Shimla
A cross between Harry Potter's Hogwarts and a Scottish baronial castle, this 1888 pile was the official summer residence of the British viceroys until…
Must-see attractions in Himachal Pradesh
Mcleod Ganj
McLeod's main focus for visiting pilgrims, monks and most tourists is the Tsuglagkhang complex, a custard-coloured concrete monastic village that's home…
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International Roerich Memorial Trust
Himachal Pradesh
This fascinating complex, set in lovely hillside gardens 1km above the castle, is centred on the former home of Russian painter, writer and Inner Asian…
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Himachal Pradesh
Unspoilt Chehni village is one of the most magical villages imaginable. Surveying a wide sweep of valley and ridgetops from 2110m, its antique core…
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Himachal Pradesh
What makes Sarahan so instantly distinctive are the 'twin towers' of its fabulous Bhimakali Temple, best photographed from behind with a backdrop of…
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Dharamsala
Soothingly set amid bamboo, trees and flowing water, the delightful Norbulingka Institute, 6km southeast of Dharamsala, was established in 1988 to teach…
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Himachal Pradesh
Between Palampur and Bir, don't miss a stop in Baijnath, whose uninteresting main-street buildings hide one of Himachal's most exquisite ancient temples…
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Himachal Pradesh
On a clear November day, it's hard to imagine a more perfectly framed view than that of Bahu's remarkably preserved village core, perched on a ridgetop…
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Himachal Pradesh
A popular day trip from Kullu starts with a 20km uphill drive southeast to Chansari followed by a 2.5km uphill hike to the Bijli Mahadev. The temple…
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Lakshmi Narayan Temple Complex
Himachal Pradesh
Far and away Chamba's top historical attraction, this temple compound crowning Dogra Bazaar contains a line of six beautifully sculpted stone sikharas …
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Himachal Pradesh
Meaning 'honoured flame', Jawal-Ji is Jawalmukhi's main temple and raison d'être, enshrining natural eternal flames that are said to mark the legendary…
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Shimla
Along the central ridgetop, this broad pedestrian esplanade diverges from The Mall at Scandal Point, guarded by a fancifully hatted policeman. Thronged…
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Himachal Pradesh
Rare for North India, Masrur's elaborate if severely eroded sandstone sikharas were hewn from living rock between the 8th and 10th centuries. With a…
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Mcleod Ganj
This must-see, two-storey museum sets out to remind visitors of Tibet's history as an independent nation, mourning the Chinese occupation (since 1949) and…
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Himachal Pradesh
Dominating Rewalsar's western flank is an enormous, 12m-high statue of Padmasambhava. He's dressed in brown with a gold face setting off his trademark…
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Himachal Pradesh
Across the Beas River from Panchvaktra Mandir is this matching Shiva temple, dating from 1520 and similarly carved from bare stone with considerable…
Himachal Pradesh
Padmasambhava reputedly meditated in a location high on the ridge above Rewalsar. The supposed sites are almost 10km by road (bus ₹30, taxi one way/return…
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Manali
This much-revered wood-and-stone temple, constructed in 1553, has a three-tier pagoda-style roof plus conical top. The wooden doorway is richly carved…
Dalhousie
Stations of the cross lead up from Subhash Chowk to this 1894 Catholic church.
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Himachal Pradesh
Naggar's most magical temple sits on a hilltop terrace with lovely views. This was the site of the ancient town of Thawa, which pre-dated Naggar by around…
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Himachal Pradesh
Built by the rajas of Kullu around 1500, this fort-cum-mansion is a splendid example of the earthquake-resistant, Kathkuni (alternating stone-and-timber)…
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Himachal Pradesh
At the top of the Banjar Valley, Hwy 305 climbs over the panoramic 3223m Jalori Pass, marked by a couple of dhabas and a Mahakali temple. In calm weather…
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Mcleod Ganj
Spiritually (if certainly not architecturally) the Tsuglagkhang's 1969 central temple room is the exiles’ concrete equivalent of the Jokhang temple in…
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Himachal Pradesh
Though little to look at, this is Kullu's pre-eminent temple enshrining the valley's major deity, a tiny bronze idol of Raghunath Ji (Rama), star of the…
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Mcleod Ganj
Men-Tsee-Khang is an organisation established to preserve the traditional arts of Tibetan medicine and astrology. The Gangchen Kyishong branch includes a…
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Himachal Pradesh
Rebuilt after the 1905 quake, this highly revered temple has a centrepiece that's richly endowed with embossed silverwork. Four large bronze lions stare…
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Himachal Pradesh
Gue village (rhymes with 'few') is photogenically crowned by a colourful three-layered shrine-temple. This celebrates Tulka Sangya Tenzin, a mysterious…
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Library of Tibetan Works & Archives
Mcleod Ganj
Inside the government-in-exile compound, nearly 2km downhill from the Tsuglagkhang complex, the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives began life as a…
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Himachal Pradesh
This sprawling monastic complex's extensive series of buildings and stupas lie semi-hidden in rolling pine woods, halfway along the pretty, narrow lane…
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Shimla
A 108ft (33m) vermillion-pink statue of monkey-god Hanuman pokes his head above the treetops on Shimla’s highest hilltop. Appropriately, hundreds of…
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Himachal Pradesh
Founded by lamas from Tibet's important Khampagar Monastery who fled to India in the 1950s, Tashijong is a veritable monastic township, 1km north of the…
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Himachal Pradesh
Clinging to a rocky spur 2km north of Sangla, Kamru village was the original capital of the kingdom of Bushahr. The old Kamru Fort, a 329-step climb up…
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Dharamsala
Standing in for the 1474 Tibet original, this large monastic complex forms an attractive scene backed by mountainscape at Sidhbari village (7km from…
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Dalhousie
The upland area of Dhainkund (2745m) is the most uplifting of many beauty spots around Dalhousie, with a 360-degree panorama encompassing the Pir Pinjal…
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Himachal Pradesh
At least 1000 years old, Kangra Fort's impregnable stone ramparts impressively buttress a high promontory of land between the Manjhi and Banganga Rivers…
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Himachal Pradesh
Sitting amid young orchards beside a holy peepul tree, this 9th-century stone sikhara is a small but ornately carved national monument. Niches on the…
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Shimla
Lovingly restored between 2004 and 2009 and hoping for Unesco status, this remarkable 320-seater theatre opened in 1877, originally as part of a bigger…
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Himachal Pradesh
The tower-temple of Inner Seraj's most powerful deity honours a sage whose prayers are said to have brought about the birth of the god Rama. There's a…
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Himachal Pradesh
Up a curling road, 200m from Kangra Fort ticket gate, this well-displayed one-room museum exhibits ornate palanquins, pashmina fly-whisks and silver…
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Himachal Pradesh
Up on the hillside above the Chowgan, the rusty-coloured 18th-century Rang Mahal looks like a Victorian prison but was originally the royal granary and…
