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The
hill station of Dalhousie is full of 'Old world' charm
and holds lingering echoes of the 'Raj'. It covers an
area of about 14 sq. km and is built on five hills - Kathlog,
Potreyn, Tehra, Bakrota and Balun.
It
is name after the British Governor - General of the l9th
century, Lord Dalhousie. The town's height varies between
1,525 m and 2,378m, and it is surrounded by varied vegetation
- pines, dodders, oaks and flowering rhododendron.
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Dalhousie
has charming colonial architecture, including some beautiful
churches. Its location presents panoramic views of the plains
- and like a long silverline, the river Ravi twists and turns
below Dalhousie. The spectacular snow-covered Dhauladhar mountains
are also visible from this enchanting town.
| Places
to Visit |
| Churches
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There
are four beautiful churches in Dalhousie. These are St.
Andrew's Church and St. Patrick's Church at Balun, St. Francis'
Church at Subash Chowk and St. John's Church at Gandhi Chowk. |
| Panchpula
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This
is picturesque spot where a stream feeds a series of pools.
A monument has been built here in memory of the freedman
fighter, Sardar Ajit Singh
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| Subhash
Baoli |
It
was at this enchaining spot surrounded by majestic trees,
that Subhash Chandra Bose spent a lot of time in 1937, contemplating
and mediating. |
| BaraPathar
: There is a small temple amidst a thick forest.
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Kalatop
:This wild life sanctuary is home to the 'ghoral' and
Himalayan black bear. |
23kms
from Dalhousie by road and 13 kms from Kalatop is the mini Switzerland
of India at a height of 6400 ft. Hutchison writes, "Khajjiar
is a forest glade of great beauty, 6400 feet above sea level".
Khajjiar
is often reffered to as "Gulmarg of Himachal Pradesh".
The lush green meadows are surrounded by thick pine and cedar
forests. Grazing herds of sheep, goats and other milch cattle
present a prefect pastoral scenery. There is a small lake in
the center of the saucer shaped meadow which has in it a floating
island. Much of the lake has degenerated into slush because
of heavy silting during rains. Still the landscape of Khajjiar
is picturesque and a photographer's delight.
A
little away from the lake is the temple of Khajji Nag belonging
to 12th C. AD. In the mandapa of the temple one can see the
images of the Pandavas and the defeated Kaurvas hanging from
the roof of the circumambulatory path. The sanctum of the temple
has been beautifully carved from wood.
There
is a Tourism Hotel and some Tourism cottages at Khajjiar where
the tourists can stay . Besides there are two rest houses one
each of P.W.D. and Forest Deptt. A couple of private hotels
have also come up, which do not match the above places in terms
of location and amenities. Bus service to and from Khajjiar
is limited and timings change according to local demands. There
used to be a golf course in Khajjiar which is not maintained.
The best entertainment in Khajjiar is to walk around the lake
or to go for long walks in the thick pine forests. Children
enjoy this place because of the freedom of movement and the
slopy terrain which permits them to roll down to the lake without
getting hurt. Another attraction like any other hill station
is horse riding.
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