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Dalhousie,
Himachal Pradesh
This
hill station spreads over five low level hills at the western edge
of the Dhauladhar range, just east of the Ravi river. Dalhousie
is situated in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh at an height
of 2,039 mts. It's population size is 8,600. It receives an annual
rainfall of 214 cm. Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation's
(HPTDC) hotels, private hotels, cottages, guest houses, PWD &
Forest rest houses provide a variety of accommodation in and around
the town, in all ranges. There is Kwality restaurant at Gandhi Chowk,
Milan, Metro and Moti Mahal in Subhash Chowk, which offers Indian,
Continental and some Chinese food. For more authentic fare there
is a small Tibetan restaurant, The Snow Lion, behind the Dalhousie
cinema on the footpath which leads from the bus stand to the Mall.
There are no buildings of great interest but a number of pleasant
walks over the five hills.
Climate:
The place is pleasent in summer and cold in winter.
- Summers:The
temperature varies between 30 degree Celsius. Suggeted clothing-light
woolens.It is pleasent at this time.
- Winters:The
temperature varies between zero degree Celsius. Suggested clothing-heavy
woolens and jackets. It is cold at this time.
Best
time to visit:
Best time to visit Dalhousie is from April to June and September
to October.
Accomodations:
- Aroma-n-Claira
Hotel at Court Road, which is centrally located with some
reasonable rooms. Tel :2199.
- Mountview,
which is well located. Tel: 2120.
- Hotel
Geetanjali is run by Himachal Tourism. Tel :21155.
- Hotel
Silverton
- Fair
View Hotel (tel :2206).
- Nahar's
Hotel (tel :2175).
How
to go there:
Dalhousie
is well linked with roads and public & private transport. Nearest
railhead Pathankot is 80 kms away, connecting all major towns. Kangra
airport is 140 km, Jammu airport 180 km, Amritsar airport 192 km
from Dalhousie. From Dalhousie, Chamba is 56 km, Delhi is 559 km,
Shimla is 345 km, Chandigarh is 300 km, Mandi is 250 km and Manali
is 350 km. There are direct buses to Amritsar, Jammu, Dharamsala
(10 hours), Shimla (16 hours). For Shimla and Dharamsala it's far
quicker to catch a bus back to Pathankot, and take another one from
there. Buses or taxis are readily available from Pathankot up to
Dalhousie. Indain Airlines can take one to Amritsar, 100 kms away,
which again is connected to Dalhousie by regular buses and taxis.
Taxis over these routes can prove expensive unless they are shared.
There are also direct buses from the Interstate Bus terminal in
Delhi to Banikhet near Dalhousie.
Dalhousie
is well
connected by bus with other destinations in Himachal Pradesh like
Dharamsala and Chamba. Local services run to the village of Lakkar
Mandi and the meadow of Khajjiar. There are also conducted tours
during the season.
What
to see:
Kalatop
wildlife sanctuary : The
forest is very thick and a luck is needed to sight any of the barking
deer or Himalayan black bear. It's a fine place for bird watchers
and the views are remarkable. There is a Forest Resthouse for those
wishing to stay overnight (reservations to be made in Dalhousie).
A left turn at Lakkar Mandi brings to this santuary (altitude 2,440
metres or 8,005 feet).
Something
about nature:Of
the Dalhousie's five hills, the most important are Portreyn,
with the Sacred Heart Convent, Moti Tibba and Bakrota.
Around Moti Tibba and Portreyn there is a figure-of-eight shaped
Mall, a level walk, nearly half of which is restricted to pedestrians.
This is the most popular place to stroll as it runs through oak,
conifer and rhododendron forest. Signs warn motorists that "walking
is the fashion in the hills". Black-faced langurs and rhesus macaques
leap through the trees. One can sit to watch the sunset at two crossroads
on the way - Subhash Chowk, site of St Francis's Catholic Church,
and Gandhi Chowk, site of the Protestant St John's church and the
post office. Hill ponies are available for hire and there are lines
of small shops selling walking sticks and other necessities. A road
leads down from Gandhi Chowk past Sat-Dhara (place of Seven Streams),
where mica-rich springs trickle from the hillside to Panjpula (Five
Bridges), two kms away. Here is a memorial to the uncle of the freedom-fighter
and martyr, Bhagat Singh, who was executed by the Britishers. On
the Panchpula road, at Luhali, is a house called Tynance where Subhash
Chandra Bose came to work out his strategies, after whom Subhash
Chowk is named. Subhash Baoli (1.5 km from square) is another spring.
It is an easy climb and offers good views of the snow. Two kms from
the post office is Jandri Ghat, the summer palace of Chamba rulers,
set among tall pine trees. For a longer walk, the Bakrota Round
can be tried out, which gives good views of the mountains. The Tibetans
have their handicraft center at Bakrota producing carpets and beaded
jewellery. Eight kms from the post office, above Bakrota, is a village
called Lakkar Mandi. A right turn will take one to Dainkund Peak,
known as singing Hill, because of the sound of the wind blowing
through the trees.
Tourist
Info:
- Tourist
office, near bus stand, Dalhousie.
-
Tourist Information Centre, Dalhousie, Tel- (018982)-2136
- Director,
Department of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Himachal Pradesh,
Shimla-171001. Tel :- (0177)-203346, 3517. Fax :- 203346, 4973.
-
Managing Director, H.P Tourism Development Corporation (marketing
Office), Ritz Annexe, Shimla-171001. Tel :- (0177)-203294, Fax
:- 203434.
- Tourist
Information Centres :- Shimla :- (0177)-4589, Manali :- (01901)-2175,
Dharamsala :- (01892)-23107
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