DHARAMSHALA
Area in Sq Km : 23
Population : 8,600
By
Air
Dharamshala
does not have an airport. The nearest airport is at
Gaggal, (15 km away). Indian Airlines has flights
to Gaggal from Delhi (nearly 2 hours) on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday.
By
Train
The nearest broad
gauge railway station is at Pathankot (four hours
away). The Jhelum Express leaves Delhi at 9.50 pm
and arrives in Pathankot at 8.25am. Another option
is the Jammu Tawi Mail (at 11.20am) from Delhi to
Pathankot (a 12-hour journey).
By
Road
Dharamshala is just
off National Highway 20 and is linked by road transport
to all major centres in the region. By car or bus,
it takes four hours from Pathankot to reach Dharamshala;
six hours from Mandi and Dalhousie; eight hours from
Chamba; nine hours from Chandigarh; ten hours from
Kullu; 11 hours from Shimla; 13 hours from Manali
and 14 hours from Delhi.
The best season for Dharamshala is between March and
November, just before the weather turns bitingly cold.
From
the Airport
Hire a luxury coach or private taxi to reach Dharamshala.
From
the Railway Station
Take a bus from the Pathankot railway station. It
is just a four-km drive away.
From
the Bus Station
Taxis available from the bus station will take you
to your place of stay.
Though taxis are available, it is a better idea to
walk, in order to get a feel of the place. This is
another Little Tibet. Indeed, before the Dalai Lama
settled here after the Chinese invasion of Tibet in
1959, Dharamshala made no news. These days it is a
flourishing centre of Buddhism and is the ultimate
refuge for Tibetans of all shades of Buddhism. This
is also the home of the Tibetan Government in Exile,
the actual headquarters being about 4 km above Dharamshala,
at Gangchen Kyishong. Situated on the foothills of
the Dhauladhar range, Dharamshala is 150km east of
Pathankot and 160 km northwest of Mandi. It was established
as a hill station by the British between 1815 and
1847.
The summers here are cool and pleasant and winters
can get quite chilly. |
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