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Dharamshala
A two-level hill town under the Dhauladhar: a Kangra market town below, and above it McLeod Ganj, home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community in exile.
Dharamshala
One name covers two quite different places, and it helps to know which you mean before you book. Lower Dharamshala is the original town: Kotwali Bazaar and the markets around it, the Kangra district offices, the bus stand and the cricket stadium. The stadium sits at about 1,457 metres. McLeod Ganj — often called Upper Dharamshala — is a smaller settlement in pine, deodar and oak forest higher up the same hillside, at an average of 2,082 metres. The Kangra district site describes it as a suburb of Dharamshala and puts the road between the two at about 10 km. The Dalai Lama’s temple, the Tibetan market and the cafés are all in McLeod Ganj. On this site it is part of the Dharamshala guide, not a separate destination. The villages above McLeod Ganj are separate places again. Bhagsu (Bhagsunag) is about 2 km east, Dharamkot is uphill on the ridge, and Naddi is out past Dal Lake to the west. None is in the lower town. Kangra is a different town, about 18 km down the valley, with the fort; Norbulingka is at Sidhpur, on the valley floor. A hotel described as being in Dharamshala can be in any of these. It rains hard here. The monsoon is heavy on this side of the Dhauladhar, and the mountain wall that makes the view can disappear for days.
Explore Dharamshala on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What Dharamshala is for
A Tibetan temple town on the upper level, a Kangra valley on the lower, and walking between the villages.
McLeod Ganj — the upper level
- The Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple, at Thekchen Chöling. It is where the Dalai Lama gives public teachings when he is in residence; the Namgyal monastery and the Tibet Museum are generally described as part of the same complex.
- The market streets around the temple road — Tibetan craft shops and small restaurants — are the centre of McLeod Ganj and are best walked.
- St John in the Wilderness, a neo-Gothic church of 1852 in the forest at Forsyth Ganj, below McLeod Ganj. It largely survived the 1905 Kangra earthquake, and Lord Elgin, a viceroy, is buried in its churchyard.
- Bhagsunag temple, built over a spring about 2 km from McLeod Ganj, with a path on to the waterfall beyond it. The fall is at its strongest from July to September and thin by late winter.
The villages above
- Dharamkot, uphill from McLeod Ganj, is a quiet ridge village and the usual starting point for the walk to Triund.
- Dal Lake and Naddi lie a few kilometres west of McLeod Ganj. The district’s own page warns that the lake is often low or dry outside the monsoon; go for the Naddi view of the Dhauladhar, not for the water.
- Triund, a ridge-top meadow at 2,875 m, is a full-day hike. The Kangra administration has at times required police permission for it and banned trekking above 3,000 m, so we never promise it.
Lower town and the valley
- The HPCA cricket stadium in the lower town, opened in 2003, with the Dhauladhar behind the stands. Visitor access on non-match days is something we confirm at the time of quoting.
- Norbulingka Institute at Sidhpur, about 7 km from Dharamshala, founded in 1995 to keep Tibetan arts and crafts alive; workshops, a temple and gardens.
- Kangra Fort, the Katoch dynasty’s stronghold in Kangra town, badly damaged in the earthquake of 4 April 1905 and now a ruin protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
How long to give it
Arrive, and the stadium
Come in through the lower town. If there is light left, see the cricket stadium and the War Memorial on the way to your hotel, then stop for the day.
McLeod Ganj on foot
The Tsuglagkhang early, before the lanes fill; the market; then Bhagsunag temple and, if the path is dry, the waterfall. St John in the Wilderness on the way back down, or Naddi for the evening view.
The valley, then onward
Norbulingka at Sidhpur and Kangra Fort both lie on the valley side and fit a morning before an afternoon departure. With a third night, add Dharamkot or — if it is open — the Triund hike.
How to reach and move
A small airport close by, a railhead a long way off, and a steep road between the two levels.
Getting there
- Kangra airport at Gaggal is the nearest; official figures put it 13 to 14 km from Dharamshala. Flight schedules there change, so check what is operating before you plan around it.
- Pathankot Cantt, formerly Chakki Bank, is the nearest broad-gauge station — about 88 km from Dharamshala on the district’s figures. The narrow-gauge Kangra Valley line also runs from Pathankot through Kangra.
- By road the district lists Chandigarh at 255 km and Delhi at 525 km. Amritsar is about 200 km and Dalhousie about 120 km.
Getting about
- The two levels are a drive apart — about 10 km of climbing road. Decide which one you are staying on.
- McLeod Ganj is walked. Its lanes are narrow and parking is scarce; the state tourism department lists only a handful of public car parks.
- Taxis and local buses link the lower town, McLeod Ganj, Bhagsu, Naddi and the valley sights.
When to visit
The mountain is the view, and the weather decides whether you get it.
The state tourism department’s main season. The lower town gets warm; McLeod Ganj stays noticeably cooler.
Heavy and persistent. Kangra district has had red alerts and road blockages from landslides in recent monsoons; allow slack and expect cloud.
Cold, with a chance of snowfall on the upper level and clear views of the snow-covered range on good days.
Triund and the higher Dhauladhar routes are subject to district orders, particularly in winter and when weather alerts are issued.
The Dalai Lama’s public teachings are announced by his office and are occasional, not daily.
The town’s character
A Himachali hill town and a Tibetan community in exile sharing one hillside.
The Tibetan presence
- The Dalai Lama left Tibet in 1959 and has lived in Dharamshala since. The Central Tibetan Administration, first set up at Mussoorie that April, moved here in May 1960.
- The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, which runs Tibetan language and translator-training programmes, and Norbulingka down in the valley are the institutions through which the community keeps its learning and crafts going.
- Tibetan is spoken alongside Kangri, Hindi and English. Monasteries and temples here are in daily use: ask before photographing people, and keep your voice down.
The Kangra side
- Kangri is the local language, and the old kingdom’s history is told at the fort in Kangra town and in the miniature paintings at the Kangra Art Museum.
- The colonial layer survives in St John in the Wilderness and a scatter of buildings; much else was flattened in 1905.
Practical tips
Mostly a matter of choosing the right level.
Before you book
- Ask which Dharamshala your hotel is in. Lower town, McLeod Ganj, Bhagsu, Dharamkot, Naddi and Sidhpur are all sold under the one name and are not walkable from each other.
- Who should skip it: travellers wanting a quiet, uncrowded hill station. McLeod Ganj is busy and its lanes are tight.
On the day
- Do the temple early and the viewpoints whenever the cloud lifts; do not save the mountain view for the last evening.
- Carry a rain layer from July to September and warm clothing in winter; the upper level is always the colder of the two.
- Mobility: McLeod Ganj is steep, and the Bhagsunag waterfall path is an uphill walk on steps. The valley sights are far easier.
Nearby
Down the valley, and along the road to Punjab.
Related to Dharamshala
Journeys that include Dharamshala — each one visits the city as part of its itinerary.
Common questions
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