Sirmaur :

The district of Sirmaur is in the south eastern corner of the state. It is famous for its places of pilgrimages and for the legends that surround them. Nahan is a historic town pleasantly located on a ridge of the Shivalik Hills. It has beautiful green forests and valleys especially in Choordhar peak. A little town with a salubrious climate Nahan has gardens, temples and three popular walking circuits - The villa round, Military round and the Hospital round.

Sirmaur : General Information

Altitude : varies from 900 meters to 3,994 meters
Headquarter : Nahan ( altitude 933 meters )
Location : Sirmaur district lies in outer Himalayan ranges, called as Shivaliks between 33°22'30'' and 31°01'20'' North Longitude and between 77°01'12'' and 77°49'40'' East Longitude. The district is bounded by Shimla district in North, the rivers Tons and Yamuna in the East, district Ambala of Haryana in the South-West and Solan district in North-West.
Access by Air : The nearest airport in Himachal is Jubbarhatti 102 km. ( from Sarhan via - Solan - Shimla - Jubbarhatti ) and 140 km. from Nahan.
Access by Rail : Nearest narrow guage line is Barog ( near Kalka ) 42 km.
Access by Road : Almost each and every part of the state is linked by roads.
Distance : Shimla to Sarahan 175 km., Chandigarh to Nahan 87 km. Shimla to Renuka 165 km., Delhi to Renuka 315 km.

Famous Places around Sirmaur :

Nahan :- Nahan was founded by Raja Karna Prakash in 1621 A.D. as his capital city. It is crowned by the 3,647 metres high Choordhar peak. Nahan's close proximity to plains makes it an all weather holiday resort. There are a number of picturesque walks through the dense forests and some of them are the Villa Round, Military Round and Hospital Round.

Jaganath Temple :- Jaganath temple was built by Raja Budh Prakash in 1681 A.D. Making the end of the Monsoon, the festival of 'Sawan Dwadashi' is celebrated annually at the temple, towards the end of the monsoon when fifty two idols of local gods are carried in procession to Jagannath temple where they are floated ceremoniously in a pool and are restored at midnight to their niches. In the heart of Nahan town is Rani Tal, where a large temple and a tank from the days of ex-rulers of Sirmaur State can be seen. Ducks and Cranes are seen playing in the Ranital Tank, and Ranital Garden further adds to the charm.

Shivalik Fossil Park Saketi :- Located in Sirmaur district, displays life size fiberglass models of pre-historic animals whose fossils, skeletons were unearthed here. The park is the first of its kind in Asia to be developed at the actual site where fossils were discovered. It is 21 kms. from Nahan, located on the left bank of the Markanda river. The park at present has six sets of life size models of 'Stegodonganesa' (extinct grand elephant). Sivatherium Hexapratadon - Sivalensis ( hippopotamus with six incisors), Colossochetys Atlas ( giant land tortoise and chelonia), Paramachaeradus ( sabre toothed tiger) and Crocodiles, the animals which once thrived in the region. The other major attraction is the Museum which contains various fossils, models, charts and paintings relating to the various aspects of plants and animals life of the past and present in Shiwalik range. For refreshment, the HPTDC has a cafeteria a Tourist Information Centre is established there by the Himachal Government.

Trilokpur Temple :- It was built in 1573 A.D. by Raja Dip Prakash and at a distance of about 23 km. from Nahan and about 6 km. from Kala Amb gateway to Nahan from Haryana. Trilokpur is a place of great religious importance. The temple of the goddess 'Mahamaya Bala Sundri' is quite famous and attracts lakh of pilgrims from all over Northern India, espacially from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The unusual deity of Godess Bala Sundari resemble the stone lingam of Lord Shiva. A fair at this place is held twice a year when a large number of devotees visit this temple and pay their respect to the goddess.

Dhaula Kuan :- On the road to Paonta Sahib 20 kms. from Nahan, it is worth while to stop and see a sprawling orchard consisting of citrus plants and mangoes and a fruit canning factory of various kinds of juices, jams, pickles and canned fruits. A little away from Dhaula Kuan is Kastasan Devi temple where Raja Jagat Singh defeated the advancing army of Rulam Quadir Rohilla in a great battle. Their victory is commemorated in the Devi Temple, built in gratitude by the Raja. Dhaula Kuan also has a research station of HP KVV where useful research on tropical fruits is carried out.   

Giri Nagar :- Situated at a distance of 7 kms. from Dhaula Kuan, this town has a power house of 60 MW capacity constructed after diverting the Giri river through a 6 kms. tunnel.