Dharamshala McLeodganj and Dharamkot - Amidst the Deodars

While doubts of whether Dharamshala was the right choice for a retreat crossed our minds, we had solace in the fact that Dharamshala is known to start getting cool at the end of September onwards right upto January- February when the temperature dips to freezing point and below. March- April onwards the weather does get warmer and the end of June is when the monsoons hit. It was October, Delhi was still quite hot so that was a plus coming here!

omewhere between day break and early morning all of us managed to get a little shut eye. We woke when the bus came to its last halt. We lazed out of our seats, stretching, yawning and cribbing about the turbulent bus ride, simultaneously. With half open eyes we donned our jackets collected our belongings and stepped off the bus.

Dharamshala- The town
We were welcomed with a small gust of cold wind, which quickly made the tips of our nose cold. We collected our luggage, fixed a rate with the taxi driver (pre-fixing rates is advised) and loaded our luggage into the van while some team members went to bring us some chai (the milky, brewed, spiced and sweet sister of the English tea). Some of us settled ourselves on the floor of the van taxi while some stood around close to the bus stand with our mini chai glasses. Every sip of tea washed down some of the tiredness and by the end of there was some newfound energy. We rubbed the sleep out of our eyes and began to look around!

(View from the bus on the winding roads)

Green, endless stretches of green was what we saw backed by grand snowcapped mountains. The air was fresh and filled with a woody pine fragrance that many room fresheners try to imitate but fail. This was the real thing... Yes, we were in the Himalayas in Dharamshala!

(The views of hills behind every house)

As we drove to our hotel we got a glimpse of the town. The roads were narrow winding through lanes flanked by shops, houses and other tiny establishments. The local folk were going about their usual morning chores. The vegetable vendor was adjusting his scale before he opened shop, the milkman was cycling back after making his morning deliveries and little girls dressed in cobalt blue pinafores with tight braids tied with crimson ribbons were giggling away to school. Dharamshala is normal Indian small town set on of top of the Kangra valley and offers some fabulous views of the Himalayas and the valley blow. Other than this there isn’t much to see in the town.It also hosts a fantastic Cricket Stadium where a l
ot of IPL Matches and International matches are also played time to time.

(Sunset At Dharamshala)

Norbulingka Institute

The taxi driver/ our guide had the itinerary for the day planned and we didn’t mind. Our first stop was the Norbulingka Institute. As we approached the Institute the road got steep on reaching the top we saw the expanse of the huge mountains spread like long arms open wide welcoming us. We got off the taxi and were told to enter a tiny yet colorful Tibetan styled gate. We were in for a big surprise as what this unassuming gate had let us into was an enchanting estate of deodar trees within which emerged the Norbulingka institute. We negotiated with the tree branches and the Buddhist prayer flags that were along the stone path.

(Prayer flags at Norbulingka Institute)

We first visited the museum, the entry cost was around Rs.15 -20. The museum had on display the attire worn by the different Tibetan tribes. There were a few Tibetan artifacts too. We came out into the central courtyard, which was perfectly landscaped and entered the temple. The temple was at the topmost end of the courtyard and a red curtain flapped at its entrance. The Buddha statue was a beautifully carved golden metal statue surrounded by clarified butter lamps. We offered our prayers and made our way to the institute gallery.

(The temple at Norbulingka Institute)

A flight of steps led us to the Norbulingka Gallery which was a long rectangular room with lots of natural light filtering in from the massive windows. Here we saw some of the finest Tibetan paintings, sculptures and appliqué works. The artwork was so fine that we had to step close to the paintings to see if there were actually any strokes.We walked back towards the entrance passing the institute guesthouse toward the restaurant/coffee shop. The coffee shop/ restaurant was spread around a one storey high building between the trees and the landscape. We chose to sit outside, has a warm cup of tea sans milk and some steaming hot momos and made way to our next destination.

Gyuto Tantric Monastic University

The Gyuto Tantric Monastic University was a short drive away from the Norbulingka institute. We entered a beautiful monastic complex, which houses over 500 monks. The buildings in the complex were painted in a shade of lemon yellow. The path within the complex was lined with bed of roses on either side. In front of us was the monastery temple a magnificent lime yellow structure that stood out in front of the grey mountains behind. The monastery specializes in the study of Tantric Meditation, Tantric ritual arts and Buddhist Philosophy.

(The Gyuto Monastery)

Chamunda Devi Temple

Our next stop was the Chamunda Devi Temple. We drove down some winding roads, which offered some breath taking views of the Kangra valley to reach a reservoir on the banks of which stood this famed temple. The street leading up to the temple was shut for vehicles and rightly so. The street leading up to the temple was dotted with tiny kiosk like shops selling holy symbols, temple offerings and a few other souvenirs, we walk past them hurriedly stopping only at the last stall to pick up a few temple offerings and made our way towards the temple complex. In Hindu temple it is customary to go in barefooted, we followed the well-versed protocol and the man at the shoe stand warned us of the monkey menace we were about to witness. There were many monkeys but none bothered us they were busy having their own squabbles. The temple complex was made of marble and was very cooling. The female devotees were all dressed in shades of red, orange and yellow saris (traditional dress of India). The contrast was beautiful. We offered our prayers and went out to the open courtyard where we saw a stone ‘lingam’ the under a boulder representing Lord Shiva. In the middle of the reservoir was a statue of Lord Shiva and Goddess Sarswati. The views of the Dhauladhar range and the forests from the courtyard were fantastic too. Those who wanted to take a boat ride did so on swan shaped boats while we treated ourselves to some chole tikki (chick peas in a spicy gravy with shallow fried potato patties) and some goti soda (fresh lime soda with some sour masala).

Tea Estates

We were very keen on going to some tea estates and persuaded our driver to take us to one. We went past many tea plantations and stopped near one got into the plantations, picked a few leaves sniffed the tannin scented fragrance and took a few pictures and headed back to the hotel. This was the end of day one.

(In the middle of the tea estates)

Kangra Museum

The next morning we got up early and as planned by the previous day’s driver, who had now also become our official guide, we headed towards Kangra Museum. The museum was at an elevation from the road and we walked up an inclined pathway to reach the top.Inside the museum we saw many artifacts and relics of the region some dating back to the 5th century. Some of the most interesting displays were the miniature paintings (a style of painting that the valley is famous for) and the robes of the royal family.

War Memorial

After our visit to the Kangra Museum we headed back to Dharamshala to see the war memorial. Before we got there we discussed how this was going to be some building with armory and a wall dedicated to war veterans but we forgot we were in Dharamshala and this memorial was in fact a terraced garden and at its lowest terrace was a huge black granite wall with names of all the post independence war heros from Himachal Pradesh.

Bhagsunag Temple

We reached Bhasunag around 11kms away from where we were. The driver dropped us to a drop off point and we headed towards the temple, a few minutes walk away. The parking area had many shops selling local art, funky tie and die shits and some silver jewelry. There were a few restaurants too, the German Bakery looked very nice.As we climbed up we found a whole flee market emerge out of no where, here jewelry pieces, wall hangings, Tibetan artifacts were are being sold at a fair price provided you knew how to haggle with the vendor. We stopped here and there but continued to walk ahead.We reached the top of the springs where we went into the temple offered our prayers. Outside we say many devotees cleanse themselves in the holy spring waters. While the temple at anytime of the day can be crowded with people, the Rocky River bed itself was extremely serene. A quiet sitting on its shores is recommended to everyone who goes there. The river bed was dotted with big rocks so we found a spot in the middle of the river and enjoyed the views of distant hills with their snow clad peaks and the abundance of green.

(Amidst the Streams near Bhagsunag Temple)

We had heard of the famous (or rather infamous) ‘Shiva Café’ a little uphill from the riverbed once a place where the ‘Hippies’ used to party all night long. Through we were told that now it’s a desolate place with reminisce of its past ‘glory’.

Dharamkot

Dharamkot was a wonderfully quiet and serene place. Famous for the Vipasana Ashram (the practice of silent meditation), this place was like a lonely deserted town with shades of international sophistication (Cafes and Pool Bars,) sprinkled here and there. The view from Dharamkot was fabulous and we took many pictures from there.

(Enjoying the view at Dharamkot)

St. John’s Church

From Dharamkot we drove to St. John’s church, a reminder of India’s colonial past. We entered the empty church complex full of trees within which was this beautiful stone church.The caretaker told us it was made in honor of Lord Elgin the British Viceroy.

(St. John's Church at Dharamkot)

McLeodganj

Our last stop for the day was the much-awaited Mcleodganj. The driver drove us to one end of the market and we were asked to walk around the area. Mcleodganj is a small town with two parallel streets as its main roads. The streets are full of tiny one or maximum two storied establishments housing shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels, lodges and homes.

(Mcleodganj Market)

In the middle of the market is a Buddhist temple, which can be entered from both streets. We and turned the prayer wheels and moved ahead towards the Tsuglagkhang Complex. Tsuglagkhang Complex is the largest Tibetan complex outside Tibet.

(The Namgyal Monastery)

It houses the Namgyal Monestry, the sacred building which houses the residence of the Dalia Lama. On the first level was the open courtyard where many monks were passing trough or standing and talking. Above this was the mediation and prayer room. Near the head of the steps was an enclosure full of clarified butter lamps. To the right was the prayer room, a largely wooded room with Tibetan appliqué work on the pillars and a larger than life gold statue of Buddha at its opposite end.Behind the prayer room was a set of prayer wheels which all of us took turns to spin.From there we headed back down to the Tibet museum where there was a permanent exhibit of the history of Tibet and some stories of Tibetans who escaped from Tibet into India. The museum also screens documentaries on Tibet although we barely made it in time for the last screening. On our way out of the complex a student handed us a Free Tibet pamphlet. We left the temple complex and walked into the market where many curios and trinkets were available. We spent the rest of our evening sampling food from the local restaurants and cafes, shopping and enjoying talking to the locals and tourists.

In one of these conversations a group of tourists told us of a rock concert that we must go to.

Dharamshala is in North India famous for its dal (lental curry), parathas (Indian bread baked in a tandoor offered with many stuffings) and other north Indian delicacies. So these are available everywhere. In Mcleodganj there are many restaurants here are two we recommend:

Gaikhi: A traditional family run Tibetan restaurant that can almost be missed. A local has suggested this place for tasty Tibetan food. We recommend the noodle soup, the warm lemon honey and ginger drink, the Tibetan bread with sesame paste and other condiments and the momos. This place usually gets full fast.

Carpe Diem: This restaurant serves an amazing "English Breakfast"(Omelet, Ham, Bacon and Sausages) and some brilliant pancakes (Apple and Banana were our choice). The restaurant offers normal seating in the covered section of the restaurant but eating on the rooftop is wonderful as one gets an amazing view of the area around. The ambience too is different up there, every wall is hand painted by some tourists who have visited.