Fair
& Festivals
Art
& Craft
Dress
& Ornaments
Folk
Dances
Places
of Interest at Chamba
People and their Life Style
Chamba
at Glance
River
System
Intervening
Valleys
Places
of Interest at Dalhousie
No other district in Himachal Pradesh provides as good
variety of people as Chamba does. The five Wazarats of erstwhile Chamba
State namely Chamba, Bhattiyat, Churah, Pangi and Bharmour now form
sub-divisions of Chamba district. The people are called Chambyals,
Bhattiyals, Churahis, Pangwals and Bharmauris according to the area they
live in. Religion wise population can be divided into Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs
and Christians. 
Chamba has the distinction of having two tribal areas,
Pangi and Bharmour. These areas have been declared as scheduled areas under
the Constitution of India and as such the population living in these areas
has acquired the status of Scheduled Tribes. Besides there is a sizeable
population of the Bhots of Tibetan origin
known as Bhatoris living in upper reaches of Pangi.
Two nomadic tribes i.e. Gujjars and Gaddis inhabit some
parts of the district. While Gaddis inhabit Bharmour and upper parts of
Bhattiyat, the Gujjars are mainly found in Chamba, Churah and Salooni
tehsils.
The Gaddis
The Gaddis are semi-agricultural tribe. They own large
flocks of sheep and goats which are their main source of wealth. With them
they go far a field, the summer being spent in the higher mountains of Pangi
and Lahul and the winters in the low hills bordering on the plains. Some
members stay back at home to tend the cattle and cultivate the land. On the
whole they are better shepherds than farmers.
The Gaddis are identifiable from a distance due to
their typical dress comprising topa,
chola and dora. They sport a hukah (smoking pipe) in their hand and khalru containing cereals and other essential articles on their
back.
The Gaddis are simple and honest lot. They are more
known for their simplicity. The following saying is prevalent about the
Gaddis:
Gaddi Mitar
Bhola
Dinda Top Tan
Mangda Chola
(Gaddi is simpleton.
He ask for coat in exchange for cap)
The Gaddis are sturdy people. The women are good
looking. They are god-fearing people. Lord Shiva is their chief deity.
The Gujjars
The Gujjars are also a pastoral tribe. They rear
buffaloes and keep moving in search of grazing pastures throughout the year.
In summer they go to the high hills/dhars
while in winter they move out to the plains. Most of the Gujjars families
have cultivated land with them but their chief wealth is still the
buffaloes.
They
build there temporary structures at the grazing places called kothas.
The Gujjars trace their origin to Gujarat. Certain unforeseen reasons forced
them to emigrate from Gujarat-Kathiawar region to Jammu & Kashmir and
later to Chamba. The Gujjars in Chamba are predominately Muslims.
The Gujjars are simple, sturdy and hardworking
people. They can be recognised by their typical beard and dress. They wear
on their heads a special type of turban (safa)
made of muslin cloth mostly in white colour. As upper garment they wear a
loose shirt (kameez) of blue or
black cotton fabric.