A lively and bustling Himalayan hill town
Home of the Dalai Lama, Dharamsala has been transformed from a former hill station to exiled Tibetan capital
Buddhist monks walk down the street doing their shopping, old Tibetan women stop to spin the prayer wheels on the sides of the temple, hippies sip chai in street cafés. Suddenly everyone bows down by the side of the road, hands in prayer. It’s the Dalai Lama driving through town. You’re in upper Dharamsala (also known as McLeod Ganj), home to many of India’s Tibetan refugees who have transformed this former British Hill Station into a little Tibetan capital – complete with monasteries, nunneries, temples, performing arts institutes, restaurants, museum, library and the government-in-exile.
It’s a lively and bustling spot and makes for a great stop on a tour of India’s Himalayan regions.
Another good stop in this area is the heritage village of Pragpur, about 40 miles from Dharamsala. Pragpur is a village frozen in time and staying here is a real feel of life in an Indian village 300 years ago. Stay at the Judge’s Court, an elegant country manor house built in a fusion of Indian and British styles.
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