KULU  , a subdivision of

Kangra district, Punjab, British India, which nominally includes the two Himalayan cantons or waziris of Lahul and Spiti . The tahsil of Kulu has an area of 1054 sq. m., of which only 6o sq. m. are cultivated; pop . (1901), 68,954 . The Sainj, which joins the Beas at Largi, divides the tract into two portions, Kulu proper and Soraj . Kulu proper, north of the Sainj, together with inner Soraj, forms a great basin or depression in the midst of the Himalayan system, having the narrow gorge of the Beas at Largi as the only outlet for its waters . North and east the Bara Bangahal and mid-Himalayan ranges rise to a mean elevation of 18,000 ft., while southward the Jalori and Dhaoladhar ridges attain a height of 11,0Oo ft . Ther,higher villages stand 9000 ft. above the sea; and even the cultivated tracts have probably an average elevation of 5000 ft . The houses consist of four-storeyed chalets in little groups, huddled closely together on the ledges or slopes of the valleys, picturesquely built with projecting eaves and carved wooden verandas . The Beas, which, with its tributaries, drains the entire basin, rises at the crest of *the Rohtang pass, 13,326 ft. above the sea, and has an average fall of 125 ft. per mile . Its course presents a succession of magnificent scenery, including cataracts, gorges, precipitous cliffs, and mountains clad with forests of deodar, towering above the tiers of pine on the lower rocky ledges . It is crossed by several suspension bridges . Great mineral wealth exists, but the difficulty of transport and labour prevents its development .

Hot springs occur at three localities, much resorted to as places of

pilgrimage . The character of the hillmen resembles that of most other mountaineers in its mixture of simplicity, independence and superstition . Tibetan polyandry still prevails in Soraj, but has almost died out elsewhere . The temples are dedicated rather to local deities than to the greater gods of the Hindu pantheon . Kulu is an ancient Rajput principality, which was conquered by Ranjit Singh about 1812 . Its hereditary ruler, with the title of rai, is now recognized by the British government as jagirdar of Rupi .