Dharamshala with charm of its own is nestled in the mystic hills of district Kangra. The hill station that captures picturesque beauty of the Mother Nature offers a unique mix of Tibetan, British and Himachali culture. Offering some of the most striking views of adjoining Kangra Valley and snow-clad Dhauladhar Ranges, the small hill station takes you into harmonious bliss of the mountains.
Ruled by the Katoch Dynasty of Kangra, the people of the Dharamshala area are mostly Gaddis, a principally Hindu group who lived nomadic and semi-nomadic life while traveling from one place to another in search of extended green pastures. However, after British rule, Dharamsala became a popular hill station for Indians as well as foreigners alike.
However, after 1959, Dharamshala became the Mecca for Tibetan, as His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet due to Chinese invasion. After being allowed by the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, His Holiness and his followers settled in McLeod Ganj – also known as Upper Dharamsala. Now popularly known as ‘Little Lhasa,’ thousands of Tibetan exiles have now settled in the area and built houses, monasteries and schools to be part of a civilized generation.
Prompting the deepest connection between Hinduism and Buddhism, the hill station is a peaceful hill station that pleasantly preserves two different religions and brings forward two different traditions and cultures simultaneously.