city, Chhattisgarh state, central India, lying just west of the Arpa River. Bilaspur was the capital of a Gond kingdom until captured by the Marathas (Marāṭhā) in the 18th century. Just north lies Ratanpur, an ancient Hindu capital of the Haihaya dynasty of Chhattisgarh; its ruins date from the 8th century CE. A major rail junction with extensive workshops, Bilaspur has agricultural trade and is a centre of rice and flour milling, sawmilling, and the manufacture of shellac. Bilaspur was constituted a municipality in 1867 and has a musical academy and several colleges affiliated with Ravishankar University. Pop. (2001) 275,694.

town, southern Himachal Pradesh (Himāchal Pradesh) state, northwestern India. The town lies on the edge of Govind Sagar, an artificial lake northwest of Shimla, the state capital. It is a trade centre for locally grown wheat, corn (maize), and rice. An annual cattle fair is held in Bilaspur in March or April.

The original town of Bilaspur was founded in 1663 on the southeast side of the Satluj River. Much of it, including the old palace and a famous temple, was submerged in the river in 1782 after a landslide caused a dam to break. The Lakshmi Narayan and Radheyshyam temples, along with the Vyas Gufa, have survived. Bilaspur was the capital of an independent Punjab Hill State until 1814, when the Gurkhas overran it; the British drove them out the following year. The new town of Bilaspur was rebuilt above the old town in the 1950s on the Govind Sagar, which was created by the Bhakra Dam (completed in 1962), one of the highest dams in the world. The dam generates electricity for much of the region. Pop. (2001) 13,058.