Solan, Himachal Pradesh
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Solan सोलन |
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| Major City | |
From top, left to right: Thodo dance of Solan; Shoolini Utsav; Shoolini Devi Temple Solan; Yung Drung Monastery, Dholanji, Solan; panoramic view of Solan city
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| Nickname(s): Mushroom city of India | |
 Solan
Solan
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| Coordinates: 30°54′18″N 77°05′49″E / 30.905°N 77.097°ECoordinates: 30°54′18″N 77°05′49″E / 30.905°N 77.097°E | |
| Country | |
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| District | Solan |
| Government | |
| • MLA | Dhani Ram Shandil |
| Elevation | 1,502 m (4,928 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 39,256 |
| • Rank | 2 in HP |
| Languages | |
| • Official | English |
| • Regional | Pahari, Hindi |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 173212 |
| Telephone code | 01792 |
| Vehicle registration | HP- HP 14, HP 01S, HP 02S, HP 64, HP 59 |
| Avg. annual temperature | 18 °C (64 °F) |
| Avg. summer temperature | 32 °C (90 °F) |
| Avg. winter temperature | −2 °C (28 °F) |
| Climate | Cwa |
| Website | hpsolan |
Solan is the district headquarters of Solan district (created on 1 September 1972) in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The largest Municipal Council of Himachal Pradesh, it is located 46 kilometres (29 mi) south of the state capital, Shimla. At an average elevation of 1,600 metres (5,200 ft). The place is named after the Hindu goddess Shoolini devi. Every year in the month of June, a fair celebrating the goddess is held, featuring a 3-day mela at the central Thodo grounds. Solan was the capital of the erstwhile princely state, Bhagat.
It is known as the "Mushroom city of India" because of the vast mushroom farming in the area as well as the Directorate of Mushroom Research (DMR) situated at Chambaghat.
For the information of the readers the first research project on growing of edible mushrooms in India was sanctioned by the Agriculture Department, Govt of HP around 1959. This was entrusted to Shri S.S.Jain ( Late Shri Sukhbir Singh Jain) the first Mycologist and Plant Pathologist of the HP state. He came down from Shimla to Solan in 1959 and established the Mycology and Plant Pathology Laboratory single-handedly. With just one peon he started his experiments and was successful in growing the first button mushroom in India. Later as Officer on Special Duty he established the HP Agriculture University in a building on a hill close to the Solan Railway Station.
Solan is crowned as the "City of Red Gold", in reference to the bulk production of tomatoes in the area. The town is situated between Chandigarh (joint capital of Punjab and Harayana) and Shimla (state capital), on the Kalka-Shimla National Highway-22. The Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge heritage railway line, built by the British passes through Solan and is a recognised World Heritage site.
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Wikipedia