Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India
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Dalhousie
What is it? Hill station
Where is it? Himachal Pradesh
When do I go? Mid-April to mid-July, mid-September to mid-November and mid-December to early January (when it snows)
For how long? Two days
STD Code: 01899
Dalhousie, a small hill-station in Himachal Pradesh where sunny days mean hillsides covered with soft summer snow (wild daisies). Where long thirsty walks through shaded paths end on the cool banks of hidden, crystal water streams. Where every year the multifarious pine trees gather their strength to deal with the visiting winter snow while others enjoy its all encompassing beauty before returning to their warm fireplaces.
The hill station has recently become increasingly popular over the last few years with an influx of weekend visitors, honeymooners, tourists (mainly from Punjab), intrepid explorers and trekkers. On a clear day, you can glimpse the Pir Panjal ranges in all their beauty. This makes up for the occasional speeding Maruti car with a powerful music system.
Rosy-cheeked Himachali locals co-exist with a thriving Tibetan community while a lasting influence of the British, who established Dalhousie in 1954, can still be seen in some of the bungalows and churches. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is supposed to have written his first poem here and Dalhousie still remains a muse for artists like Manjit Bawa.
About Dalhousie
History
When the British annexed Punjab in 1849 their Chief Engineer, Lt. Col. Napier was inspired by the surrounding natural beauty and aptly chose the land at the foot of the Dhauladhar range as a place to carve a town out of a hillside. Thirteen square miles were marked out and rented from the Raja of Chamba in 1853. Sir David McLeod (of McLeodganj fame) named the hill station after Lord Dalhousie, then Viceroy General of India. There was soon a sanitorium that Lord Dalhousie and many of the British visited regularly to rejuvenate themselves. In the 1920′s, it was a favourite holiday spot, especially with the elite Punjabi community who travelled up from Lahore. It was a cheaper and arguably more attractive alternative to Shimla. After the partition of India most of the local Muslim population migrated to Pakistan and it also lost the patronage of the British. Dalhousie suffered an economic slump for many years. In 1954, at Dalhousie’s centennial celebrations, Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru tried to encourage tourism with “Let us go to the Himalayas”. He also chose Dalhousie as a place of refuge for several thousand Tibetans after China invaded Tibet in 1959. Now a part of the state of Himachal Pradesh, Dalhousie has recently been re-discovered by travellers and tourists (who can no longer visit unsafe Kashmir). It is also a current favourite with the Hindi film industry – watch 1942-A Love Story.
Geography
The gateway to the Chamba valley is spread over five hills (Kathloang, Tehra, Bakrota, Potreynand, Balun) on the western edge of the Dhauladhar mountain range of the Himalayas. It covers an area of 13 sq km and is at an altitude of 2,036 m. It is situated at 6,000 – 9,000 feet above sea level. The River Ravi flows nearby and has a large 750 mw hydroelectric station and dam.
Climate
The weather is always a popular topic of discussion in Dalhousie. It is always so pleasant, conversation always ends on a content and happy note. In summer, the maximum temperature rises to approximately 26.5°C (though it’s getting warmer every year) and the minimum temperature drops to around 15.5°C.
In winter, the maximum temperature reaches 10°C and the minimum temperature can fall to approximately 1°C. It is best to visit Dalhousie between mid-April and mid July, mid-September and mid-November and mid-December and early January. The monsoon season is between July and August (occasional hailstorms) and it snows between December and February.
For more information on the following topics, please see our Dalhousie travel guide below:
- Getting there
- Getting around
- Sights & Sounds
- Excursions
- Accommodation
- Eating Out
- Shopping
- Useful Information
- Survival Guide
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Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh A complete guide to Dalhousie. Get all the information you need – getting there, getting away, excursions, sights & sounds, history, climate, geography, accommodation & useful Information.
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