Dharamshala
In the shadow of the snow-streaked Dhauladhar range of the Inner Himalayas, amid wild forests of pine and deodar, lies the popular hill town of Dharamshala. Headquarters of the Kangra district, it was declared the second capital of Himachal Pradesh in 2017. It was in 1860, when the Gurkha battalion of the British Indian army moved from Kangra to a new base near the site of a Hindu sanctuary— or dharamshala (in Hindi)—that the town acquired its name. A century later, it received another makeover when the Dalai Lama and his followers fled Tibet and sought sanctuary in McLeod Ganj, a delightful little pocket in Upper Dharamshala. The Tibetan government-in-exile was subsequently established, and monasteries, temples, schools, and libraries were built, lending it the epithet of ‘Little Lhasa’. Today, the vivid character of the town, along with its enticing natural settings, has made Dharamshala a hot favourite amongst travel enthusiasts.