The principal
town in the Kangra Valley is spread over 450mts difference of
height and surrounded on 3 sides by the Dhauladhar mountains.
Pine forests cover the hillsides. The upper town includes
Mcleodganj and Forsyte Ganj and still has a 'British Flavour'.
Lord Elgin is buried in the Church of St. John of the
wilderness. It is the settlement of the Tibetans who fled from
the Chinese occupation. The Dalai Lama's residence is next to
a monastery. There are numerous valuable books and manuscripts
in the library of the school of Tibetan Studies with their
Institute of Performing Arts and Handicrafts centre nearby.
Places of
Interest
Nupur (66kms)
There stands a ruined fort named by Emperor Jehangir
after his wife Noorjehan. There is a ruined Krishna Temple
inside. This place is very famous for it's 'Pashmina' shawls.
10 kms from Dharamshala is a modern ashram set up by Swami
Chinmaya called Chinmaya Tapovan.
Palampur (40
ms)
There are some beautiful walks, many along the old
Kangra shepherd trails. There is a Lord Shiva Temple 15 kms
away. 35 kms away is the Buddha town of Bir and 14 kms from
here is Billing - a hang gliding paradise.
Jwalamukhi
(56 kms)
An eternal blue flame emerges from a rock well.
It is the manifestation of Jwalamukhi (the fire faced one) and
is the only idol in the temple of the same name and has an
ornate roof which was gilded by Emperor Akbar.
