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Holidays in Dalhousie Himachal Pradesh

VISIT DALHOUSIE

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT DALHOUSIE

Located 80 km North-west of Pathankot in Punjab and set amidst thick pines, deodars, oaks and flowering rhododendrons, Dalhousie covers an area of 14 sq km and is built on five hills such that the town’s height varies from 525 m to 2,378 m. The vegetation changes as one approaches the hill road after crossing the Army’s Mamun Cantt. After about an hour and a half, you reach Banikhet, the gateway to Dalhousie, where the ubiquitous aam papad is omnipresent along with hot pakoras and tea. Here the road bifurcates for Chamba and Dalhousie. Within half an hour you climb almost 3,000 ft, and as you near Dalhousie, you sight the snow-clad Dhauladhars.

From the town, you get a panoramic view of the plains and the river Ravi twisting and turning below like a long silver line. The town’s charming architecture and beautiful churches are unmistakably colonial. The enchanting spot where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose spent time meditating in 1937, is known as Subhash Baoli — a must-visit.

PANORAMA Dalhousie
Set amidst hills clothed in deodar and pine, Dalhousie has marvelous forest trails and treks, and picnic spots with splendid vistas over the Chamba Valley. With lofty snow peaks, deep gorges, lush green valleys, fast flowing rivers, enchanting mountain lakes, flower-bedecked meadows and beautiful temples steeped in time, this sleepy town comes alive like a bustling metropolis between March and September every year.

DHAULADHARS Dalhousie
Dalhousie is perched like a bird on the initial curves of the Dhauladhar range. They Durney from here before the mountains the Manimahesh range. The most beautiful and enchanting aspect of the place is that the dhauladhars of Dalhousie run almost parallel to the range that changes colour with the rising Wing they are bright and creamy with a stark blue sky clothing them. At noon, they are white and seem tobe giving out a flirtatious invitation to on looker. Past afternoon, the dusk initially bright-flaming orange, while at night, they are Darkness. But the next morning, they are in all bright and shiny.

CHURCHES Dalhousie
There are four beautiful churches in Dalhousie – the St. Andrew’s and St. Patrick’s at Balun, St. Francis’ at Subhash Chowk, and St. John’s at Gandhi Chowk. St. Andrew’s Church, commonly known as the Church of Scotland, and less than 2 km from Dalhousie’s bus stand, was built in the year. 1903 by Protestant Christians. St. Patrick’s Church is the largest church in Dalhousie, having a seating capacity of 300 persons in its main hall. It was built in 1909 and the dressed-stone building is still in good condition. Beautiful glass work and intricate stone work can be seen in the church. St. John’s Church is a copy of the Roman Catholics Church of England, though it belongs to Protestants.

JANDHRIGHAT PALACE Dalhousie
The summer palace of the erstwhile rulers of Chamba at Jandhrighat is set amidst rows and rows of deodars enveloping it on all sides. The charming wooden structure spells royalty. An insignia of two rams holding an eagle dominates the gateway and a rising sun, a sign of royalty, is located above the plaque. On one side of the entrance is the branch of a thorny tree, locally called timbar. Local people believe that the thorns

KHAJJIAR Dalhousie
At a height of 6,400 ft, and 23 km from Dalhousie and 13 from Kalatop, is this ‘Mini Switzerland of India.’ It is one of the 160 locations in the world that bear topographical resemblance to Switzerland. It is also called the ‘Gulmarg of Himachal’. The place is also famous for the temple of Khajji Nag belonging to 12th century. In the temple one can see the ../images of the Pandavas and the defeated Kauravas hanging from the roof of the circumambulatory path.

CHAMBA Dalhousie
On the banks of the river Ravi, it is 56 km from Dalhousie. This beautiful valley looks spectacular with its wild flowers and stunning sunsets. Situated at 996 m, it was the ancient pahari capital founded in 920 AD by Raja Sahil Verma, who named it after his favourite daughter Champavati. The famous Laxmi Narayan temple complex has six temples, three dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the other three to Lord Shiva.

DAYS OF THE RAJ Dalhousie
Scottish and Victorian architecture is prevalent in the bungalows and churches in the town. The hill station is full of old-world charm and holds lingering echoes of the ‘Raj’, with sloping roofs and high-ceiling buildings. Covering an area of about 14 sqkm, Dalhousie is built on five hills – Kathlog, Potreyn, Tehra (now called Moti Tibba), Bakrota and Balun. Its present shape was founded in the 1850s when the British acquired five hills from the ruler of Chamba for developing the area as a sanatorium. Since the estate was founded in the time of Lord Dalhousie, the sanatorium was called ‘Dalhousie’. Cafe Dalhousie invariably lures visitors with its old-world ambience.

KALATOP SANCTUARY Dalhousie
At 8,000 ft, this wildlife sanctuary-cum-forest resort is best explored by a trek from Dalhousie to Kaltop, Khajjiar and back to Dalhousie. The ghoral and black deer, ibex, bear and leopard roam the park. Walking along the secluded road through Upper Nakorota Hills, one reaches Lakkarmandi (home to the Dogri families), which is nestled between an 8,600 ft high DayanKund peak on its right and Kalatop on the left.

PANCHPULA Dalhousie
Panchpula stream, the main source of water supply to Dalhousie, is a beautiful spot 3 km away. The stream springs from the north side of DayanKund and runs down a picturesque ravine to the waterworks of Panchpula. En route are the Satdhara Springs, believed to contain medicinal properties. An elegant samadhi is dedicated to the memory of the great revolutionary Sardar Ajit Singh. For snacks and meals, there is an HP Tourism restaurant and several chai shops.

SHOPPING in Dalhousie
At Dalhousie and Chamba, you can buy wood carvings, bamboo- and wicker work knick-knacks, Chamba roomals and chappals, Himachal dolls, Kulu and Pashmina shawls and gudmas, and Tibetan shawls, pullovers and carpets. The popular roomals feature the Raas mandal and Krishna motif. Traditionally, they were exchanged between the families of the bride and groom. Chamba is also known for its leather chappals and belts. The chappals with their open toes and partially woven ‘vamps’ are light, warm and comfortable.

HOW TO REACH: Dalhousie

By Road: Wen connected by taxis and buses. Some important distances are: Delhi – 485 km,
Chandigarh – 230 km,
Kullu – 214 km,
Shimla – 232 km,
Chamba – 52 km
and Jammu 130 km.

By Rail: Kangra (60 km), narrow gauge and Pathankot (90 km), broad gauge are linked to all major towns. Six overnight trains are available from Pathankot to Delhi.

By Air: Nearest air-ports are Gaggal (70 km) and Pathankot (85 km).

WHERE TO STAY in Dalhousie
Hotel Geetanjali