Nurpur is a town and municipal council in the Kangra district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Located in the western part of the state, close to the border with Punjab, it serves as the headquarters of the Nurpur tehsil and sub-division. The town is historically significant as the seat of the former princely state of Nurpur, ruled by the Pathania Rajputs.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| District | Kangra |
| Type | Town and Municipal Council |
| Former name | Dhameri |
| Historical status | Capital of the princely state of Nurpur |
| Ruling dynasty | Pathania Rajputs |
Nurpur was originally known as Dhameri. According to local tradition, the town was renamed by the Mughal emperor Jahangir in honour of his consort, Empress Nur Jahan, who is said to have visited the area in the early seventeenth century.
The region was ruled for several centuries by the Pathania dynasty, a clan of Tomar Rajputs that established its power in the foothills west of the Beas. The state of Nurpur was one of the major hill principalities of the Punjab Hills, and at its height controlled territories extending towards the Ravi.
The most prominent landmark of the town is the Nurpur Fort, built by the Pathania rulers and later modified during the Mughal period. The fort houses a temple dedicated to Brij Raj Swami, in which both Lord Krishna and the bhakti poet-saint Mirabai are venerated; the idol of Mira is said to have been brought from Chittor. Much of the fort lies in ruins, partly as a result of the 1905 Kangra earthquake, but its walls, gateways and stone carvings remain notable examples of hill architecture.
After the merger of the Punjab hill states into the Indian Union, Nurpur became part of the Kangra district. With the reorganisation of Himachal Pradesh in 1966, when Kangra was transferred from Punjab to Himachal Pradesh, Nurpur came under the present state. It is administered as a municipal council and is the headquarters of the Nurpur sub-division, comprising several tehsils.
Nurpur lies in the lower Himalayan foothills, in the western part of Kangra district. It is situated near the Punjab border, with the town of Pathankot to its west. The surrounding region is characterised by undulating terrain, tea-growing tracts and small streams draining into the Ravi and Beas systems. The climate is sub-tropical, with hot summers, a pronounced monsoon and cool winters.
The local economy is based largely on agriculture and horticulture, with maize, wheat, rice and seasonal vegetables being the principal crops. Tea cultivation, historically associated with the Kangra valley, is also practised in parts of the Nurpur area. Trade and small-scale services centred on the town support its function as a sub-divisional headquarters.
Nurpur is connected by road to Pathankot, Dharamshala and other towns of Kangra district, and lies on the route linking the plains of Punjab with the Kangra valley. The nearest major railway junction is at Pathankot, from which the narrow-gauge Kangra Valley Railway runs eastwards through the district. The closest airport providing scheduled services is Gaggal (Kangra) Airport.
Nurpur was a centre of the Pahari school of miniature painting, and the Nurpur style is recognised as one of the distinct sub-schools of Pahari art, alongside Basohli, Guler and Kangra. Local handicrafts, temple architecture and the annual fairs associated with the Brij Raj Swami temple form part of the cultural life of the town.