District Library, Kullu

Origin

Kullu is an ancient town. There are several references of Kullu in Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vishnu Purana and other Sanskrit literature. It is believed that Manu after the great deluge first stepped on earth from his celestial boat at Manali (derived from 'Manu-alaya', means home of Manu), which is another nearby town in the district.

It is believed that Kullu was founded in the first century of Christian era by a person named Behangamani Pal whoese ancestors originally came from Tripura. He is belived to have helped the locals fight the oppresive landlords and thus established his dynasty here.

According to Barihat Sahinta Kullu drives its name from 'Kalut' a tribe that inhabited the upper valley of River Beas. According to another source it was also known as 'Kulanthpitha' - meaning the end of the habitable world. Kullu became part of British in 1846. In 1963 Kullu became a district in Punjab state. On Ist November 1966 after the reorganization of states Kullu became a district of Himachal Pradesh.

The Library was established in the year 1971 at the present location to serve the people of the town and adjoining areas.

Building

The library has spacious single storey building in the beautifull Kullu valley. The building is divided into two parts with common entrance. The main entrance opens into the common gallery, on the left are the Librarian's Room, Office and Store. On the right is spacious Stack-cum-Reading hall with the complete collection of the library arranged into different sections on one side and reading space for the readers on the other side. The library roof is traditional sloping type.

Location

Kullu is at a distance of 522 Kms from national capital New Delhi, 193 Kms from Chandigarh and 220 Kms from state capital Shimla.

The library is situated at the Dhalpur (near Kala Kendra), a five minutes of walk from the main bus stand of the city. The area is quite famous and is always live with some sort of cultural activities.

Staff

Chronological list of librarians,

• Ms Gayitri Tiwari from 12.06.1978 to 23.07.1989
• Mr sonam Tandoop from 19.10.1989 to 23.06.1993
• Mr Kripa Ram from 21.07.1993 to 24.02.1996
• Mr Urgyan Shaivring from 01.01.1996 to 04.07.2007
• Ms Tashiangmo from 05.07.2007 to present

Collection

The library has a collection of more than 40,000 books in English and Hindi.

The library subscribes 8 newspapers in 2 languages i.e. English, Hindi and 34 magazines/periodicals.

Membership

The library has 3040 registered members till now and of these 433 are active.

The library offers membership for a period of 3 years and is renewable thereafter. There is no membership fee, but a refundable security needs to be paid at the time of Ist registration. This secutiry is carried forward during periodical renewals.

Membership Security (Refundable):

• Adults Rs 200
• Children (14 years or below) Rs 50

Automation

The library makes use of 3 computers with internet facility for office work but the library services are offered manually.

Working Hours

Apart from the gazetted holidays the library remains closed on every Tuesday and last Saturday of the month. The library timings vary according to the season.

• Summer (I^st April to 30^th September) 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Winter (I^st October to 31^st March) 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Contact

District Library,
Dhalpur,
Near kala Kendra,
Kullu (HP)-175101.
INDIA.
Phone: +91 19052 226 323
Email: librarykullu@rocketmail.com