Named after Shoolini Devi Goddess, Solan is the fastest growing district
headquarters town of Himachal Pradesh. Situated on Kalka-Shimla National Highway-22, it has a unique location in between Chandigarh and Shimla. It is half way on Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge heritage railway line, built by the British. It is now popularly known as “MUSHROOM CITY OF INDIA”. At an altitude of 1453 metre above mean sea level, the town is surrounded by high hills. It is pleasant in summers and also not so cold in winters. It is well connected with Nalagarh, Bilaspur, Shimla, Rajgarh, Nahan & Chandigarh.
A fair is held every year in the month of June. It begins with the worship of goddess Shoolini Mata. A 3-day mela is held at the central Thodo ground on this occasion.
Geographical setting
Solan town is located in the middle of National Highway 22 linking Kalka and Shimla. It
is served by the internationally known narrow gauge railway line connecting Shimla with Kalka, the so called "Toy Train". The town is situated at an altitude of 1453 meters above mean sea level and geographically we have longitude 77o6' and latitude 30o54' passing through it. The town proper has high hills surrounding it. The Matiul peak is on the eastern side and is approximately 1986 meters. high. The Karol peak on the Northern side is nearly 2000 meters high whereas the one near Deonghat is 1984 meters high. Solan town acts as a base station for many tourist destinations like Chail, Dagshai, Subathu, Kandaghat, Churdhar peak etc.
Historical Evolution
Solan is the headquarters of Solan district. The district derives its name from Solan town
which came into existence after the construction of the cantonment here around last quarter of the 19th Century. The Mohan Meakins brewery was set up after the establishment of the cantonment here. The brewery was set up in the year 1855. The town has been headquarters of the princely Baghat State. The word Baghat is derived from Bau or Bahu said to be a hilly term meaning "many" and ghat meaning pass. Initially the state headquarters of the Baghat State was located at Bhoch in the Bhuchali pargana, but the headquarters of the state was shifted to Solan after the construction of cantonment over here. The railway line became functional 100 years before i.e. in 1902. Thus the evolution of the town can be spelt out in the following order or sequence :-
(i) Setting up of a cantonment area at Solan.
(ii) Establishment of a brewery on account of availability of excellent mineral water
in the year 1855.
(iii) Shifting of the headquarters of Baghat State from Bhoch to Solan.
(iv) Start of Kalka-Shimla rail line in 1902.
(v) Start of vehicular road movement on Kalka-Shimla road.
(vi) The urban local body i.e. M.C. Solan came into existence around 1950.
(vii) Consequent upon re-organisation of districts in Himachal Pradesh, Solan became
an independent district on 1st September, 1972 and Solan town became its natural
headquarters.
Regional setting
No settlement can be viewed in isolation for the purpose of Development Plan as it is an
integral part of its hinterland. Solan town having a population of 34,199 persons as per 2001
census is almost saturated in development. Approximately 90% of the developable land has been actually utilized under different activities. The remaining land is fast getting reduced.
Development has been taking place outside the M.C. limits in Kather, Basal, Dehunghat,
Raboun, Anji, Shamti, Damrog and Salogra etc. The nearby settlements or towns like Subathu, Kandaghat, Chail, Rajgarh, Barog, Kumarhatti, Dharampur, Kasauli etc. are also dependent upon Solan town in many ways. People come here to use the health, educational, commercial and other infrastructure available and also bring various services as well as vegetables, food, milk etc. to meet with the growing requirements of Solan town. Thus Solan is fast acquiring the character of a regional town and has a number of activities in and around it. A brief list is given hereunder :-
(i) N.R.C.M. (National Research Centre for Mushroom)
It is a Central Government Body.
(ii) C.I.P.M.C. (Centre for Investigation of Pest Management & Control)
It is a Central Government Body.
(iii) Z.S.I. (Zoological Survey of India)
It is a Central Government Body.
(iv) Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry.
(v) Engineering College at Bohli near Kumarhatti.
(vi) K.T.S. Boarding school at Tatul.
(vii) Dental College at Tatul.
(viii) E.T.D.C. (Electronics Testing and Development Centre)
It is a Central Government Body.
(ix) Anaj/Sabzi Mandi.
(x) J.B.T. School and I.T.I.
(xi) S.C.E.R.T. at Raboun.
(xii) Railway Station.
(xiii) H.F.C.L. (Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited)
(xiv) S.I.S.I. ( Small Industries Service Institute)
It is a Central Government Body.
(xv) Cantonment.
(xvi) Bon Monastery at Kalaghat near Oachhghat. Said to be a oldest in India.
(xvii) Flats, Cottages, Clinics, Nursing Homes.
(xviii) Zonal Hospital.
(xix) Sand/lime mines.
Accessibility
The National Highway No. 22 is a prominent road passing through Solan town. It is an
important road from many points of view. Firstly it is a defence road connecting Delhi,
Dehradun, Ambala and Chandigarh to the China Border. Next it is the life line of our State as all raw products, building materials, passengers, goods etc. come through this route only. Our own products go out via it. It is on account of its significance that there are today 2 bye passes within Solan Planning Area. These are :-
(i) Solan bye- pass linking Saproon and Chambaghat.
(ii) Barog bye pass linking Saproon and Kumarhatti via Anji & Raboun. The Centre
Government is also likely to undertake the 4-laning of this road. Surveys and
studies have been completed in this regard.
Besides N.H.-22, we have many other important roads connecting Solan to its nearby
areas, towns or settlements. These are: -
(i) Solan - Rajgarh road.
(ii) Solan - Subathu - Arki Road.
(iii) Solan - Kandaghat road via Basal and Salumana.
(iv) Solan - Jaunaji - road.
(v) Solan - Damrog - Jatoli road.
(vi) Solan - Ashwani Khad road. It will ultimately connect Solan to Herth as well as
Chail.
