India Travel

Ki Gompa in Himachal Pradesh

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Dhankar and the Pin Valley in Himachal Pradesh

Midway between Kaza and Tabo, near the meeting of the Pin and Spiti rivers, a rough road veers off to the east for 12km to the village of DHANKAR (3890m) or "a place in the mountains unreachable for strangers" and houses another monastery associated with the Great Translator, Rinchen Zangpo. Set against a lunar landscape of crumbling cliffs, the Lha Opa Gompa dates back to the twelfth century. The main interest, however, lies in the small chapel on the uppermost peak behind the village of Dhankar- the Lhakang Gompa -with its brilliant murals depicting the life of the Buddha. Probably

Pewalsar in Northwest Himachal Pradesh

If you've any interest in Buddhism it's worth taking a detour 24km southeast of Mandi to REWALSAR. where three Tibetan monasteries (Nyingma, prikung Kagyu and Drukpa Kagyu) mark this important place of pilgrimage. The peaceful village comprises less than a hundred low slate-roofed houses, ranged around a small sacred lake. The monasteries, crowned with gold-rained pagodas, are reflected in pleasing symmetry in waters which positively teem with fish. Monks, nuns and pilgrims circumambulate the lake beneath fluttering prayer flags, and amble through lanes full of tiny shrines, chapels and sacred trees. Above Rewalsar are caves, chapels and small gotnpas, all

Wangtu to Kaza, via the Pin Valley in Himachal Pradesh

This challenging route across the Great Himalayan range, via the Kalang Setal glacier and the Shakar of La pass, is a dramatic approach to Spiti and the Pin Valley, and no restrictions apply. The trail, which is very steep, snow-covered, and hard to follow in places, should definitely not be attempted without ponies, porters, adequate gear, and a guide - preferably one arranged through a reputable trekking agency. It starts at WANGTU on the main highway, passing through Kafnoo village, Mulling, Phustirang (3750m), and over the Bhaba Pass (4865m), a gruelling slog through snowfields, before dropping down into the beautiful

Kaza and around in Himachal Pradesh

KAZA, the subdivisional headquarters of Spiti, lies 76km southeast of the Kunzum Pass, and 201km from Manali. Overlooking the left bank of the Spiti river it is the region's main market and roadhead, and a good base from which to head off on two- or three-day treks to monasteries and remote villages such as Kibber, Kiato and Dumla in an area famed for its fossils. It is also possible to trek to Dhankar (32km) via Shielding and on to Tabo (43km) via Poh. For the less energetic, the one-day hike to Comic village and Tangyud gompa is well worthwhile. For

Nalagarh Fort Shimla in Himachal Pradesh

If you can afford it, the eighteenth-century fort of Nalagarh converted into probably the finest hotel in Himachal Pradesh, is an excellent place to break the journey between Delhi and Kullu. Overlooking the Punjab plains, the fort lies 60km from Chandigarh and 12km off the main Chandigarh-Mandi road. Towering above the town with the Himachal foothills rising steeply behind, the fort played a key role in the Gurkha wars of the early nineteenth century, and is today filled with memorabilia evoking its military past. An Ayurvedic clinic offering massage and a shop selling various health potions add to the luxury.

Moving on from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh

Indian Airlines fly thrice weekly to Delhi (Mon, Wed, Fri 3pm). HRTC run numerous buses to destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. Most travellers prefer to book "deluxe" buses through operators in McLeod Ganj near the bus stand. Try Himachal Travels (01892/21428) or Potala Tours & Travels, Bhagsu Road, opposite Hotel Tibet (01892/21378). Buses to Pathankot, handy for train connections and road access to Dalhousie and Chamba leave every 30min from the rains bus stand in the lower town. As well as the services listed in the Travel Details on p.589, there are two or three buses a week

Namgyal Tsemo gompa in Ladakh

Once you are acclimatized to the altitude, the stiff early-morning hike up to Namgyal Tsemo gompa (daily 7-9am), the monastery perched precariously on the shaly crag behind Leh palace, is a great way to start the day. Two trails lead up to "the Peak of Victory", whose twin peaks are connected by giant strings of multicoloured prayer flags; the first and most popular path zigzag across its south side from the palace road, while a second scales the more gentle northern slope via the village of Chubi (the route followed by the lama from Sankar gompa who tends to the

Spiti in Himachal Pradesh

From its headwaters below the Kunzum Pass, the river Spiti drains 130km southeast to within a yak's cough of the border of Chinese-occupied Tibet, where it meets the Sutlej. The valley itself, surrounded by huge peaks and with an average altitude of 4500m, is one of the highest and remotest inhabited places on earth - a desolate, barren tract scattered with tiny whitewashed mud-and-timber hamlets and lonely lamaseries. Until 1992, Spiti in its entirety lay off-limits to foreign tourists. Now, only its far southeastern corner falls within the "Inner Line" - which leaves upper Spiti, including the district headquarters Kaza, freely

Dirang and beyond at the West Arunachal in the Northeast

Ninety minutes beyond Bomdila and halfway to the Sela Pass lies the ancient fortress of Dirang. Although most of the original fort lies in ruins, the village itself is worth checking out and there's a five-hundred-year-old gompa above the village. New Dirang is 5km further on. The only accommodation consists of the brand-new Hotel Pemaling, with attached bathrooms, hot showers and a restaurant, and the adjacent Tourist Lodge, halfway between the gompa and the new town, and with great views over the latter. Soon after crossing the Sela Pass, you reach the Jaswant Singh Memorial, where buses and Sumos make

Lamayuru in Ladakh

If one sight could be said to sum up Ladakh, it would have to be LAMAYURU gompa, 130km west of Leh. Hemmed in by a moonscape of scree-covered mountains, the whitewashed medieval monastery towers above a scruffy cluster of tumbledown mud-brick houses from the top of a near vertical, weirdly eroded cliff. A major landmark on the old silk route, the gompa numbers among the 108 (a spiritually significant number, probably legendary) founded by the Rmchen Zangpo in the tenth and eleventh centuries. However, its craggy seat, believed to have sheltered Milarepa during his religious odyssey across the Himalayas, was

Chamba in Himachal Pradesh

Shielded on all sides by high mountains, and protected by forces in Kangra to the south, Chamba was ruled or over a millennium by kings descended from

The castle in Himachal Pradesh

Since it was erected by Raja Sidh Singh, Nagar's central castle, astride a sheer-sided bluff, has served as palace, colonial mansion, courthouse and school. It is now a Himachal-run hotel, but nonresidents can wander in to admire the views from its balconies. Built in the traditional "earthquake-proof" pahari style (layers of stone bonded together with cedar logs), the castle has a central courtyard, next to which stands a small museum, and an even smaller shrine. The Jagti Patt temple's amorphous deity, a triangular slab of rock strewn with rose petals and rupee notes, is said to have been borne here

The Kangra valley railway in Himachal Pradesh

India has five of the twenty or so vintage "toy trains" or narrow-gauge mountain railways in the world - three in the Himalayas and two of these in Himachal Pradesh. Most famous is the Kalka—Shimla line, but the little-known 163-kilometre Kangra Valley railway is also a magnificent engineering feat. Unlike the Kalka line, with its 103 tunnels and tortuous switchbacks, engineers of this route preferred bridges - 950 in all. many of which are still considered masterpieces - that give passengers uninterrupted views all the way from Pathankot to Jogindernagar. The Dhaula Dhar mountains, rising from the valley floor to

Tabo in Himachal Pradesh

One of the main reasons to brave the rough roads of Spiti is to get to Tabo Gompa, 43km east of Kaza. The mud and timber boxes that nestle on he steep north bank of the Spiti may look drab, but the multi-hued murals and stucco sculpture they contain are some of the world's richest and most important ancient Buddhist art treasures: the link between the cave paintings of Ajanta, and the more exuberant Tantric art that flourished in Tibet five centuries or so later. ArcorJing to an inscription in its main assembly hall, the monastery was established in 996

Shimla and around in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla. Himachal's capital, is India's largest and most famous hill station, where much of the action in Rudyard Kipling's colonial classic Kim took place. While the city is a favourite spot for Indian families and honeymooners, its size does little to win it popularity among Western tourists who tend to pass through on their way to Manali. It is however, a perfect halfway house if Vo ' heading to the Kullu Valley, or back in the other direction towards the of Haryana and Punjab. It's also the starting post for forays into the rerrtnr regions of Kinnaur and Spiti. Northeast of

Rhizong to west of Leh in Ladakh

Blocking the head of a rocky ravine, the towering monastery of RHIZONG remains hidden off the main highway 72km west of Leh. A wealthy monastery, presided over by Shas Rinpoche and linked to Sumur in the Nubra. the atmospheric Rhizong is a relatively new gompa dating from the seventeenth centuty Getting there is half the challenge as there is no public transport along the five-kilometre road leading up from the highway between Khalsi and Saspol. The road follows a stream past a small nunnery - Thardot Choling - to a ca park from where you walk up the ravine which can

Bomdila of West Arunachal in the Northeast

Bomdila is a picturesque and peaceful town (2530m) set amidst apple orchards on a spur of the Thagla Ridge, the dividing line between rainforests to the south and subalpine valleys to the north. Bomdila's three Tibetan Buddhist monasteries reflect the origins and culture of the local people and its proximity to Tibet. The largest of these, a Gelugpa gompa high above the town, was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in October 1997. The caretaker monk will show you round. A small suite of rooms make up the Dalai Lama's private residential quarters. The rooftop offers superb views of the town and

Local transport in Himachal Pradesh

Wherever you arrive in Shimla, you'll be mobbed by porters. Most of the town is pedestrianized, and seriously steep, so you maybe glad of the extra help to carry your gear, but bear in mind that most porters double as touts and demand a commission which will increase the cost of your room. Taxis, which line up outside the Tourist Reception Centre on Cart Road, are the best way to get to tne pricier hotels on the outskirts. The mainVishal Himachal Taxi Union rank ("30177/257645) is lkm east of the bus stand, at the bottom of the elevator (Rs5 each

Dal Lake &TCV Triund S Indrahar Pass in Himachal Pradesh

Places to stay include the simple Ashoka (01892/65147) and the Mau (01892/65875), both between the bus stand and town. For more co fort head for the Raj (01892/64062), opposite the bus stand, work pleasant rooms, a good restaurant and bar.

The Kullu Valley Trekking in Himachal Pradesh

Portunides range from day-hikes up the Beas River's side valleys, or nalas, challenging long hauls over high-altitude passes and glaciers. Away from the tiffs, you step into a medieval time warp little altered since the days when the lulus Valley was one of the most remote places on earth.