Dharamsala

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Dharamsala (Hindi: धर्मशाला Dharmsala [d ʱ ʌrʌmʃɑ ː lɑ ː ]; well Dharamsala, Dharmashala, Dharamshala or Dharamsala, literally: house of Dharma, that is, pilgrim hostel ) is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in the district of Kangra, whose headquarters he has been since 1852. The place has an area of ​​29 km ² and 19,000 inhabitants.

It lies at the foot of Dhauladhar, the first high Himalayan chain. The town was annexed in 1848 by England, and a year later a garrison was established. On the first range of hills, the British established a mountain village ( " Hill Station") as a summer residence ( McLeod Ganj ).

The place is divided into Upper and Lower Dharamsala Dharamsala. Due to the height difference both districts are separated. For smaller vehicles ( rickshaw, Minivan, Jeep ) and pedestrians is a direct but steep about two kilometers long connection. Cars, trucks and buses must use a nine kilometer long, winding road between the sub- locations.

In Dharamsala is located, which was founded in 1961 by the 14th Dalai Lama medical school people Tsee - Khang, which was named after, which was founded by the 13th Dalai Lama in Lhasa in 1916 medical school. Tenzin Choedrak, the best known of the four personal physicians of the Dalai Lama, was director of the Men-Tsee-Khang/Dharamsala.

Lower Dharamsala

Lower Dharamsala is the economic center of Dharamsala and lies at an altitude of 1380 m.

Upper Dharamsala

Upper Dharamsala (also: McLeod Ganj ) is located at an altitude of 1830 m.

In McLeod Ganj Tenzin Gyatsho resides, the current Dalai Lama. It 's 1959 fled here from Tibet. At the same time Dharamsala seat of the Tibetan government in exile. Shortly after the escape was the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the followers of the Dalai Lama and himself quickly the permission.

Here live thousands of other Tibetan exiles. This district, which also houses numerous Tibetan organizations and structures are located, is sometimes referred to as "Little Lhasa " (after the Tibetan capital ).

In McLeod Ganj there are still some colonial buildings. Outside the resort, along the road to Lower Dharamsala is the small Anglican Church of St. John of the Wilderness.

Others

The place was almost completely destroyed in 1905 after the strong earthquake of Kangra; 20,000 people died there; today there are smaller quakes. In the near Dharamsala there are important Hindu temples from the 7th and 8th centuries ( Jawalamukhi, Brijeshwari and Chamunda ).

The nearest airport is located about 20 kilometers southwest of the town in Kangra ( Vigg ).

In Dharamsala start some trekking tours, eg to Triund ( 3350 m), Inderhara Pass ( 4350 m ) and on to Bharmour. You can also head west to the village and on to Kareri Kareri Lake ( 3200 m) hike.

In December and January regular snow falls. The temperatures are between 0 ° C and 14.5 ° C. In the summer it gets warm here between 22 ° C and 38 ° C. The most pleasant visiting hours are from March to June and from September to November.