Kangra
Overview
Kangra is Himachal's most populous district and home to Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile and the residence of the Dalai Lama. The Dhauladhar range rises sharply above the valley, drawing trekkers to Triund and paragliders to Bir Billing. The district also holds the ancient Kangra Fort and the rock-cut Masroor temples.
Reviewed places in Kangra
Baijnath Temple
Baijnath
An early 13th-century stone temple to Shiva as Vaidyanath, the 'lord of physicians', in the Nagara style, on the Kangra–Mandi road.
Bhagsu Waterfall
Bhagsu, McLeod Ganj
A roadside waterfall a short walk above Bhagsunag temple near McLeod Ganj, busiest just after the monsoon and often thin in the dry months.
Bir Billing
Bir
A paragliding centre in the Kangra valley — take-off is at Billing (~2,400 m) and landing at Bir — that has hosted world-level competitions.
Brajeshwari Devi Temple, Kangra
Kangra town
One of the principal Shakti Peethas, in Kangra town, historically wealthy, repeatedly plundered and destroyed — most recently in the 1905 earthquake — and rebuilt each time.
Chamunda Devi Temple
Chamunda, near Palampur
A temple to the goddess Chamunda on the bank of the Baner river between Dharamshala and Palampur, an important Shakti site in the Kangra valley.
Dal Lake (Dharamshala)
Tota Rani, near McLeod Ganj
A small forest-ringed lake at Tota Rani between McLeod Ganj and Naddi, with a Shiva temple on its bank and an annual September fair.
Dharamshala
Dharamshala
The hill town below the Dhauladhar that serves as Himachal's second, winter capital, with McLeod Ganj above it as the seat of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile.
Jwalamukhi Temple
Jawalamukhi
A Shakti Peetha where natural gas flames burning from the rock are worshipped as the goddess, with no idol in the sanctum.
Kangra Fort
Kangra
One of the oldest and largest forts in India, held for centuries by the Katoch dynasty, standing above the confluence of the Banganga and Manjhi rivers.
Kareri Lake Trek
Kareri village, near Dharamshala
A moderate trek from a village north-west of Dharamshala to a shallow glacial lake at about 2,950 m below the Dhauladhar, doable in two days.
Masroor Rock Cut Temples
Masroor
A group of temples carved out of a single sandstone ridge around the 8th century, sometimes called the 'Ellora of the Himalayas', with a pool and Dhauladhar views.
McLeod Ganj
Upper Dharamshala
The hillside suburb above Dharamshala that has been home to the 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan administration in exile since 1960, often called 'Little Lhasa'.
Palampur
Palampur
A green town in the Dhauladhar foothills at about 1,250 m, known for its Kangra tea gardens, the Neugal Khad gorge and the Tibetan monastery at Tashi Jong.
Pong Dam Lake
Maharana Pratap Sagar
A large reservoir on the Beas in lower Kangra, also called Maharana Pratap Sagar — a Ramsar wetland and bird sanctuary that fills with migratory waterbirds in winter.
Pragpur
Pragpur, Kangra
India's first notified heritage village, in the Kangra valley, with cobbled streets, a mud-plastered water tank and old havelis of the Kuthiala Sood community.
Triund Trek
McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala
A popular day or overnight trek to a grassy ridge at about 2,850 m, with the Dhauladhar wall on one side and the Kangra valley on the other.
Tsuglagkhang Complex (Dalai Lama Temple)
McLeod Ganj
The main Tibetan Buddhist temple in McLeod Ganj, next to the 14th Dalai Lama's residence, with the Namgyal Monastery and the Tibet Museum in the same compound.
More places worth visiting
- McLeod Ganj
- Triund
- Bir Billing
- Kangra Fort
- Masroor Rock Cut Temples
- Palampur
- Baijnath Temple
- Dharamshala Cricket Stadium
Detailed pages for these are being written and reviewed before they go live.