Languages, Literature and Folk Arts

Languages

• Official: Hindi; second official: Sanskrit (16 February 2019).
• The spoken languages are Western Pahari dialects, often mutually unintelligible: Kangri, Mandeali, Kulvi, Chambeali, Bilaspuri (Kahluri), Mahasui, Sirmauri, Bhattiyali, Gaddi, Bharmauri, Pangwali, Kinnauri, Lahauli (Bhoti).
• Kinnauri, Lahauli and Spitian belong to the Tibeto-Burman family, unlike the rest, which are Indo-Aryan.
• Historic scripts: Tankri (Takri) — the script of the hill states' administration and the copper plates; Sharda in Chamba's early inscriptions; Bhoti in the Buddhist valleys. All now written in Devanagari.

Folk dance

• Nati — the signature circle dance; Kullu Nati entered the Guinness records in 2015 as the largest folk dance.
• Kayang, Bakayang, Bnayangchu, Jataru Kayang — Kinnaur.
• Shand and Shabu, Namgen — Lahaul; Chham — masked monastic dance.
• Burah, Thoda — Sirmaur and Shimla; Thoda is an archery contest-dance between Pandava and Kaurava 'sides'.
• Dangi, Gaddi dance, Dandras, Dharveshi — Chamba and the Gaddi belt; Jhoori, Jhanjhar, Gee, Luddi, Rakshasa.

Literature and figures

• Kalhana's Rajatarangini for early references; the vamshavalis of each state.
• Yashpal — Hindi novelist and HSRA revolutionary.
• Baba Kanshi Ram — Pahari poet of the freedom movement.
• Nicholas Roerich — the Russian painter who settled at Naggar (Kullu); his estate is now a museum.
• Rudyard Kipling — Shimla in Kim and the Plain Tales from the Hills.