pragpur along with the nearby village of Garli, is notified as a "Heritage Village" by a State Government notification dated 9 December 1997.
History
Pragpur was founded in the late 16th century by the Patials in memory of Princess Prag Dei of the Jaswan Royal family. The area of Pragpur was part of the principality of Jaswan whose chief, in the late 16th or early 17th century, charged a band of learned men, led by a Kuthiala Sood, to find a suitable place to commemorate Princess 'Prag' of his royal lineage.[1]
Pragpur is an ornamental village with unchanged shops, cobblestone streets, old water tanks, mud-plastered walls and slate-roofed houses. The narrow streets, lined with fort-like houses, havelis and villas, are indicative of the area's aged charisma. Due to its unique architecture and pristine beauty, the state government of Himachal Pradesh declared Pragpur as the country's first Heritage Village in December 1997.
Prag means "pollen" in Sanskrit and pur means "full of", so Prag-pur means "full of pollen", which rightly describes the area when it is ablaze with blossoms in spring.
Along with Pragpur, the nearby village of Garli is a part of the Heritage Zone. The Judges Court is a resort built in a typical Anglo-Indian style of architecture. It stands in 12 acres of greens, and is just a short walk from the village core and the Taal. Apart from the Judges Court, which was built in 1918, Mr Lal has restored his 300-year-old ancestral house.[2]
Places of interest
The places of interest within the Heritage Village Pragpur are the Lala Rerumal Haveli built in 1931 by a Rais of Pragpur, which has a Mughal style garden, pleasure terrace and a large water reservoir.
Butail Mandir, Chaujjar Mansion, courtyards of the Sood Clans, an ancient Shakti Mandir and atiyalas or public platforms are the pride of this heritage village. There are many silversmiths in the market selling traditional trinkets and curios. The village is known for its cottage industry. The inhabitants in the area are mostly craftspeople, weavers, basket makers, silversmiths, painters, musicians and tailors. One can purchase hand-woven blankets, shawls and hand-block printed clothes.[3]
Dehra: a small town near Pragpur
Sidh Chaano Temple: a famous pilgrimage place in Pragpur
Chhinmastika Dham: also known as Chintapurani Mata Mandir; a famous religious place; 27 km from Pragpur
Jwalaji Mata: this temple is a famous religious place, 23 km from Pragpur
कालेश्वर महादेव मंदिर
कालेश्वर महादेव मंदिर: यह मंदिर हिमाचल प्रदेश के कांगड़ा जिले में स्थित एक प्राचीन मंदिर है जो परागपुर गांव से 8 किमी. की दूरी पर स्थित है।परागपुर में स्थित कालेश्वर महादेव मंदिर भगवान शिव को समर्पित है। इस मंदिर का मुख्य आकर्षण लिंगम है जो जमीनी स्तर पर स्थित है। यह मंदिर सुंदर मूर्तियों से सुशोभित और पर्यटकों को अपनी तरफ बेहद आकर्षित करता है। मंदिर में एक अनूठी शिवलिंग भी स्थापित है जिसे भगवान शिव का स्वरूप माना जाता है जो जमीन पर ही स्थित है। मंदिर की दीवारों को शानदार तरीके से सजाया गया है। पास में ही कई अन्य प्राचीन मंदिर जैसे महा रूद्रा ऑफ माता चिंतापूर्णी आदि भी हैं जिनमें श्रद्धालु आसानी से दर्शन कर सकते हैं। [4]