Padmasambhan
Description: Padmasambhan, who was a missionary, visited Lahaul-Spiti in the 8th century and introduced Buddhism in the Lahaul Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh
HP GK Questions with Answers & Quiz
Q. Who introduced Buddhism in the Lahaul Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh?
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Q. Where is the Mahima Public Library?
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Nahan
Description: Mahima Library is one of oldest library in Himachal. It’s housed at Nahan in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh. The library that was constructed in 19th century. It has been dedicated to Princess Mahima, daughter of Maharaja Shamsher Prakash, since she was keen of reading and had a wish that every person in the area should adopt the habit of reading. However, princess Mahima died at the age of 12, and in memory of her, Maharaja Shamsher Prakash established library.
Q. Who was the last ruler of Bhagat state?
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Raja Durga Singh
Description: Baghat was a princely state in Solan district. The first capital of the state was Jaunaji. It was shifted in 1875 to Solan.
The founder of the Bhagat state is recorded as Basant Pal or Hari Chand Pal from Dharánágri in the Deccan region. It’s believed that Basant Pal had captured a small place in the hills of the Keonthan pargana of Patiala, which he subsequently named Basantpur, and which later came to be called Bassi. This settlement was inherited by his son Bakhsh Pál, who later annexed the parganas of Básál, Bhocháli and Bharauli from Patiála. The 8th rana, Bhawáni Pál, annexed the Bachhráng pargana and the territory of the Rana of Kasauli.
After the Gurkha- British war, British annexed considerable part of Bhagat estate and in 1839 state was lapsed into British territory as its ruler Rana Mahinder Singh died without issue.
However, in 1842, upon the request of Ummed Singh, a grandson of the late rana Dalel Singh, Lord Ellingham restored the state of Baghát to Bije Singh, the younger brother of the late rana. However, in 1849, he too died without leaving a direct heir, and the state again was deemed lapsed and was annexed according to the doctrine.
Ummed Singh then established a claim to the throne for himself, and pleaded his case before the Court of Directors. It was initially rejected, but eventually in 1861, upon the recommendation of Lord Canning, the claim was recognised by the court.
The last ruler of Baghát was Durga Singh, who succeeded his father in 1911 as a minor. In June 1928, he was accorded the hereditary title of Raja. Raja Durga Singh acceded his state to the Union of India on 15 April 1948.
Q. When did Gurkhas invader captured Arki Fort?
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1806
Description: The Arki fort was captured by the Gurkhas in 1806. Rana Jagat Singh, the ruler of Baghal, had to take refuge in Nalagarh. From 1806 to 1815, the Gurkha General Amar Singh Thapa holds Arki as his headquarters to make further advances into Himachal Pradesh as far as Kangra.
Q. When British completed a narrow-gauge railway between Shimla and Kalka?
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1903
Description: In 1903, the British had completed a narrow-gauge railway, whose diminutive locomotive led to its being called the “toy” train, to Shimla from Kalka. The UNESCO-recognized train route passes through 102 tunnels and crosses over 850 bridges.