AryaInIND: starting a entry and citations

2025-05-08T00:58:27Z

starting a entry and citations

New page

{{short description|Village in Himachal Pradesh, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2025}}
'''Rait''' ([[Hindi]]: रैत) is a village in the [[Kangra district]], Himachal Pradesh, India. Rait is both a [[gram panchayat]], and the centre of the Rait [[Community development block|development block]] of Kangra district.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rait |url=https://findmygov.in/en/himachal-pradesh/kangra/rait-block |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=findmygov.in |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Development Block {{!}} District Kangra, Government of Himachal Pradesh {{!}} India |url=https://hpkangra.nic.in/development-block/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=en-US}}</ref> It is a historically and culturally significant part of the [[Kangra Valley|Kangra valley]], hosting sites and institutions related to Raja [[Sansar Chand]], the [[Kangra painting|Kangra school of Pahadi painting]], Sanskrit learning, and Kangra's folk arts.

[[File:Rait village, Kangra.jpg|thumb|365x365px|Rait village, Kangra valley, India. The Dhauladhar range can be seen in the distant background. ]]
== Geography ==
Rait village is located on an elevated [[alluvial fan]] with the [[Dhauladhar|Dhauladhar range]] to its north. The village lies above the banks of the [[Chambi Khad]], a tributary of the Gaj Khad, which in turn feeds into the [[Beas River]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://emerginghimachal.hp.gov.in/miningstone/survay_docs/kangra.pdf |title=Study on the drainage system, mineral potential and feasibility of mining in river/ stream beds of district Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. |publisher=Geological Wing, Udyog Bhavan, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh |pages=112}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Srivastava |first1=P. |last2=Rajak |first2=M.K. |last3=Singh |first3=L.P. |date=2009 |title=Late Quaternary alluvial fans and paleosols of the Kangra basin, NW Himalaya: Tectonic and paleoclimatic implications|journal=Catena |volume=76 |issue=2|pages=135–154 |doi=10.1016/j.catena.2008.10.004 }}</ref>

== History ==

=== Pre-historic period ===
In 1975, it was reported that some pre-historic chopping tools had been found near Rait and the nearby village of Hatli.<ref>{{Cite book |author=India Dept of Archaeology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NrcZAAAAMAAJ&q=rait+kangra |title=Indian Archaeology |date=1975 |pages=16 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Early modern period ===
Rait is located on the same alluvial fan as the villages Rihlu and Nerti, from which Rait is about 5 km and 1 km distant respectively. This fan formed the Rihlu ilaqa (territory), a [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[appanage]]. Rihlu village had a small fort, the ruins of which can still be seen today. With the decline of Mughal power in the 18th century, the king of [[Chamba State|Chamba]] reasserted his hereditary claim on Rihlu ilaqa. In 1794, when [[Sansar Chand]] of Kangra's [[Katoch Dynasty|Katoch dynasty]] attempted to seize Rihlu ilaqa, Raja Raj Singh (the then king of Chamba) got the fort of Rihlu repaired, and advanced in person for the ilaqa's defence. But Raj Singh lost his life in the battlefield of Nerti. In 1796, a temple was erected at Nerti in memory of the fallen king, and in 1799, an annual fair was instituted to observe his death anniversary. The [[Kangri language|Kangri]] scholar [[Gautam Sharma "Vyathit"|Gautam Sharma Vyathit]] notes that the fair continues to be held every year in late June, both as a remembrance of Raja Raj Singh's self-sacrifice, and as a celebration of Kangra-Chamba friendship. Till several decades ago, the fair was held in Rait, Nerti, and Ghati Sanora. But with the building of the National Highway through Rait, in 1960 Rait became the main site for the fair, and continues to be so.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uZsIAAAAQAAJ&dq=nerti+kangra&pg=PA55 |title=Gazetteer of the Kangra District, 1883 |publisher=Calcutta Central Press Company Limited |year=1883 |pages=61–62 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hutchison |first1=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3btDw4S2FmYC&dq=nerti+kangra&pg=PA32 |title=History of the Panjab Hill States |last2=Vogel |first2=Jean Philippe |date= |publisher=Asian Educational Services |year=1933 |isbn= |pages=32 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jeratha |first=Aśoka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2oZiyOqReoC&q=forts+of+kangra |title=Forts and Palaces of the Western Himalaya |date=2000 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=978-81-7387-104-7 |pages=53–54 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

=== Colonial period ===
''A Guide to the Kangra District'', published in 1900, mentions Rait village as having a primary school and some shops. Among these was an agent of Kanyara Slate Company, for the sale of slates. This guide also mentions the nearby colonial-era bridge over the Chambi Khad, which by early 2025 had been in disuse for many years. Rait lay on the route from [[Pathankot|Panthankot]] to [[Kangra, Himachal Pradesh|Kangra]], and was accessible by [[Tanga (cart)|tonga]] and [[Ekka (carriage)|ekka]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mal |first=Ram Rakha |title=A Guide to the Kangra District |publisher=Commercial Printing Works |year=1900 |location=Lahore |pages=21}}</ref>

Settlements around the present-day Rait village, including villages such as Nerti, Rihlu, and [[Shahpur, Himachal Pradesh Assembly constituency|Shahpur]], were almost completely destroyed in the [[1905 Kangra earthquake]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India |publisher=Geological Survey of India |year=1910 |volume=XXXVIII |location=Calcutta |pages=9–13}}</ref>

[[Gautam Sharma "Vyathit"|Vyathit]] records that for decades prior to [[Independence Day (India)|India's Independence in 1947]], there used to be a large [[Sanskrit]] school at Rait village. Pandit Padmanath Shastri was its head. This school had a collection of manuscripts related to the works of [[Pandit|Pandits]], [[Purohita|Purohits]], and [[Vaidya|Vaidyas]]. Pandit Vidyasagar, Sarandas Dixit, and Daulatram Dixit were some known Vaidyas associated with this school.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Vyathit |first=Gautam Sharma |date=April–July 2020 |title=नेरटी : अतीत से वर्तमान तक |url=https://ssneri.com/ethiyas-divakar/1454-2/ |website=ssneri.com}}</ref>

=== Post-Independence period ===
In 1945, the [[Indian freedom fighter]] and renunciate social reformer Swami Vijay Sheel (1907-1978) arrived at Nerti. Over 1945-50 he opened 13 schools for educating girls in and nearby Nerti. These were some of the first schools for girls in Kangra district. In the early 1970s, Swami shifted to Shahni's house in Rait village, where he would spend his last years, and pass away on 4 February 1978.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Vyathit |first=Gautam Sharma |title=History of Vijaysheel Adarsh Vidyalya (Dodhamb, Charri) along with Vijaysheel Aadarsh Vidyalya (Nerti) |date=2020}}</ref>

In 1958, Rait was made into a development block, which as of October 2024 comprised 61 gram panchayats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Profile |url=https://egramswaraj.gov.in/generalprofileforpanchayat.do?localbodycd=750 |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=egramswaraj.gov.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=District/Block wise number of Gram Panchayats |url=https://hppanchayat.nic.in/PDF/number%20of%20Panchyats.pdf |website=hppanchayat.nic.in}}</ref> In 1967, Rait block was one of seven in the Kangra district to be taken up for intensive work under an Indo-German Package Programme for Agriculture.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R7gvfdyiM_AC&q=%22rait%22+himachal+pradesh |title=Panchayati Raj |date=1969 |publisher=Director, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting |language=en}}</ref> In 1967, an intensive [[Padayatra|padyatra]] of the [[Gramdan movement]] was launched in the Nagrota and Rait blocks of Kangra district. In Rait, the padyatra resulted in 104 gramdans.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vaYJAAAAIAAJ&q=%22rait%22+himachal+pradesh |title=Sarvodaya |date=1967 |publisher=Sarvodaya Prachuralaya |language=en}}</ref>

In December 2020, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister [[Jai Ram Thakur|Jairam Thakur]] inaugurated the Kalyan Bhavan in Rait.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CM dedicates and lays foundation stones of Rs. 22 crore developmental projects |url=http://himachalpr.gov.in/OnePressRelease.aspx?Language=1&ID=19971 |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=himachalpr.gov.in}}</ref> In December 2023, the then Chief Minister [[Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu]] inaugurated the Block Development Office building at Rait.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CM lays foundation stone of Rs. 5.36 crore BDO office building at Rait |url=http://himachalpr.gov.in/OnePressRelease.aspx?Language=1&ID=32704 |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=himachalpr.gov.in}}</ref>

As of April 2023, an alternate piece of land in the Lanj area of the Rait block had been proposed for the construction of a new airport in Kangra district, about 23 kms from the existing [[Gaggal Airport|Gaggal airport]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://himachaltourism.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/SIA_Final-Report_Kangra_Airport_English.pdf |title=Final SIA report - Land Acquisition for the Expansion of Kangra Airport |date=April 2023 |publisher=HIPA SIAU, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh |pages=11}}</ref>

== Culture ==
In 1966, ''Himachal Suprabhat'', an [[Urdu]] fortnightly, began being published from Rait village.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wO-TuEKxC_gC&dq=%22rait%22+kangra&pg=PA264 |title=Press in India 1978 |date=September 1978 |publisher=Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India |location=New Delhi |pages=264 |language=en}}</ref> This publication was still in circulation in 1991.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TbVGfCsoj9gC&q=Rait+nurpur |title=Annual Report of the Registrar of Newspapers for India |date=1991 |publisher=Office of the Registrar of Newspapers. |pages=277 |language=en}}</ref>

Chandu Lal Raina, an exponent of the [[Kangra painting|Kangra school of painting]] and a descendent of [[Seu (artist)|Pandit Seu]] and [[Nainsukh]], was settled in Rait. In 1973, to revive Kangra painting, the [[Government of Himachal Pradesh|Himachal Pradesh government]] started a training centre for young artists at Rait, with Chandu Lal Raina in charge as mentor. Raina trained 35 artists at this centre, and worked there till a year before his death on 5 May 1994.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Parashar |first=RK |date=22 September 2018 |title=Survival of Pahari miniature paintings raises concern |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/himachal-tribune/survival-of-pahari-miniature-paintings-raises-concern-656625/ |work=The Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jeratha |first=Aśoka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQDkxM0GTw4C&dq=rait+kangra&pg=PA90 |title=The Splendour of Himalayan Art and Culture |date=1995 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=978-81-7387-034-7 |pages=90 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1985, some researchers noted that Rait village was still inhabited exclusively by its native population which was little influenced by migrants and their culture.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1985 |title=Estimation of Reproductive Span of Brahmin and Chowdhury Females of Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fAXmAAAAMAAJ&q=%22rait%22+himachal+pradesh |journal=The Journal of Family Welfare |volume=32 |pages=26}}</ref>

In Himachal Pradesh, the town of [[Palampur, Himachal Pradesh|Palampur]], and the villages of Rait and Samloti were known for making wooden toys, even till the late 1990s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Anand |first=Mulk Raj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-zY2gTcG6yIC&dq=%22rait%22+himachal+pradesh&pg=PA93 |title=Splendours of Himachal Heritage |date=1997 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-351-9 |language=en}}</ref>

Rait is also an important area for the pastoral [[Gaddis|Gaddi]] community, in the past as one of their traditional winter residence, and in the present more as their permanent residence.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sarkar |first1=Jayanta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_DZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22rait%22+himachal+pradesh |title=Transition, Change, and Transformation: Impacting the Tribes in India |last2=Chakraborty |first2=Jyotirmoy |date=2003 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |isbn=978-81-85579-74-0 |language=en}}</ref>
== Demography ==
As per the [[2011 census of India|2011 Census of India]], the Rait Development Block had a total of 22,962 households, and 1,04,115 persons living there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Block-wise population-2011-census |url=https://himachalservices.nic.in/economics/pdf/StatisticalAbstract_2017_18.pdf |website=himachalservices.nic.in}}</ref>

== Transport ==
Rait village is located on the [[National Highway 154 (India)|NH 154]]. It is 7.5 km from the [[Kangra Airport|Gaggal airport]], and 17.5 km from [[Dharamshala]].

== See also ==

* [[Gautam Sharma "Vyathit"|Gautam Vyathit]]
* [[Chamba State|Chamba state]]
* [[Kangra State|Kangra state]]
* [[Kangra painting|Kangra Painting]]
* [[Kangra Airport|Kangra airport]]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Kangra district]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Kangra district]]
[[Category:Villages in Kangra district]]

Rait, Himachal Pradesh - Revision history

AryaInIND: starting a entry and citations