Just About Everything

Chamba, Himachal Pradesh Chamba is a quaint little beautiful hill station in Himachal Pradesh, India. We stopped by Chamba because Dalhousie happened to be so misty that we could barely see anything there:( We were expecting bad weather in August....but this was disappointing!  The misty weather is beautiful but when combined with rains...you pretty much can't do any sightseeing! However, Chamba was such a lovely surprise! When we reached Chamba…the sun was shining brightly... what a marked contrast from Dalhousie! I wish we had more time scheduled for Chamba….we only had a few hours. Our first stop was a 10th century Lakshmi Narayan temple: The architecture of this temple is very different from other ancient temples. The wooden entrance is quite unique. The temple walls have some beautiful carvings. Bhuri Singh museum: We wanted to get to know about Chamba's history, culture, and heritage.This museum has a lot of paintings, sculptures, artefacts, coins....

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 Palampu...

Kibber village, Spiti Himachal Pradesh Kibber village is around 15 kms from Kaza . It is a picturesque little village located at an altitude of 4300 metres in Spiti valley Himachal Pradesh, India. What makes this little village so very pretty is the sylvan surroundings. It is quite an amazing and magnificent sight actually, a midst all the snow, you suddenly come actually these green-green fields and blue sky. Agriculture is the major livelihood for the villagers in Kibber. Kibber also has a monastery and a wild life sanctuary. Agricultural land in Kibber Kibber, Spiti Valley Gete near Kibber Near Kibber village Kibber village homes Spiti, Himachal Pradesh Kibber

Buddha I can’t complete this series on Himachal Pradesh without mentioning two more places that are worth visiting, Kaza and Kibber . Kaza is around 12 kms from Kee Monastery. You can approach it from Shimla. It will be a long drive, you can't complete it in one day, you might need to halt in a couple of places before reaching Kaza. Kaza is a small but popular town at an altitude of roughly 3700 metres in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. It is the commercial hub of Spiti valley. Because of its central location it connects all the remote areas of Spiti valley with the outside areas. It is quite popular with trekkers and mountaineers who often camp in Kaza. Near Kaza, there is a Buddha which is so lifelike. There is something so enigmatic about it. The other must visit places close to Kaza are the Kee/Ki monastery and Kibber village. There is also a Buddhist monastery, Tangyud Monastery, around 4 kms from Kaza. Kaza, because of its geography, has so mu...

1000 year old Tabo monastery Tabo is another beautiful scenic little town located in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. Tabo is located at an altitude of 3050 metres. From Chandigarh it will take you 8 hours by road (around 490 kms).It is around 45 kms from Kaza. From my cousin Soma who went for a trip to Himachal Pradesh recently, I found that Tabo is indeed quite a special place, not only because of its scenic beauty but also because it houses a Buddhist monastery which is over a 1000 years old. But that is not what lends it the uniqueness, the fact that the monastery is made out of mud is what totally amazed me! I found out from Wikipedia that his Holiness the Dalai Lama considers this monastery in Tabo as one of the holiest monasteries in the world. I am sharing some pictures of the Tabo monastery. These pictures are courtesy my cousin Soma Jha. Tabo monastery Monastery in Tabo made out of mud Buddhist monastery in Tabo ...