District
Bilaspur
| Headquarters | Bilaspur |
|---|---|
| Division | Mandi |
| Formed | 1 July 1954 |
| Area | 1,167 km² |
| Population (2011) | 3,81,956 |
| Density (2011) | 327 per km² |
| Literacy (2011) | 84.59 % |
| Sex ratio (2011) | 981 |
Formed from the princely state of Kahlur, Bilaspur was a separate Part-C state from 1948 until it was merged into Himachal Pradesh on 1 July 1954 as its fifth district — the only district to join by merger of a full state rather than by transfer or reorganisation.
The old town of Bilaspur was submerged by the Gobind Sagar reservoir of the Bhakra dam; a new town was laid out on higher ground. Bilaspur is the first fully planned town of independent India in this sense, and the displacement it caused is a standing question on rehabilitation policy.
- Naina Devi — one of the Shakti Peeths, on a hilltop overlooking Gobind Sagar.
- Bhakra Dam (on the Sutlej, at Bhakra village) — foundation 1948, commissioned 1963.
- Kandror bridge over the Sutlej, once Asia's highest arch bridge.
- Nalwari fair — the cattle fair started in 1889 by W. Goldstein.