Dalhousie

Sprawling over and around five hills Dalhousie was, in the British era, a sort of 'second string' hill station. A place where those who could not aspire to Simla retired to. Founded by Lord Dalhousie there are some pleasant walks around the town. Today Dalhousie also has a busy population of Tibetan refugees if you take the footpath from Subhash Chowk to Gandhi (GPO) Chowk you'll pass brightly painted pictures which the Tibetans have carved into low relief on the rocks. There is a nice little Tibetan refugee handicrafts shop with carpets in some quite different designs (unusual animals like rabbits and elephants). It's by GPO Chowk.

About two km from GPO Chowk along Ajit Singh Rd, Panchpulla (five bridges) could be quite a nice little spot but it's considerably uglified by the series of horrible concrete steps and seats built over the stream. Along the way there's a very small, and easily missed, fresh water spring known as Satdhara. Kalatop is 8.5 km from the GPO and offers a fine view over the surrounding country. There's a forest rest house here.

Built along the edge of the Dhauladar mountain range, Dalhousie was named for Lord James Ramsey, Marquis of Dalhousie, who became Governor General of India in 1848.  The hill station was founded in 1854, when the British rented the land from the largely autonomous Chamba raja in order to expand vacation options for their increasingly stressed-out administrators and bureaucrats. Designed as a colonial retreat, Dalhousie also played a part in the drama that led to Indian

Independence: Subhash Chandra Bose came here during the 1940s to cook up anti-British strategies for the India National Army. Cool air and mountainside strolls makeDalhousie a pleasant summer stop, that is, if you can stand the cooing honeymooners and frolicking families that come to town during high season (roughly Apr.1-Jul.15). Because of the higher prices and lack of sights and temples, many foreigners skip Dalhousie and head straight for nearby Chamba.

Buses depart from the main bus stand to: Chamba; Dharamsala; Pathankot; Shimla; Khajjiar. All Dharsamsala and Pathankot buses stop in Baniket, where there are many more connections. Pathankot has more connection, including to Amritsar and Jammu.

The tourist office is by the bus stand but Dalhousie is very scattered. Most shops are clustered around GPO Chowk while the 'town', if Dalhousie can be spoken of as such a thing, is crowded down the hillside close to Subhash Chowk. The houses almost stand on top of one another.

All of Dalhousie can be covered on foot. Facing the taxi counter, the narrow road that heads to the right from the bus stand leads to Subhash Chowk (10min.walk).  The steps to the left climb up to Gandhi Chowk. The chowks are round plazas connected by two horizontal roads, Mall Road on the northern side of the ridge and Garam Sarak to the south. Most of the hotels and restaurants are on these two streets. Treks 'n' Travels, at Gandhi Chowk, makes ticket reservation and organizes treks. Broad Street leads down the hill from Subhash Chowk to Punjab National Bank, which changes cash and traveler’s checks. Across the street is police station. Dalhousie Medical Hall Pharmacy. Across the street is the Civil Hospital.  The post office is also at Gandhi Chowk.
There are plenty of hotels in Dalhousie, and during the low season you can get a sizeable room with a view and private bath.

Khajjiar, a pristine meadow 22km from Dalhousie, is trumpeted by the local tourist industry as "the Switzerland of the East." The scenery is beautiful, but be prepared to share it with hundreds of yodeling tourists, who arrive by the bushload.

For Further Detail go to www.Goaindiatourism.com