The Snow Valley

Mother's Day  is a celebration honoring the  mother  of the family or individual, as well as  motherhood and the influence of mothers in society. When is Mother's Day? The second Sunday in May is Mother’s Day in most countries. This year, Mother's Day is on Sunday, May 14, 2023 . Although the date changes year-to-year, Mother's Day is always held on the second Sunday of May—similarly to how Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November Why do we celebrate Mother's Day? Origin of Mother's Day goes back to the era of ancient Greek and Romans. But the roots of  Mother’s Day  history can also be traced in  UK  where a Mothering Sunday was celebrated much before the festival saw the light of the day in US. However, the celebration of the festival as it is seen today is a recent phenomenon and not even a hundred years old. This day is observed in many countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and Americas, but the tradition to c...

Himachal has its own identity for its rich culture and music and dance. The music of Himachal Pradesh is synonymous with the various events and happenings in the day to day life of the people.  Musical instruments like Narsingha, Karnal, Flute, Ektara, Kindari, Jhanjh, Manjira, Chimta, Ghariyal, and Ghunghru reverberate to lend foot-tapping melody to the songs and dances. These instruments are supported by drums which vary in their design and sound. Some of them include Dhol, Dolki, Nagara, Doru and Hudak. Percussion instruments like Manjira, Ghanta, Thali and Kokatha Murchang add that distinct sound to any song Folk Songs of Himachal Pradesh Most of the Himachali songs are centred on the respect and gratitude for gods, the splendour of changing seasons and the warmth of love ballads. These melodic songs combine with the sublime dance forms and musical instruments at important festivals, rituals, fairs and small festivities which celebrate the mysteries of life. Natives living in t...

 Himachal is one of the states of India, which is known for its beauty, tradition, culture, and many more. The art of Himachal has grown out of fusion of cultural strains, migration and religious beliefs.  The Kangra Paintings:  Patronised by rulers of hilly kingdoms, indegenious Art forms blended with Mughal style blossomed into Kangra School of Paintings. The fame of Kangra school of miniature paintings is such that reputed museums around the world have masterpieces permanently displayed at their galleries. Paintings from Guler, Basohli, Chamba, Nurpur and Kangra, patronised by the rulers between 17th and 19th century, collectively form part of this school of paintings. The three main centers of Kangra painting are Guler, Nurpur and Tira-Sujanpur.  This great art originated Guler State, a small hill state in the Lower Himalayas in the first half of the 18th century when a family of Kashmiri painters trained in Mughal painting Style sought shelter at the court of Ra...

  4 BOOKS YOU MUST READ TO CRACK HAS   Books are important for any examination but they are necessary for a competitive examination like HPAS/HAS. Using YouTube and blogs like ours, you can get clear information on multiple subjects but a blogpost or a YouTube video cannot go in depth required for Himachal Pradesh Administrative Service. A book however can dedicate multiple pages on a single topic and provide in depth information. So following are MUST READ books that will be extremely important in your preparation.   Himachal Pradesh: Jag Mohan Balokhra's The Wonderland Himachal Pradesh General Knowledge An Encyclopedia : This book doesn’t even need an introduction. If you are looking for a book that will cover everything about Himachal Pradesh you should get this one. When I say this book covers everything I mean everything, history, art, architecture, people, geography, river system, economics, environment etc will be discussed and in great detail. It ...

Painting Styles of Himachal Pradesh Pahari Schools of Painting: Local schools of painting existed in Himachal Pradesh long before the intrusion of Mughal style. It is believed that 35 old styles flourished in Himachal Pradesh. These include Mandi Kalam, Kangra Kalam, Bilaspur Kalam, Arki Kalam, etc Himachali paintings can be classified into three broad categories: 1.Miniature paintings drawn on stiff handmade paper. 2.Wall paintings from Chamba and Sultanpur Palace as well as National Museum in Delhi. 3.Manuscript paintings which flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Schools of Painting:   1.Basohli School This school is the oldest known school of painting in the hill area. It  rose to its status Under Raja Kripal Pal (1678-94)  of Basohli. The Basohli School used colours symbolically: red for love, yellow for spring and blue for the fertile rains and clouds. It spread to other hill states of Mankot, Nurpur, Kullu, Mandi, Suket, Bilaspur, Nalagarh,...

The Complete Administrative History of Himachal Pradesh: The Chief Commissioners Province: Himachal Pradesh was formed on 15 April 1948 . At that time it became a chief commissioner's province with the merger of 26 Shimla hill states and four Punjab hill states . It covered an area of 25,225 km with a population of 9.35 lakh. The first chief commissioner was N C Mehta. The conference for creation of Himachal was held on 28 January 1948 in Solan. Chamba, Mahasu, Mandi and Sirmour were created on 15th April 1948 with an area of 27,169 km. The secretariat in those days was called Himachal Dham.  The Part-C State: Himachal Pradesh became a part C state in 1951 with the 36 member Legislative Assembly. The first Lieutenant Governor of Himachal Pradesh was major general MS Himmat Singh who assumed the office on 1st March 1952. On 24th March 1952, Y S Parmar became the first chief minister. On 1st July 1954, Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh. Raja Anand Chand of Bilaspur was agai...