Travel Places in Dalhousie

¤ The Mall

Every hill station has a Mall. So does Dalhousie. and as we’ve said already, the Mall here connects the two anchor points of the town – Gandhi Chowk formerly Post office square) and Subhash Chowk (formerly Charing Cross). But it is not one long stretch (like that in Shimla or Kasauli), but two roads, twisted together like a figure of eight. These are the Garam Sarak (literally Hot Road) and Thanda Sarak (literally Cold Road). Queer as the names may sound at first, they are actually rather logical: the former receives a lot of sunshine while the latter does not. Simple. Garam Sarak is also the higher of the two and is a pedestrian-only road. Signs warn motorists that ‘walking is the fashion in the hills’.

A word of caution here. Be careful while traveling through Garam Sarak at night and remember to carry a flashlight. It might be bright and sunny during the day but it is badly illuminated at night.


¤ The Shopping Hubs

Most of the shops are clustered around Gandhi Chowk, which is barely a 15-minute walk up from the bus stand. A number of industrious Tibetans make and sell various handicrafts, jackets, cardigans, rugs, carpets and jewellery. There are also lines of small shops selling walking sticks and other trivia. However the best place to buy lovely handicrafts is the Tibetan Handicrafts Centre in Gandhi Chowk or the Himachal Handicrafts Emporium. At the former you can have Tibetan carpets made to order, with over 180 traditional designs to choose from. Himachal Handloom Industry Emporium on Thandi Sarak has a good collection of woollen shawls.


¤ Moti Tibba

The mall is around the hills Moti Tibba (formerly Tehra), Portreyn Hill and Upper Bakrota, about 330m above Gandhi Chowk. This is the most popular travel place to stroll as it runs through oak, conifer and rhododendron forests. You can see black-faced langurs (a kind of monkey) and rhesus macaques leaping from tree to tree. Guard your snacks well, the monkeys might just snatch them from you! Hill ponies are available for those who wish to ride, and there are shops selling walking sticks too.


¤ Churches & Temples

Dalhousie has all kinds of places of worship – Christian, Buddhist and Hindu. The most prominent travel attractions are its two churches: St Francis’s Catholic Church at Subhash Chowk and St John’s Church (Protestant) at Gandhi Chowk. Both are pretty little structures set amidst lush green. and since there is no Protestant congregation in Dalhousie now, the priest of St John’s doubles as the postmaster!


¤ Picture Attractions

About midway along Garam Sarak, there are some brightly painted low-relief pictures of Tibetan deities, including Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) and Avalokiteshwara (Chenresig), as well as a script bearing the sacred mantra Om Mani Padmi Hum. (See Tibetan Prayer Wheel in Tsuglag Khang, McLeodganj for details).

Again, close to Gandhi Chowk is another travel attraction, a rock painting of the goddess Tara Devi. A little shrine has been constructed here, to honour the sacred painting.


¤ Walks

There aren’t many monuments to be seen at Dalhousie, but that doesn’t make the place less worthy of a visit. It’s a groovy place to be tucked away in for a few days with plenty of unforgettable walks. About 1.6km from here beyond the GPO Square flows the spring at Subhash Baoli (2,085m). It is an easy climb and the panoramic views of the snow-capped mountains are lovely.


¤ Satdhara - Known For Its Medicinal Properties

Travel to Satdhara, take a road from Gandhi Chowk leads to the seven springs at Satdhara (2,036m) which are rich in mica and other minerals. Sat in Hindi is seven while dhara means spring, hence the name. The spings are known to have medicinal and healing properties. Beyond Satdhara is another pretty spot called Panjpulla (five bridges). The Martyr’s Memorial, a tribute to the freedom fighter Ajit Singh stands here. Ajit Singh was executed by the British for murdering a police officer. On the Panchpula road, at Luhali, is a house called Tynance where one of the foremost leaders of the Indian freedom movement, Subhash Chandra Bose, came to work out his strategies.


¤ Jhandri Ghat--A Pleasant Walk

Two kilometers from the post office is another pleasant walk to Jhandri Ghat, The summer palace of the Chamba kings. You can see some remarkable hunting trophies in here but only with the permission of the raja himself. This may be a little difficult if he happens to be away. The beautiful place is run as a hotel now.


¤ Bakrota Hill

A road above Gandhi Chowk leads up to Bakrota Hill (2,085m). It makes a steep climb but is well worth the effort. Rabindranath Tagore, our Nobel Prize-winning poet is said to have composed a part of his poem Gitanjali here at a house called Snowden. The watchman will happily open the house for Tagore fans.


¤ Lakkar Mandi

Eight kilometers from the post office, above Bakrota, stands the village of Lakkar Mandi. From April to November, the village is home to an itinerant group of Dogri families who originally hail from Mandi. They earn their living by preparing charcoal which they sell to the hotels in Dalhousie.


¤ Dainkund Peak

A right turn from Lakkar Mandi will take you to Dainkund Peak (2,745m), known as the Singing Hill because of the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.
On a clear day, you can have a bird’s eye view of the entire valley with the Beas, Ravi and Chenab as thin silver ribbons cutting across the landscape.
The top of the hill is occupied by the Indian Air Force, from there travel to Pholani Devi Temple by taking a left turn before the main gate, you can take a path which leads to the Temple of Pholani Devi.
A strange thing here is that the temple has no image, just a whole lot of tridents (symbol of Shiva – the third of the Hindu Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer) stuck into the ground.