The Masterpieces
Palampur Tea Gardens
Palampur Tea Gardens (43.6 Kms/ 1 Hour 45 minutes) rightly known as the Tea Capital of Northern India and famous all across the country for its vast spreads of lush tea gardens, which are the chief attraction of the town. Both black tea and green tea have been produced in the Kangra Valley since the mid-19th century. The tea gardens of Palampur are the perfect place to witness the vast tea gardens and the tea making process in great detail.
Andretta
Andretta (53.8 Kms/ 2 Hour 10 minutes) is a village and an artists’ colony in Himachal Pradesh. The artists’ colony was established in the 1920s, when Irish theatre artiste and environmentalist, Norah Richards, shifted here from Lahore. Near Palampur in the Kangra District, with Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas as a backdrop, Andretta over the years has attracted many noted artists, theatre practitioners, painters and more recently potters. Two of the people who became associated with it early on were painters Sobha Singh and B. C. Sanyal.
Norbulingka
The seventh Dalai Lama Kalsang Gyatso founded the first summer palace in the Norbulingka in 1755. The name Norbulingka means “Jewel Park” or “Treasure Park” in Tibetan. The complex is different from most of the monasteries that you see in Tibet. It is located in a large park with many trees and flowers, and a lake. There are several palaces in the park, with the 14th Dalai Lama Palace being the most interesting. Norbulingka is very popular during the Shoton festival when Tibetans have picnics in the park and artists troops perform operas. Before 1959, the Dalai Lamas were executing both administrative and religious power there. Hence, you will find both meditation chapels and assembly halls, as well as audience chambers where Dalai Lamas were meeting political leaders. The grand procession of the Dalai Lama moving from Potala Palace to Norbulingka for the summer became a bright event, attracting many Tibetans every year. Norbulingka is the summer residence of the Dalai Lamas. UNESCO included Norbulingka in its World Heritage list.
Tibetan Children’s Village
Tibetan Children’s Village (8.6 Kms/ 35 minutes) or TCV is an integrated community in exile for the care and education of orphans, destitute and refugee children from Tibet. It is a registered, non-profit charitable organization which has a network spread across India with over 12,000 children under its care.
HPCA Cricket Stadium
HPCA Cricket Stadium (12.3 Kms/ 50 minutes) is the picturesque venue which is unique in India as it is situated at an altitude of 1,457 m above the sea level and has the snow-capped Himalayan mountains in the background.
Pong Dam
Pong Dam (101 Kms/ 3 Hours 20 minutes) is a reservoir constructed on the river Beas in the wet land of Shivalik hills of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. It is also known as Pong reservoir or Pong Dam. This dam built in 1975 in honor of Maharana Pratap, this reservoir or lake is also a famous wildlife sanctuary and one of the 25 international wetland sites declared by Ramsar Sammel in India. The reservoir stretches to an area of 24,529 hectares (60,610 acres), and part of the lakes is 15,662 hectares (38,700 acres). Pong reservoir is the most important fish reservoir in the foothills of the Himalayas.