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:''Dharamsala is also the archaic name for a gurdwara, a Sikh temple.''
'Dharamsala' or Dharmsāla, (literally: "Rest House"; Hindi: धर्मशाला ; ) is a town and a municipal council in Kangra district in the North Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Climate

Places of attraction

In Dharamsala

Other places

References

External links

Picture Gallery

Geography

Dharamsala is located at ^[1], with an average elevation of 1457 metres (4780 feet). The area covered by Dharamsala is almost 29 km².
Dharamsala is in the Kangra valley, in the Dhauladhar mountains, and became the capital of the Kangra District in 1852. It can be accessible from Pathankot which is 120 km away. The nearest railway connection to Dharamsala is Kangra. The nearest airport is Gaggal at Kangra which is just 15km from Dharamsala . There is a daily flight from Dharamsala to Delhi.
The town is divided between Upper Dharamsala or 'McLeod Ganj' (which retains a British colonial atmosphere), and Lower Dharamsala (the commercial centre). Upper Dharamsala (elevation about 1,700 m or 5,580 ft) is about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from Lower Dharmsala by road and is some 460 m (1,510 ft) higher.
McLeod Ganj, or Upper Dharamsala, is the residence of Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama. A substantial community of Tibetan exiles resides in the town. There is a small Anglican church, St. John of the Wilderness, featuring stained-glass windows, just a few hundred metres from McLeod Ganj.

History

Dharamsala has been connected with Hinduism and Buddhism for a long time, with many monasteries having been established there in the past, built by Tibetan immigrants in the 8th century, however, these monasteries are believed to have declined, with traditional Hindu building styles experiencing a revival. The local Gaddi people are now almost all Hindu, and for the most part worship many gods and goddesses, principally Durga and Shiva.
In 1848, the area was annexed by the British, and a year later, a military garrison was established in the town. Dharamsala eventually became the administrative capital of Kangra District in 1852. It became a popular hill station for the British working in or near Delhi, offering a cool respite during the hot summer months.
However, the town was virtually destroyed in a massive earthquake in 1905, which killed an estimated 20,000 people. Not only the town was devastated, but the nearby town Kangra was also ruined. After this, the British moved their summer headquarters to Shimla (also written Simla) which, though not far away, is off the main fault line and, therefore, less likely to experience a serious earthquake. Dharamsala still experiences frequent minor earthquakes.
When the Dalai Lama left Tibet, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru offered to permit him and his followers to establish a "government-in-exile" in Dharamsala in 1960. Since then, many Tibetan exiles have settled in the town, numbering several thousand. Most of these exiles live in Upper Dharamsala, or 'McLeod Ganj', where they established monasteries, temples and schools. The town is sometimes known as "Little Lhasa", after the Tibetan capital city, and has become an important tourist destination with many hotels and restaurants, creating a resurgence in tourism and commerce.
Since 2002, Dharamsala has hosted a Miss Tibet beauty contest.

Demographics

As of the 2001 India census,^[2] Dharamsala had a population of 19,034. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Dharamsala has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80% and, female literacy is 73%. In Dharamsala, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Climate

During the months of December and January, snowfall and hail is common. Summer temperatures range from 22 °C to 38 °C. It is very cold in winter as Dhauladar range of hills, at over 15000 feet, is close by and covered with thick snow during winter.
The natural features surrounding the town include rich forests of Pine and Deodars. Rice, wheat and tea are grown around Dharamsala.

Places of attraction

In Dharamsala

1 Hotel India House & Beer Bar

2 Bedi Travels

3 Raman Travels

4 Western Union Money Transfer

5 Hot Spot-GLIDE Travels

6 Namaste India

7 Top Shop

8 Govt. Fair Price Shop

9 Vacation Travels

10 Hills Book Shop

11 Chinar Lodge

12 Kunga Guest House

13 Mementos India

14 Hotel Snow Palace Cyber Café

15 Himachal Travels

16 Skyline E-mail

17 Himalaya Hotel & Restaurant

18 Hotel Mount View

19 Balloon India

20 Reiki - Kundalini

21 Dr. Sant Marwah Clinic

22 Pema Thang

23 Tenyang coffee House

24 Youtse Book Shop

25 Norling Designs

26 Awasthi Cyber Café

27 Ali Baba¹s Treasures

28 KhanaNirvana - DEVI

29 Ways Tours & Travels

30 Dhauladhar Travels-Indian Airlines

31 Chonor House

32 Clouds End Villa

33 Snow Lion Medical Store

34 Dream Land Restaurant

35 Takhyil Guest House

36 Nature Cure Health Club

37 Sood Internet

38 Akash Guest House

39 Dream Holiday Travel

40 Hasuka Israel Restaurant

41 Zorba

42 Destination Travels

43 Lhasa Restaurant

44 Hotel Tibet

45 Ishan International

46 Mid Town

47 Mukesh Photo center

48 Rising Horizon cafe

49 mc'llo restaurant

Other places

★ Triund (2975m)

★ Kunal Pathri

★ brajeshwari temple

★ dari

★ khaniyara

★ aghanjar mahadev

★ indru nag temple

★ golf course(yol cant)

★ kareri lake

★ lam dal lake

★ Chinmaya Tapovan

★ Dal lake

★ Dharamkot (2100m)

★ Bhagsunath

★ Tatwani and Machhrial

★ Chamunda Mandir

★ Trilokpur

★ Masrur (rock temple)

★ Nurpur^[3]

★ Norbulingka Institute

★ Sidhbari

References

1. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Dharamsala
2.
3. Himachal Pradesh Tourism Dep. Co.


★ Verma, V. 1996. ''Gaddis of Dhauladhar: A Transhumant Tribe of the Himalayas''. Indus Publishing Co., New Delhi.

★ Handa, O. C. 1987. ''Buddhist Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh''. Indus Publishing Co., New Delhi. ISBN 81-85182-03-5.

External links

★ 123himachal.com

★ Dharamsala Net

★ Wikitravel article on Dharamsala

★ A small non-commercial website on McLeodgunj and Buddhism, Dharamsala

Picture Gallery