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The hill station of Dharamshala sits on a narrow ridgeline along the Dhauladhar range. Dharamshala town is roughly divided into two sections – the lower town with its traditional settlement and market areas and the upper town of McLeodganj, famous for its celebrity resident, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The heights of the two sections vary from 1,250 metres to about 1,770 metres with a steep winding 10 km road linking the two sections. Around a 150 kms from Mandi, this hill resort of Dharamshala in the Kangra Valley of northern Himachal Pradesh is the most important town of the district.

Surrounded by pine forests, the grand Dhauladhar ranges tower like sheets of rock over Dharamshala, making this a great place for the adventure lover. The influx of Tibetan refugees after Chinese occupation in 1959 changed all that. The Dalai Lama set up his temporary residence at McLeodganj, the upper town and has continued to stay here.

Dharamshala gets a steady flow of refugees who cross from Tibet through Nepal. As a result, the large Tibetan settlement and the Tibetan Government in Exile have transformed

this sleepy Himachali town. Many western visitors come to Dharamshala in search of spiritual guidance and an audience with the Dalai Lama.

So travel to Dharamshala if you are looking for some adventure as well as spiritual rejuvenation.

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Dharamsala literally means an 'inn attached to a temple' and is famed for its Tibetan community centered around the Dalai Lama.

Historically Speaking

Once a British hill resort, its importance declined and it became a sleepy little hill town. Founded by the British between 1815 and 1847, Dharamshala remained a low-profile hill town till the influx of Tibetan refugees along with the Dalai Lama since October 1959. India welcomed the religious leader and offered him and his people sanctuary and a place to stay in Dharamshala. Ever since, a continuous flow of refugees has transformed the town into a miniature Tibet with Buddhist temples, schools, crafts organisations, meditation centres, library and medical centre. The upper area of McLeodganj was founded in 1848 and named after David McLeod, the Governor of Punjab. Today though, there is little that remains as reminder of its British association.