Barog
Barog | |
|---|---|
Hill station | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| District | Solan |
| Elevation | 1,560 m (5,120 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
• Total | 1,500 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi, Punjabi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 174 101 |
| Telephone code | 91-1792 |
| Vehicle registration | HP-14 |
Barog is a small hill station in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The station lies on UNESCO World Heritage Site Kalka–Shimla Railway. Set in the mountains Barog is just 60 km from Chandigarh on the Kalka-Shimla highway.
History
Barog was settled in the early 20th century during the building of the narrow gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway. It is named after Colonel Barog, an engineer involved in building the railway track in 1903. Currently many residents have their long stays in their houses and flats in Barog. Mostly they are Sikhs from Punjab. It used to be an important stop in the early decades of the century when the Kalka-Shimla toy train stopped here for an hour while the sahibs and memsahibs enjoyed a lavish lunch.
Geography
Barog is located at 30°53′24″N 77°4′55″E / 30.89000°N 77.08194°E at a distance of 60 km from Chandigarh. Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh is another 65 km from Barog.
Until 2003, National Highway 22 connecting Chandigarh with Shimla passed through Barog. On 6 December 2003, the new section of the highway was inaugurated that would connect the village of Kumarhatti directly to Solan, thus bypassing Barog. This was done to avoid the steep incline to Barog from Kumarhatti.[1]
Barog is located at a height of 1560 metres above the mean sea level. Due to its height, temperatures here range between 23 and 10 °C during summers and between 15 and 5 °C during winters. The summers last from April to July. Winters set in during December and typically last up to February.
Economy
The economy of Barog is primarily dependent upon tourists, who come here because of its cool climate and proximity to Chandigarh. Many hotels including Hotel KorInns and a Himachal tourism resort called Pinewood operate in Barog. Barog is also influenced economically by the nearby Lawrence School, Sanawar.
The local economy mainly depends on the agriculture and especially on tomato growing. Until 1975 the local populace was mostly illiterate, which resulted in stalled economic progress. [citation needed]
Barog also serves as a fitness camp for the Indian National Hockey and other athletic teams.[2]
Barog Tunnel
Barog, the engineer, was responsible for designing a tunnel near the railway station. He commenced digging the tunnel from both sides of the mountain, which is quite common as it speeds up construction. However, he made mistakes in his calculation and while constructing the tunnel, it was found that the two ends of the tunnel did not meet.[3] Barog was fined an amount of 1 Rupee by the British government. Unable to withstand the humiliation, Barog committed suicide and was buried near the incomplete tunnel. The area came to be known as Barog after him.[4] [5]
Later it was constructed under Chief Engineer H.S. Harrington's supervision, guided by a local sage, Bhalku,[6] from July 1900 to September 1903, at a cost of 840,000 rupees.
This tunnel is the longest of the 103 operational tunnels on the route of the Shimla-Kalka Railway, which is 1143.61m long. Barog station is immediately after the tunnel. Barog tunnel is the straightest tunnel in the World.[7]
Trains take about 2.5 minutes to cross this tunnel, running at 25 kilometres per hour.[4]
In the news
Barog station was filmed on CNN in Season 3 Episode 1, "Punjab, India" of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown during Anthony Bourdain's journey in Kalka-Shimla train, which aired on Sunday April 13, 2014 in USA.[8]
References
- ^ "Article in The Tribune". Archived from the original on 26 May 2006. Retrieved 31 August 2006.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Article about Hockey Team". Retrieved 31 August 2006.
- ^ Hathaway, R.A. (Andy); Slaton, Timothy J. (June 2004). "Underground in Atlanta: Burrowing 'Blind' Beneath Atlanta's Subways". Professional Surveyor Magazine. 24 (6). Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ a b Singh, Jagmeet (15 June 2002). "Man behind Barog tunnel lies forgotten". The Tribune. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ "The Barog Tunnel (Tunnel No. 33), Shimla". Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ Mountain Railways of India
- ^ "Barog - Himachel Tourist Guide". Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ^ "CNN Anthony Bourdain - Parts Unknown (Punjab, India)". Retrieved 26 November 2016.