Palampur in Himachal Pradesh may not be one of the most popular tourist destinations but this quaint hill station has quite a few interesting things to see.If you are in Dharamshala and have a day to spare, Palampur would be a great one day getaway. Palampur is well connected by Air, railways, and roads. The closest airport is in Dharamshala (which is well connected from Delhi), Amritsar airport is the next best
option. Palampur is well connected to all the major cities in Himachal Pradesh by train. Traveling by road is a good option as well…there are several state run buses that ply from all the major cities in Himachal Pradesh to Palampur. Hiring a car is also an option.
Some of the places that you may consider visiting in Palampur:
Andretta village, known as the artist's village, is around 13 km from Palampur town and is known for theatre, art, and pottery. This village came into being around the 1920s when Norah Richards who was a dramatist shifted from Lahore to Palampur. She started a drama school and played a major role in modern Punjabi theatre by staging a lot of plays with Punjabi themes. Her house is beautiful and was built using mud, bamboo, and slate and is still in good condition. Andretta was also home to artists like Sobha Singh and B.C Sanyal. Sobha Singh's house has been partly converted into a museum and you can see some of his beautiful works displayed. Mansimran and his wife Mary Singh started the Andretta Pottery and Craft Society in 1983.
Tea Estates: Well know for various tea gardens, Palampur happens to be the tea capital of North India. Bundla tea etsate is about 200 years old and one of the most renowned tea estates of Palampur.
Baijnath temple: Is an ancient functional Shiva temple dating back to 1204 AD, it is around 17 km from Palampur. The architecture is beautiful and there are interesting sculptures on the walls of the temple. We could not get very get pictures because there was some festival going on and the temple was covered with bulbs.
Neugal Cafe: If you want to enjoy the view and take a coffee or snack break, Neugal cafe is just the place. It is in Palampur, you will require to pay a nominal entrance fee.
We managed to sight some birds but as such could not see many birds because we went to Palampur during monsoons. It is best to avoid Himachal Pradesh during July and August because of monsoons and landslides. But I must add that monsoons add a magic to the hills...the hills are so green and breathtakingly beautiful during monsoons.
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| Norah Richard's house in Andretta village |
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| Artist Sobha Singh's house |
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| Pottery studio Andretta |
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| Tea estate in Palampur |
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| Baijnath Temple Palampur |
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| Work on the walls on the temple |
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| Neugal cafe |
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| View from Neugal cafe |
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| Alexandrine-Parakeet |
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| Great-Barbet |
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| Himalayan Bulbul |
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| Yellow-billed-blue-Magpie |
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