Drive to Mandi and Dharamsala
In he morning we left the alpine landscapes and the old houses made of stone and wood of Manali and, following the Beas River south through the lovely Kulu Valley, we reached Mandi.
Once an important town on the salt route to Tibet, now Mandi is a small town with 81 temples, many of which are huddled on the banks of the Beas River, held sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists. On the Mandi Pathankot National Highway we had the chance to visit the nice temple of Triloknath.
Leaving Mandi, our drive takes us back into the mountains as we make our way up to Dharamsala and to McLeodganj. Until 1959 this was a quiet town, but that all changed when the Dalai Lama settled here after fleeing Tibet at the time of the Chinese invasion. We found McLeod Ganj full of people and we decided to stay in the more quiet village of Bhagsu, or Bhagsunag, 2 km to the East.
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Mandi
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Mcleod Ganj
At 2,000 masl from McLeod Ganj, the Kangra valley sprawls below as far as the eye can see. Centre of the Tibetan government in exile and place of residence of His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama, McLeod Ganj is a place pulsating with life, maybe to much. It is a chaotic mixture of eastern, western and Buddhist cultures, reflected in the people, in the shrines of worship and in its very name.
To the south of the village the Tsuglagkhang Complex the official residence of the Dalai Lama and the Namgyal Monastery. The Central Chapel is the equivalent of the Jokhang Temple of Lhasa. Relatively modest from the architectural point of view it has inside the statues of Buddha Sakyamuni, of Avalokiteshvara and of Padmasambhava. Nearby the Kalachakra Temple (1992), where painted in the wall there is a great mandala of the Kalachakra. In visiting the complex all the Tibetan pilgrims perform a kora (encircled ritual) of the Tsuglagkhang.
Mcleod Ganj |
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Bhagsu (Bhagsunag)
2 km from Mcleodganj in an agglomeration of hotels, restaurants and small shops there is a thermal source and a small temple devoted to Shiva built by the raja of Kangra in the xvi century. Not far from the temple, reacheable with a short walk, there is a pretty waterfall.
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Mcleod Ganj
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Baijnath Temple
Nestling at the foot of the Dhauladhars Range close to the village of Baijnath about 30km east of Nagarkot. (1010 masl), the Baijnath (Baidyanath) Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva as Vaidyanath the ‘Lord of Physicians'.
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Kangra Valley
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Chamunda Devi Temple
The picturesque and strange complex of the Chamunda Devi Temple rises on the shore of the river Baner. Chamunda is one of the most intense personifications of the anger of Durga and her statue is entirely hidden under a red cloth.
Kangra Valley |
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Bajreshwari Devi Temple (Kangra)
Rather than for its architecture this temple deserves to be visited for its beautiful atmosphere. We reached the temple after having crossed the great bazaar of the city, a labyrinth of alleys coasted along by stands selling prasad (offers of food used for the religious ceremonies).
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Kangra Valley
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Tea Gardens
Tea in Kangra valley was introduced in 1854 from China by the British. Today the entire tea production of Himachal Pradesh is produced in Kangra especially in the Palampur valley.
Kangra Valley |
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Norbulingka Institute
Surrounded by the green fields of the Kangra Valley, against a backdrop of the towering Dhauladhar mountains of the outer Himalayan range, the beautiful Norbulingka complex is built according to traditional Tibetan style, with beautiful gardens, paths shaded by the trees, wood bridges that overcome small streams and waterfalls. The centre was founded with the aim to preserve the Tibetan traditional arts, like wood carving and painting of the thangkas. There is a shop that sells such handcraft items The institute host the Deden Tsuglakhang (the Seat of Happiness) or main temple. The building exemplifies many Tibetan features: from the colourful veranda, with customary paintings of the Kings of the Four Directions, to the golden Dharma Wheel flanked by deers and a colossal gilded statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, and paintings of the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha’s Life and the Sixteen Arhats or close disciples of the Buddha. Very nice the Doll Collection that displays exact replicas of original Tibetan costumes.
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Kangra Valley
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