Essay on A visit to land of Gods-Himachal
Answers
Explanation:
Popularly known as the Devbhumi or “Land of Gods”, Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful hill state in India, nestled in north-west region of western Himalayas. The state is landlocked with the Tibetan plateau to the east, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, and the Punjab to the west. However, the state stands apart from its neighbors in terms of its sheer topographic diversity and breathtaking pristine natural beauty. From vast tracts of high-altitude Trans-Himalayan desert to dense green Deodar forests, from apple orchards to cultivated terraces, from snow capped high Himalayan mountain ranges to snow fed lakes and gushing rivers.
Flora & Fauna:
Along with this diversity, comes a vast range of flora and fauna. The outer fringe of Himachal is formed by the Shivalik Hills which are characterized by shallow dips and low dense scrub. The extravagance of the Indian sun mellows as the hills climb higher and tropical vegetation parts to woods of scented pine – which merge into forests of oak and flowering rhododendron. The mid-ranges have the majestic Himalayan cedars (the almost legendary ‘Deodar’), and spruce. Then close to the snowline, come stretches of fir, alder and birch. The chilled pine which gives the tasty kernel – the ‘Chilgoza’ and huge elms tiling and horse-chestnuts, make cameo appearances.
Wild flowers, a variety of ferns and grasses and rare medicinal herbs form the groundcover – while vast meadows just under the sky, are lined by juniper and lichens. Past the snow peaks, the land is largely arid for the monsoon rains – India’s lifeline; that are forced to remain south of this impassable mountain barrier.
For countless centuries Himachal has been home to a variety of birds and animals. There are pheasants whose colors can place rainbows in the shade; then there are partridges and patient kites, ibex, antelopes, deer, bears, leopards, the rare bharal and thar – and the elusive snow leopard.