Dharamsala

India is home to the worlds largest mountain range – the Himalayas I lived in Chennai and getting to Himalayas by train would mean a journey or over 3 and half days. But, I had decided that the time had come and I had to get there to have a glimpse of the snow capped mountains. It was May 2003.

Me and my brother decided to go on a Summer trek organized by Youth hostel in the Himalayas. Our 2 week leave got approved, and we were off. To save time, and to get more of the Himalayas, we flew to Delhi. The agenda was that, we would finish the 9 day trek and head to Dharamsala. I read travelogues of several foreign travelers in India - Dharamsala was always there on the list. The idea of getting there excited me.

Set against the backdrop of the Dhauladhar mountains, in the Kangra Valley, Dharamsala over looks the plains and is surrounded by dense pine trees and Deodar forests. A nearby snowline with numerous streams and cool healthy atmosphere makes the surroundings very attractive. The town is divided into two distinct and widely separated sections, Upper and Lower Dharamsala, which differ almost a thousand metres in height. What has changed Dharamsala from a sleepy British hill station to a place of pilgrimage for thousands over the world is the electric presence of one man, a modest man at that. Today, Dharamsala has become the synonymous to the Tibetan government in exile and the home of Tibetan leader Tenzin Gyatso His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

His Holiness the 14th Lama, fearing persecution by the invading Chinese army, left Lhasa in Tibet overnight, in disguise and sought political asylum in India in 1959. Pandit Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India settled them in this area. The place was liked by Dalai Lama and he made it his residence, and is now more popular as "Tibetan Kingdom in Exile” or "Little Lhasa in India". Facing destruction of their culture and religion (of the country's 6,259 monasteries, nunneries and temples, all but eight have been completely destroyed since the Chinese occupation), over 80,000 Tibetans have fled the Chinese occupation of their country and followed their spiritual leader and mentor and made India their home. It has a traditional aura, soft-spoken, smiling Tibetans and a bracing climate. Against the backdrop of the splendid, snow-capped Dhauladhar heights are pine, deodar, oak and rhododendron.

We had finished our trekking expedition and reached the base camp Kullu at about 11 am in the morning. The next bus to Dharamsala was in the night at 9 pm. We took the bus at 9 pm, and according to me, we were to reach at 7 am in the morning. I was wrong. We reached at 3 am. There were lot of foreigners in the bus, who also got down at Dharamsala. There were a lot of taxi’s and jeeps available at the bus stop. We took one of them to get to Upper Dharamsala, which is called McLeodganj. The taxi charge was fixed at Rs. 100. We did not have a hotel reservation, I just had a print out of the budget hotel accommodations available, which I took from Traveljini.com. I though that we will check the accommodations and check in. But, it was not meant to be.

We went to every hotel that was there in the print out I carried along, every place was closed. I was wondering what to do, and was thinking of sitting outside a hotel, till they opened in the morning. The taxi driver was giving up on us, and wanted us to get off. Then, we requested him to help us out. The taxi driver was resourceful, and took us to India House. It seems it is the only hotel that is open 24 hrs. We checked in, and slept comfortably. India House is a neat place, where you will get rooms for Rs. 800 upwards per day for 2 people. Food is not included. We woke up in the morning, had a hot water bath ( I was bathing after some 8 days of not bathing during the trek. ) I was ready to explore Dharamsala.

One of our trek friend has been to Dharamsala and had stayed at the Monastery for a month. He told us exactly where we were to stay, where we would eat, what we would do, and where we would go. The information was very helpful. I had read up a lot on this place so it was easy for me.

The first thing we did was to check out of India House. We checked into Hotel Tibet which was on Bhagsu Road. We wanted to get to Tibet coz it was on the main market street of McLeodganj. Tibet has 2 types of rooms. Rooms without carpet with windows facing the other buildings – they cost Rs. 500 per day. Carpetted rooms with windows facing Bhagsu road & Kotwali Bazar – they cost Rs. 600 a day. We chose the Rs. 600 room. The window was huge, and if we stood there, we would see the main market area, with locals and tourists walking. Most important Hotel Tibet gives you a news paper called Tibetan Review, it is interesting and covers news about the Tibetans struggle to free Tibet. Tibet also has a restaurant.

Dharamsala is a busy bazaar town and has established itself as the travellers base camp, who come to explore the nearby mountains. The Kotwali Bazaar provides the entire colour and characteristic of a small town, which is mixed with the simple life style. Buddhist monks and nuns walk down the streets seemingly oblivious to the trappings of a material world, and the government-in-exile tries hard to wake the rest of the world from its indifference. The colourful temple and Gompas, which reflect the culture of Tibet, add attraction for the visitor. The Kangra museum gives an overview of the rich past of the region and on the other hand there are institutes that have been established to preserve the Tibetan art, cultures and traditions. Even today, the Tibetan community dominates the town, still it has retained the colonial lifestyle and British fervour.

The pace of life is laid back. The tourists here come as D’sala / McLeodganj is a inexpensive hill station destination in India, and there is something special about this place. There are Bhuddhist monasteries, yoga schools, meditations schools and centers – all that India is about, and all that they know about India. The place has nothing luxurious. All the restaurants are family run, with very humble interiors. It is this simplicity that makes people come here again and again. I met a couple of tourists who were in D’sala for the 2nd of 3rd time. The pace here is so addictive, it is close to Nirvana.

There is a circle close to the Union Taxi Stand / Bus Stand, and there are 6 streets that diverse from the circle like the fingers on a hand. The one on the extreme left goes to Lower Dharamsala and is your way out of the place. The road on the extreme right, leads to the Tsug-Lag-Khang Monastery. The rest of the roads are full of restaurants, antique shops, handicraft shops, tea shops, pizzerias, cinema theatres, banks, forex centers, travel agents, tourist offices, adventure planners…shoe shiners, etc etc.

The cinema theatres are single rooms, with benches. The film is projected on a white wall or on a screen from behind with a projector. All the latest movies are screened for Rs. 10 per ticket. The names of the movies to be screened are provided on a black board outside the theatre along with the show timings. In case you wish to watch the movie, you just have to be present yourself at the right time.

According to me the best apple pies, pastas, macaronis, augratins, cennelonis, momos are made at Dharamsala. These local people have become experts in catering to the tastes of the tourists. There are several Tibetan, Mexican and Israeli restaurants also. Israeli momos are extremely tasty and come with variety of fillings. Most of these restaurants have photos of Richard Gere and Goldie Hawn as these celebrities are regulars here.

I must make a special mention of this restaurant called Sunrise Café. It is diagonally in front of Tibet Hotel on Bhagsu Road. Sunrise cafe is open for almost 18 hrs a day. Suresh, a young 20 something, is the owner, runs the place all by himself, leads a chilled out life, and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner along with a variety of exotic teas. Breakfast options available with him are cornflakes of over 6 varieties, breads, buns, flavoured potridge, egg omelettes of over 10 varieties, chais of over 15 varieties. Every meal costs about INR 20. It is that economical. His restaurant is just 4 X 7 feet long. With a bench in the middle, and benches on all the 3 sides close to the wall, Sunrise Café is very down to earth place. He has a collage on the walls on all the sides. Visitors here can leave their snaps and trinkets. He also had a rag book. People can write their experiences in this book. He has some 4 to 5 book in all. You can read others writings as well and you will find that many tourists found their Nirvana in Manali, Dharamsala or at Ladakh and have left their notes. I had all my meals at Sunrise café as it is very close to Hotel Tibet. The fact is that no place in McLeodganj is far away. All places are walkable.

There are lots of places in and around Dharamsala / McLeodganj.

Tsug-Lag-Khang (Central Cathedral) - Though a plain and utilitarian substitute for its far more splendid namesake in Lhasa, also known as the Jokhang, the Tsug-Lag-Khang is nevertheless fascinating and peaceful. Situated opposite the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsug-Lag-Khang is known to the local Indians as the Main Temple.

It is the most important Tibetan Buddhist temple outside of Tibet, and one of the first structures built when His Holiness arrived in India, and today it is a place that is often bustling with prayerful activity.

The Namgyalma Stupa erected as a memorial to those who laid down their lives for the cause of the freedom of Tibet. The places mentioned below are a must see. But well, its up to you.

The other places worth visiting in and around McLeodGanj and Dharamsala are the Tushita Meditation Center, Dall Lake, St. Johns Church, Namgyal Monastery and Bhagsunath Temple.

The Tushita Meditation center aims to provide a friendly and conducive environment for people to contact, learn and put into practice the teachings of the Buddha.

Potala Village - The traditional Buddhist paintings are called Potala Paintings. Artists draw images of the Bhuddha and his incarnations in various forms. The paintings are made of vegetable dyes and are later decorated with Gold and Silver paint. The painting is done on a silk cloth. These paints take a very long time to complete and are later mounted on Silk plaques. These paintings are extremely expensive and are available at prices INR 3000 and upwards. There are very few artisans of Potala painting left today. In McLeodganj there is a place, where one can go to the Potala paintings center and can see the artisans at work, and can pick up paintings at a good rate.

Tibetan Medical & Astronomical Institute trains students in Tibetan medicine and astronomical sciences. Tibetan children handicrafts and vocational center instructs Tibetan refugees in the arts of thanka painting, carpet weaving and even marketing. The Tibetan Children's Village School runs with the active support of the HH 14th Lama. Library of Tibetan works and archives has the collection of largest number of Tibetan Manuscrips. Classes on Dhamma are conducted here, where the Monks translate the Dhammas and teach the students.

The other places around Dharamsala are Dharmkot ( 11 kms ) and Triund for those interested in trekking. There are lots of other places but it would necessary to take a cab and get around. They are Chinmaya Tapovan, Kareri, Trilokpur Shiva Temple, Chamunda Devi Temple, Maharana Pratap Sagar dam, Norbulink Monastery and Nurpur Fort.

Listen, if you asked me if it is necessary to go to the places mentioned in the above paragraph, I would reply that it is not required. I would prefer staying in McLeodganj, eating apple pies, sipping ginger tea and watch people passing by.

After spending 3 days at Dharamsala / McLeodganj it was time for us to leave. We felt like we had cleansed our body, soul and the mind in one shot. I had bought some stuff from the local bazaar, the things I always wanted to pick up – some Tibetan antique jewelry, t-shirts with Tibetan symbols on it, prayer wheels, photo graphs of HH 14th Lama and some books of Buddhism. We packed our bags and boarded our bus to Delhi in the night. We are now at Chennai, even 5 yrs later, the memories of McLeodganj, are still fresh in the mind. I can’t wait to go back there and indulge in the Apple pies, apple teas and the stuffed momos.

Getting there :

By Road : Bus service is available from Manali to this place. One can drive from Delhi via Chandigarh, Kiratpur, Bilaspur and it's an 8-hours journey. From Delhi and Shimla, luxury buses ply to Dharamsala.

Nearest railway station : Pathankot is 85-km and is the nearest railhead for Dharamsala. Trains from all over the country make a stop over at Pathankot and from here it is a three-hour journey to Dharamsala. The nearest stations on the picturesque mountain railway (narrow gauge) are at Kangra and Nagrota (about 20 km south of Dharamsala).

Nearest airports : Dharamsala can be approached by air from Delhi and the nearest Airport is at Gaggla, just 13-km away from the town.

Local Transport : You can walk it within Dharamsala. You can also take a taxi from the Taxi Union Stand at the Circle. There are buses between Upper and Lower Dharamsala.

Best time : Summer is best – july august time. Winters can get bitterly cold, and the entire place can get covered with snow.

Trip duration : 3 days

Where to stay : These are the list of budget accommodations that I recommend.
Chonor House Hotel : 01892 21006, Glenmore Cottages : 01892 21010, Hotel Bhagsu : 01892 21091, Hotel Himalayam Queen : 01892 21184, Hotel India House : 01892 21457, Hotel Tibet : 01892 21587, Hotel Natraj : 01892 21574, Hotel Surya : 01892 21418 / 21419

Dharamsala's accommodation options include HPTDC's hotels, guest houses, PWD and Forest rest houses also, which are located in and around the place and are available at reasonable prices.