Often, the best of the experiences that you encounter are the ones that you chance upon. In the western part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh lies the district of Kangra. This part of the state receives relatively less footfall as compared to its more famous cousins like Shimla, Kullu, Manali or even the picturesque Kinnaur district.While planning for a trip in this region, we were looking for a place for stopover in between Dalhousie and Amritsar. As always the case in the Himalayas, we zeroed in on an HPTDC hotel called "The Tea Bud", because they are usually located in the best of locations.Little did we know at that time that a nondescript location, called Palampur, will become one of the highlights of our trip, and we will end up staying an additional day in this picture-perfect resort!
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| Pine Forest |
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| Dhauladhar Range from Tea Bud |
Palampur, a beautiful, scenic, peaceful little town, is called the tea capital of the north-west India, surrounded by pine forests and flanked by the Dhauladhar range. The town derives its name from the word Palum, meaning lots of water, as there are numerous streams flowing from the mountains into the plains around this place. Part of the erstwhile Jalandhar kingdom, the town came into being when Dr. Jameson, Superintendent of Botanical Gardens, introduced the tea bush from Almora in 1849. The bush thrived, so did the town which became a focus of the European tea estate owners.
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| Entrance to Tea Bud Hotel |
Even though the place has limited options for sight-seeing, the Tea Bud hotel itself can stake claim to be a place worth visiting (and staying, of course). The hotel has big sprawling lawns in both the front and backside, with the mighty Dhauladhar flanking the third. You are definitely bound to be rejuvenated by the variety of bird songs that one can hear, or sipping the perfect cuppa tea sitting on the lawn, basking in the winter sun. Mark my word - you won't feel like leaving this place in a hurry.
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| View from Tea Bud balcony |
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| The beautiful lawn |
Apart from the tranquility on offer, Palampur is a strategically located place to cover the entire western region of HP. The town has road connectivity to the nearest airports like Kangra/Amritsar airports, or train stations like Pathankot. You can also take an overnight Volvo bus from Delhi, to directly reach this place. There are multitude of places that can be covered with Palampur as the base location -
- Dharamshala/McLeoad Gunj (40 kms only)
- Dalhousie, Khajjiar, (within 150 kms)
- Jwalamukhi (70 kms)
- Kangra Fort (40 kms)
- Manali, Manikaran (around 200 kms)
Sight-seeing
- Tea gardens
- Tashi Jong Monastery
- Saurabh Van Vihar
- Al-Hilal Trekking
- Baijnath Temple
- Chamundeswhari Temple
- Andretta Artists' Village
Apart from these, McLoad Gunj, more commonly known as "Little Lhasa", and the Dharamshala town can be covered in a day trip. It is just 42 kms north of Palampur, and takes around 1.5 hours to reach. This is a suburb of Dharamshala, where the Tibetan Government-in-Exile is located. The small burstling town has an interesting history that dates much before the arrival of the Dalai Lama (story for another day..). The HPCA cricket stadium in the Dharamshala has become another beautiful addition to the scenery of this place.
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| Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium |
Kangra fort is another must see. The largest fort in the Himalayas has an enchanting story associated with it, dating from the time of the Mahabharatas to the Mughals to the British via Maharaja Ranjit Singhji. Plan to write about it sometime soon...
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| Entrance to Kangra Fort |
Overall, this is a place to relax and enjoy, be it to beat the scorching summer heat of the plains, enjoy the crisp autumn or cherish the snow clad majestic Dhauladhar mountains during winter.
Travel Tips:
- To reach Palampur
By train - Pathankot is the nearest broad gauge train station (at a distance of 112 kms).
By road - Palampur is well connected by road with all the major cities of HP. There are Deluxe-Semi deluxe buses from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla, etc.
- At an altitude of around 4000', the place is well suited for senior citizens and toddlers, for enjoying the mountain view and the beauty of the valley.
- Good medical facilities available (based on personal experience!)
