Kunihar Valley is a valley situated between the mountains of Solan District of Himachal Pradesh. Kunihar is situated alongside Kuni Rivulet, a small river. The valley is located at a distance of 42 km from Shimla and 40 km from Solan. Kunihar is well known for the famous cave of Lord Shiva known as "Dyars". The cave is 25 km long. The valley is also famous for the Shri Devi Temple and Shri Dano Devta Temple, dedicated to Kulja Devi and Dano Devta, respectively. Kunihar Talab is another prime attraction of this town.
Etymology of Kunihar Valley
Kunihar is a historical town that has derived its name from a garland shaped rivulet, Kuni, which flows through the valley. Kunihar Valley is also known as "Choti Vilayat" and "Hatkot". The valley was named "Kunihar" by Rajiv Gandhi. During one of his visits, he found this small valley surrounded by a small river named as Kuni. This river was in the shape of garland (translated as Haar), so he named it "Kunihar".
History of Kunihar Valley
As per ancient records, Kunihar was founded in 1154 by Abhoj Dev, a Raghubansi Rajput from Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir. His descendants ruled the town for many centuries until the independence in the year 1947. The state was occupied by Nepal from 1803 to 1815. The rulers of the state adopted the title of "Thakur".
Rulers of Kunihar of Kunihar Valley
The following are the Rulers or Thakurs of Kunihar Valley:
Mungri Das (1815 - 1816)
Kishen Singh (1816 - 1866)
Tegh Singh (1866 - 1905)
Hardev Singh (1905 - 15 Aug 1947)
Visiting Information of Kunihar Valley
The nearest airport from Kunihar Valley is located in Shimla at a distance of about 28 km. Chandigarh railway station which is located at a distance of about 75 km is the nearest railhead to Kunihar Valley. From both the airport and station, one can get a direct cab to Kunihar Valley. Kunihar has good road connectivity and hence, it can be easily approached by road.
Kunihar Valley is a tourist destination and also a perfect spot to learn about the history of Himachal Pradesh.
