TRAVEL GUIDE

Making tracks

Chamba is 580 km from Delhi and120 km from Pathankot, the closest railhead. The nearest large airports are at Jammu and Amritsar, both 245 km away, from where buses, taxis and tourist vehicles are available. Dalhousie is just 50 kms away from Chamba. Within Chamba, you can move around in taxis, jeeps, buses and minibuses.

Best time to go

Summer – April to October - is quite the best time to be here; the weather is pleasant barring the monsoon months of July and August. Summer temperatures range from 8°C at night to 39°C during the day, while winter temperatures drop to freezing – between 10°C and 1°C. Cotton clothes and light woollens are fine for summer, but heavy woollens and snow clothes are required in winter.

Room with a view

Himachal Tourism and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam have deluxe rooms in town. There are private hotels, motels and guesthouses where you can get low and medium budget accommodation. Tariffs range from Rs 400 upwards. Book in advance, especially during tourist season.

Valley of milk and honey

From Delhi

When you seek an unusual break from the hackneyed hill station theme, turn your searchlight towards Chamba, a scenic Himalayan town just 50kms from Dalhousie. Chamba blossomed as the ancient capital of the Pahari Rajas; it was named after King Sahil Varman’s daughter Champavati. Today it is the quintessential valley township, famous for its myriad temples, forests and charming hill folk.

At 915m, Chamba rises above the river Ravi as it rages by, leaving verdant valleys and dense deodar forests in its wake. The forests are rich in wildlife – ibex, marmot and snow leopard haunt the upper reaches above the snow line, and musk deer, brown bear, leopards and wild boar in the lower elevations. Mountain birds such as the partridge and pheasant flit across the vale. Pretty waterfalls and streams tumble down the mountainside and at every turn, the valley’s beauty seems to grow.

Chamba is strewn with intricately carved temples topped by spires in the Shikhara style. The shrines are dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. The 10^th and 11^th century temples of Laxmi Narayan and Hari Rai are particularly ornate and popular with pilgrims and sightseers alike.

The Chowgan, a huge grassy field, is the centre of town life – the gathering point for all things religious, political and social. The Gandhi gate on the Chowgan’s south-west face was built to commemorate Lord Curzon’s visit to the town in 1900. Other interesting places are the Akhand Chandi Palace, now a museum and the Bhuri Singh Museum that houses a collection of ancient Chamba artefacts and manuscripts.

Many a trek into the Himalayas is launched from Chamba – through Bhaderwah to Kashmir, through the Sach Pass into Pangi Valley and to other peaks in the Dhauladhars, Peerpanjal and Laskar mountains. Bharmaur (65 km), the ancient capital of Chamba, is a popular village that can be accessed by road. The Gaddi tribes lead their goat and sheep to pasture at Bharmaur in summer. While in the area, visit the sacred Manimahesh Lake where thousands have a holy dip around Janamashtami.

Chamba is bound to bowl you over with its scenic beauty, temples and its sense of tranquillity. Try it – you’ll like it!