Dharamshala, home to Dalai Lama

Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh is surrounded by a stretch of the Dhauladhar Mountains, overlooking the Kangra Valley. I went to meet Dalai Lama because of whom Dharamshala was put on the world map. The famous Kotwali Bazaar is in Lower Dharamshala and the Upper Dharamshala is more residential with the elegant bungalows and the cantonment. Only a distance of 10kms separated these two communities. And a short walk away was the Mcleodganj.

Kotwali bazaar consisted of a number of shops selling woolens including the locally woven Kullu and Kinnauri shawls on both the sides of the roads, with little cafes where I had a cup of hot tea with my friends and went shopping. Then we went to see the Kangra Art Museum but our bad luck it is closed on Sundays and Mondays so we were not able to see its wonderful collection of miniatures. So we went to see the Yol Camp where Italian prisoners of war were lodged during World War II, and also the War Memorial nearby, which commemorates the sacrifice of Himachal war heroes. Next day we went to a walk in Upper Dharamshala which was the most amazing part of our journey. The road passes through the deeply wooded Forsytheganj with bungalows set back from the road. And just ahead was the St. John’s Church which was a pretty stone building that holds Viceroy Lord Elgin’s Memorial, who had died here in some 1860’s.

And a couple of turns brought us to the main chowk of Mcleodganj. The Dalai Lama’s Tibetan settlement was full of colour and life. I found everything from monks to feisty restaurants, shop owners and hippies. As I took the wooden trail the prayer wheels and carpet shops fade into the distance to Gelugpa Monastery, where Dalai Lama residence is. However the monastery to me was little disappointing at first as was built in a government building but inside it the great statue of Buddha, the thankas and other ritual and votive objects soon distract from its severe symmetry.

At sidhpur on the Yol road was Norbulingka which is a center devoted to the preservation of Tibetan arts and crafts and was set in a Japanese style garden, Norbulingka had a temple, shops, the Losel Dolls museum, thanka painting centre, tailoring section and a café. I enjoyed shopping at Mcleodganj more as there were Tibetan carpets, thankas, wooden masks, metal votive objects, paper drawings, beads and many interesting things. I stayed at Chonor House where the celebrity such as the Hollywood Star Richard Gere stays most often. And then there is Hotel Bhagsu and Clouds End Villa.

Palampur, Darjeeling in Himachal

Palampur is in the Kangra Valley, criss crossed by streams and brooks which make Palampur pulum word for water in pahari, ideal for tea plantation. According to my guide the British were so obsessed by the aroma of the leaf of the Chinese origin that they began to plant tea bushes wherever land was suitable. The fame of Palampur lies in this British desire to have more tea than they could drink and export the rest back to a thirsting Europe.

While you enter Palampur you would come to know that it is surrounded by dense forest of oaks, pine and deodar making it ideal for those who enjoy long walks. For me the green valley also makes for enjoyable drives with my family and for those who are more adventurous, plugging off course to nearby destinations can be pretty rewarding.

Baijnath Temple also known as Kigram, was once the capital of the Kirat kings of Kangra as told by our guide. The early 13th century Shiva temple here is most unusual and looks as if it has been lifted from Puri in Orissa and dropped in the Kangra Valley.

The Tibetan monastery of Tashijong is one of the many built after the Dalai Lama settled in McLeodganj. We buyed carpets of delicate weave, Buddhist thanka paintings and other Tibetan arts and crafts, which were available here for our friends and relatives.

My destination was Neugal Khad close to the five centuries old temple of bundlamata. Also rising tall behind the chasm are the mighty Dhauladhars where we had a cup of tea at the HPTDC café nearby enjoying the views of chasm, temple and mountains all together as leisure.

Then there is a palace of the crescent moon Taragarh, heritage property build by Nawab of Bahawalpur and was named after the glass pleasure pavilion he built here which is now converted into a temple. However now it has been turned into Taragarh Palace Hotel.

Sherbing is a gigantic monastery also home to the pre- eminent Tal Sti Rimpoche. There are huge stupas and grandly conceived monastery in the middle of the forest. The Buddhist temple here contains an immense statue of Buddha. The Rimpoche allows the people between 2 and 4 in the afternoon; everyone is welcomed for the darshan.

We stayed at Hotel silver Oak, which offered us home-cooked food and horse rides, however there are many other hotels to stay like Hotel T- Bud, Sath Camps and many more. There is no dining choice in Palampur outside the hotels. Only Joy in town is famous for its veg food.