Chamba (district) Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of Chamba (district)

• 32.4428576.532931 Bharmour — famous for Chaurasi Temple and the Hindu pilgrimage of Mani Mahesh

• 32.5533676.125812 Chamba — headquarters of Chamba District

• 32.5375.983 Dalhousie — a quiet resort hill town situated among five hills, facing the Pir Panjal range of snow-capped mountains

• 32.555876.065584 Khajjiar — a small town on the road from Dalhousie to Chamba. It looks like a huge lush green field during the summer.

• 32.600176.233485 Saho — famous for its Shiva Temple with a big Limgam

• 32.4333376.016676 Chowari — a small town in Bhattiyat valley. Chowari is also called as "Valley of Naag"

Chamba district had a population of 519,000 and a literacy rate of 73% in the 2011 census.

Chamba town is on the banks of the river Ravi which is a tributary of the trans-Himalayan river Indus. The hub of all activity in Chamba town is the Chaugan, a fine grassy sward, about half a mile long and eighty yards wide, and here is held the Minjar fair, every year, in the month of August.

Summer is hot with temperature ranging between 25° and 38°C. Winter is cold with temperature ranging between 8° and 22°C.

The main language of the region is Hindi, Chambyali, Bhattiyati (similar to Dogri) and Gaddi.

Closest railway station is Pathankot in Punjab, which is 120 km from Chamba town. There are frequent buses to Chamba town from Pathankot. Private taxis too operate in the region. Taxis to various destinations can be hired from outside Pathankot railway station. Bargaining is a must. Being on the way to Jammu Tawi, there are regular trains to Pathankot from various cities in India. After that you can opt for toy train on Pathnkot-JoginderNagar Narrow gauge line.

Chamba is connected with Pathankot which is 120 km away via SH-33. There is also a way to Kangra via Jot-Chowari (126 km) and via Banikhet (164 km).

Closest airports are Pathankot and Kangra. Air Deccan operates daily flights between Pathankot and Delhi.

There are various temples of interest in Chamba

• Akhand Chandi Palace — the Palace of the Raja of Chamba, Sahil Verman
• Bansi Gopal Temple — Shikhara style temple near Chamba palace
• Champavati Temple — temple of goddess Champavati constructed in Shikhara style
• Chamunda Devi Temple — temple is dedicated to the goddess Chamunda
• Hari Rai Temple — Vishnu temple near Chaugan gate
• Laxmi Narayan Temple — he main temple of Chamba

You can trek in the hills north of Chamba and further up the Chamba valley. Treks can be arranged through Manimahesh Travels by the Laxsminarayan Temple complex.

There is a considerable amount of Tibetan population in the region so Tibetan/Chinese noodles, soups and dumplings are available.

Local delicacies include Madra, which is made from red kidney beans in a gravy of curd (yoghurt). It is prepared on special occasions and is prepared and served on order at Hotel Aroma Palace's restaurant.

• 32.4333376.016671 Valley Retreat B&B, Lahri Road, ☏ +91 98162 60200. Family-owned accommodation with pretty views from the terrace. (updated Jul 2021)

The crime rate in the area is negligible.

• Bharmour
• Chowari
• Dalhousie
• Khajjiar
• Saho