• Source: Rait, Himachal Pradesh

Rait is a village, a gram panchayat, and a development block of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, India.




Geography


Rait village is located on an elevated alluvial fan with the 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.




History






= Pre-historic period

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In 1975, it was reported that some pre-historic chopping tools had been found near Rait and the nearby village of Hatli.




= Early modern period

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Rait village is located between two historically important villages, Rihlu and Nerti, and is within 5 km of both. Rihlu and Nerti are located on the same alluvial fan as Rait. Rihlu was a part of the Mughal appanage of the Rihlu ilaqa (territory). The village had a small fort, the ruins of which can still be seen today. With the decline of Mughal power, the king of Chamba reasserted his hereditary claim on Rihlu ilaqa. In 1794, when Sansar Chand of Kangra's 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 scholar Gautam Sharma Vyathit notes that the fair continues to be held every year in late June, in Rait, Nerti, and Ghati Sanora, both as a remembrance of Raja Raj Singh's self-sacrifice, and as a celebration of Kangra-Chamba friendship.




= Colonial period

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Settlements around the present-day Rait village, including villages such as Nerti, Rehlu, and Shahpur, were almost completely destroyed in the 1905 Kangra earthquake.
Vyathit records that for decades prior to India's Independence in 1947, there used to be a large Sanskrit school on the road between Rait and Nerti. Pandit Padmanath Shastri was its head. This school had a collection of manuscripts related to the works of Pandits, Purohits, and Vaidyas. Pandit Vidyasagar, Sarandas Dixit, and Daulatram Dixit were some known Vaidyas associated with this school.




= Post-Independence period

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In 1958, Rait was made a development block. 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. In 1967, an intensive padyatra of the Gramdan movement was launched in the Nagrota and Rait blocks of Kangra district. In Rait, the padyatra resulted in 104 gramdans. Presently, 61 gram panchayats are a part of the Rait development block.
In December 2020, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur inaugurated the Kalyan Bhavan in Rait. In December 2023, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the Block Development Office building at Rait.
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.




Culture


In 1966, Himachal Suprabhat, an Urdu fortnightly, began being published from Rait village. This publication was still in circulation in 1991.
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.
Chandu Lal Raina, an exponent of the Kangra school of painting and a descendent of Pandit Seu and Nainsukh, was settled in Rait. To revive this school of painting, the Himachal Pradesh government started a training centre for young artists at Rait in 1973, 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 May 5, 1994.
In Himachal Pradesh, the town of Palampur, and the villages of Rait and Samloti were known for making wooden toys, even till the late 1990s.
Rait is also an important area for the pastoral Gaddi community, in the past as one of their traditional winter residence, and in the present more as their permanent residence.




Demography


As per the 2011 Census of India, the Rait Development Block had a total of 22,962 households, and 1,04,115 persons living there.




Transport


Rait village is located on the NH 154. It is 7.5 km from the Gaggal airport, and 17.5 km from Dharamshala.




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Rait, Himachal Pradesh
• Chambi, Himachal Pradesh
• Kangra district
• Vaisakhi
• Sansar Chand
• List of major district roads in Himachal Pradesh
• List of Hindu festivals
• Gautam Sharma "Vyathit"
• Karva Chauth
• Khatri