By road
~475-530 km from Delhi
North India · Himachal Pradesh
Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
Little Lhasa in the Dhauladhars · ~475-530 km from Delhi
Getting there
By rail
Kangra, ~20-35 km, on a narrow-gauge line; Pathankot (~85-100 km) has the nearest broad-gauge connections
By air
Gaggal (Kangra) Airport, ~10-30 km, with regular Delhi flights
Best time to visit
March to June and September to November
Don't miss
Tsuglagkhang (Dalai Lama Temple)
Bhagsu Falls
Norbulingka Institute
St. John in the Wilderness
Things to do
Triund trek
Tibetan cooking classes
Bhagsu waterfall café crawl
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0
What to pack
Trekking shoes for Triund, layers, respect-wear for the temple
A quieter corner
Early-morning kora circuit around the Dalai Lama temple with the locals
Before you go
Seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile and of the Dalai Lama; teachings are announced on his office's website. Also the base for the Kangra devi temples.
About Dharamshala
- Hills
Where it is
Dharamshala is a hill town in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, spread over forested slopes of the Kangra valley beneath the snow peaks of the Dhauladhar range, with McLeod Ganj on the ridge above.
History
Settled by the British as a cantonment and hill station after 1846, Dharamshala was badly damaged by the Kangra earthquake of 1905. In 1960 the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile moved to McLeod Ganj, making it the centre of the Tibetan community in exile, and in 2017 Dharamshala was named Himachal Pradesh's winter capital.
People
Dharamshala is home to Himachali families who speak Kangri, Hindi and Punjabi, to Gaddi shepherds who graze their flocks on the Dhauladhar, and to a large Tibetan community whose monasteries, schools and craft centres keep Tibetan language, arts and cooking alive. Losar, the Tibetan new year, is widely celebrated.
Known for
- The Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple
- McLeod Ganj and its Tibetan monasteries
- Norbulingka Institute
- The Dhauladhar range and the Triund trek
- The HPCA cricket stadium
Did you know?
Lord Elgin, Viceroy of India, died at Dharamshala in 1863 and is buried in the churchyard of St John in the Wilderness.
Shrines and sites
- Tsuglagkhang Complex
- Namgyal Monastery
- Gyuto Monastery
- Norbulingka Institute
Traditions
- Buddhist
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.