Trip to Dalai Lama Home - Dharamshala , Himachal Pradesh

Dharamshala, as the name pops up i can think of only monks, monasteries, tibetan culture, forests, nature, fresh air, peaceful environment, cold weather.

Dharamshala is located in Himachal Pradesh. The serene hill station is known to be the spiritual hub as it houses the monastery of the Dalai Lama and tibetan culture is seen everywhere.

Weather in March:

I visited in March first week, i was expecting the weather to be less cold but surprisingly the weather was cold around 11-12 deg in daytime and drops to 4-5 deg in night. It was raining all the days i been there, drizzles and little heavy shower and perfect environment to see rainbow. The mountains were very picturesque as snow had just started to melt down as season was hitting to summers.

Environment & Culture:

Dharamshala is house of Dalai Lama so all things around here is pure tibetan culture. It makes you feel relaxed by its spiritual values, one of the best place to detox your lungs , fresh air , cedar forests, tea gardens , huge trees, snow clad mountains , beautiful sunsets, picturisque view all around , tibetan handicrafts, Pahadi language oozes from all parts of this place.

Food to Eat:

As Tibetans are resided here mostly, momo's are the most relished food along with the local chai called as Manjee which is the local produced tea from the tea gardens. Since it is a tourist attractions place one can relish the common foods like maggi, bread omelette , fruits , tikki chats , tikki buns. For budget friendly trips & local eat these are the best food. Apart from these there are wide variety of cafe, hotels and take away places for tourists. There is a famous cake called Bhagsu cake which is caramel & milk chocolate cake or caramel & chocolate cake , must try along with Yak Cheese.

Shopping Place:

A lot of shopping places/streets can be seen all over the place showcasing the culture, art and handicrafts right from antique jewels , souvenirs to small small hand made gifts. One cannot return without shopping here and best is its all cheap. Woolen cloths best suited for its weather can be purchased at best price and i bet you wont get such clothes at such prices anywhere else.

Places to Stay:

For all budget friendly travellers/solo travellers hostels are best , it ranges between 250-500 INR per day but do not expect heaters in the rooms but they are pocket friendly and rooms are good and well maintained. For couples/groups a lot of hotels options are available can be booked via Oyo , Booking.com & it comes between range of 1200-2000 INR per day. For ones looking for villa / lavish resorts / lavish rooms Airbnb is best option for booking. If it is off-season you can check and book it on spot rather than prior booking.

Places to Visit:

Moving forward from temple is trek to Bhagsunag Waterfalls. The trek is an easy 20-25 minute walk , crossing through beautiful trees with view of mountains. The waterfall is small place with a moderate stream of water flowing.

On return from Bhagsunag waterfalls the shopping markets starts. Beautiful handicrafts, clothes, souvenirs much more are displayed here and cost effective. One will surely end up buying loads.

Namgyal Monastery also known to be the Personal Monastery of Dalai Lama is located amidst the hustle bustle streets of Mcleodganj. Known to be Dalai Lama temple , this monastery house the Buddha statues in different avatars. There is a prayer which is handled by monks everyday in noon for around a hour offering there Prayer. One of the clam place where buddhism is displayed all over.

Illiterati books and coffee: It is nice and cool cafe serving local produce in a bookstore with outdoor seating, the food is cooked fresh and tastes yumm. Cost is moderate but a must visit place if in Dharamshala. It is around 1.8 km from Mcleodganj, once can walk and reach this place.

Naddi View Point is one of the best place if you want to experience the snow clad mountain view. This View point is at an open area , hence making the entire area picturisque. This is starting point for many treks , sunset points. Amazing view all around the place.

St. Johns church is located amidst deodar trees away from the city hustle bustle. It consist of James Bruce Churchyard, what amazes one is the environment around this place. Huge trees, cool and fresh air , peaceful place to spend time. The church has survived the Kangra earthquake with few portions destroyed.

Kangra Museum houses the history of Kangra city and its history. It was a very nice walk through the entire place , getting to know about its history. Entry fee : Rs.40 per adult

Dharamshala is famous for its Tea garden which produces Tea called as Manjee tea which is exported to different countries and is less used in Dharamshala. It is an 10km long stretch of tea garden. The tea leaves are dark green in colour and has an unusal smell. It comes in different varieties and one can get it near this tea gardens. No where else it is sold in Dharamshala.

Dharamshala Cricket Stadium is known to be tallest among all other stadiums. The view from this stadium is something worth to watch. Snow capped mountains , wide strestch of mountains, amazing weather makes this place perfect. Also the India vs SA ODI is set to play here. Entry fee : Rs.20 per adult

Gyuto monastery is another monastery near Dharamshala which house the Lord Buddha Statue. Here also prayers are offered by all monks in noon time.

Aghanjar temple is lord shiva temple in Khaniyara region. Located away from the city , behind this temple flows heavy gush of freezing cold water and small pond just makes the place beautiful.

Kharota is place 3000 ft above ground best for view of Dharamshala and sunset point. The sun sets around 6-6.30pm here so better to be there before that time. A small trek to peak is worth to enjoy the sunset and weather.

Dharamkot is small hippie village , 2 kms from mcleodganj. The journey to Dharamkot from Mcleoganj is one of the best , the path crosses the cedar forests, huge trees , chirping of birds, less people around. I strolled around this place by walk and enjoyed it thoroughly. Few kms from this place is the Gallu mata temple which is the base camp for all treks.

Bhagsunath Temple is located just few metres at walking distance from Upper Bhagsu auto/taxi/bus stand. A very calm place in between the hustle bustle of shopping centres. The temple houses Lord Shiva murthi , opposite to temple a pool is there accessible to people to take bath.