Kangra one of the Himachal's most beautiful valleys, rolls down the southern edge of the magnificent Dhauladhar range. Dhauladhar, the white ranges, rise upto 14,000 ft from the valley floor, much like a massive wall providing a dramatic back drop to the soothing panoramic landscape
The Dalai Lamas are believed by Tibetan Buddhist followers to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are believed to be enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.
Triund is the crown jewel of Dharamshala , situated in the laps of Dhauladhar mountains, it has the perfect view of the Dhauladhar mountains on one side and kangra valley on the other. Triund is a very popular trekking spot . Triund attracts a lot of tourist every year from India and all over the world.
Norbulingka Institute, takes its name from the DalaiLama's summer Palace in Lhasa, which was renowed for its beautiful gardens and wasalso a center of religious art. Norbulingka Institute, which means Jewel Park, wasfounded in 1990. Situated in the valley below Dharamshala, set amidst beautiful gardens, pools, and streams, and surrounded by green fields of the Kangra Valley.
40 km. from Kangra. Masroor is known for its monolithic temples. There are 15 monolithic rock-cut temples in the Indo-Aryan style, richly carved. The temples, partly ruined now, are profusely decorated with sculptural ornamentation conceived in the same manner as the great temple of Kailash at Ellora in Maharashtra.The main shrine contains three stone images of Ram, Lakshman and Sita.
Why restrict yourself to the lush green grounds when sky is thelimit? There are several other exciting activities like paragliding at Biling. Located about70 kilometres from Dharamshala, Biling is a renowned paragliding hub.
With its mythological connection the splendid nature's creation in the lap of Deodar valley is not worth a miss.
Located one km from McLeod Ganj is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Bhagsu Nag, the snake god, and to Lord Shiva. A freshwater spring, in which pilgrims to take a holy dip flows through the temple. A beautiful waterfall, well worth visiting, is located about a 20-minute walk from the temptle.
Gyuto Tantrik Monastery is located at Sidhwari, 6 km from Dharamshala on Palampur road. Karmapa Lama is residing here. Karmapa is considered the third most revered spiritual guru amongst the Tibetans after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.
The historic fort of Kangra was built by Bhuma Chand. This fort had been the centre of attraction for the rulers of northern India, since a long time.
Famous for ancient Shiva temple, Kathgarh is about 90 km from Dharamshala via Nurpur - Indaura. The temple enshrines a human size linga, which is Vertically split into two parts. The bigger part is worshipped as Shiva and the smaller part as Parvati.
An Anglican church located in the forest near Forsyth Ganj. The neo-Gothic stone building of the church was constructed in 1852. The site also has a memorial of the British Viceroy Lord Elgin, and an old graveyard. The church building is also noted for its Belgian stained-glass windows donated by Lady Elgin.
McLeod Ganj is a village in the suburbs of Dharamshala, in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It has an average elevation of 2,082 metres (6,831 feet). It is situated in the lap of Dhauladhar Range, a branch of the southern outer Himalayas. The village is named after Lord David McLeod, the English lieutenant governor of Punjab, who founded it in 1848 as a retreat from the heat of the plains. The suffix Ganj is a common Hindi word for neighbourhood.
This is a popular tourist spot in McLeodganj city near Dharamshala. It displays paintings and exhibitions featuring works of painters Elsbeth Buschmann and A.W. Hallett. Elsbeth Buschmann is a professional painter from Germany, having studied painting in London and Paris. She lived in many countries where she held exhibitions and also took part in 'The Himalayan National Exhibition of Art'. A.W.Hallett is a very well renowned painter from England.
The stadium is home to Himachal Pradesh cricket team for Ranji Trophy matches and other limited overs matches. The stadium also hosted IPL matches as a home stadium for Kings XI Punjab.
In 1960, a dam was built on the Beas river and this dam resulted in a huge Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake (once known as Pong Lake). This huge mass of water varies from 180 sq. km. to 400 sq. km. In 1983, the Sagar was declared a wildlife sanctuary and over 220 species of birds belonging to 54 families have been sighted over the waters and the fringing mud-banks - these include black-headed gulls, plovers, terns, ducks, water-fowl and egrets.
10 km. from Knagra. Situated on a hillock is the recently established 'Ashram' complex by Swami Chinmayananda, who was a great exponent of the Gita. There is also a larger than life statue of Hanuman and also a very big Shivling which can be seen from far.
Tea drinking in India is as ancient as the mighty Himalayan Mountains. The tea gardens appear on either side of the road well before you enter Palampur, giving you a sense of entering into a dreamland. Since Palampur is called the Tea Capital of northern India, it is famous for its lush tea gardens sprawling over vastacres of land. These splendid gardens are among the chief attractions of the hill-town.
It is 41 km. from Kangra. The natural cave has attractive pillars of limestone on the floor of the cave by the percolation of water from the roof. It is something like stalagmites. The cave is dedicated to Shiva.
It is 15 km. from Kangra. This temple is situated on the right bank of the 'Baner' stream with the Dhauladhar as a backdrop, this has an idol of goddess Chamunda, who, it is said, was given the boon to fulfil the desires of those who worshipped her. On the back of the temple is a cave niche where a stone 'Lingam' under a boulder represents Nandi Keshwar (Shiva).
30 km. from Kangra and 56 km. from Dharamshala. This place is famous for Jwalamukhi, the 'Flamming Goddess'. It is one of the most popular Hindu temple in Northern India.
The historic town of Sujanpur Tira is known for its palace, now in ruins, built by Raja Sansar Chand. It is famous for the temples of Gauri Shankar, Murli Manohar and Narbadeshwar. There is the largest ground of Himachal Pradesh which is made use of as a meeting place and also for sports activities.
Just outside the town is the temple dedicated to Brajeshwari Devi. Known once for its legendary wealth, this temple was subject to successive depredation by invaders from the North. Mohammed of Ghazni is known to have departed with a king's ransom in gold, silver and jewels in 1009. Destroyed completely in 1905 by an earthquake, it was rebuilt in 1920.
The temple dedicated to Mata Chintpurni Devi is located in District Una of Himachal Pradesh. Mata Chintpurni Devi is also known as Mata Shri Chhinnamastika Devi. It is believed that if you ask something from the Devi with a true heart, your wish will be granted.Apart from the holy shrine, the place is full of picturesque surroundings.