Mcleodganj – Upper Dharamshala

Another winter and here we are at another hill station. This time our destination is Mcleodganj in Dharamshala. Dharamshala is located in Kangra district at a distance of 18 km from Kangra City. It is separated as upper and lower divisions with different altitudes. The lower division is the Dharamshala town itself, whereas, the upper-division is located 3 km away and popularly known as Mcleodganj.

We have planned to cover the below destinations during our trip.

1. 1. Bhagsunag Temple
   2. Bhagsunag Waterfall
   3. Baijnath Temple
   4. Saurabh Van Vihar
   5. Gopalpur Zoo
   6. Gyuto Monastery
   7. Dalai Lama Temple
   8. St. John’s Church
   9. Dal Lake
   10. Galu Devi Temple
   11. Naddi Sunset Point
   12. Triund Trek
   13. Museum of Kangra Art
   14. Dharamshala Stadium
   15. Martyr’s Memorial
   16. Martyrs Memorial
   17. Kunal Pathri Temple

We boarded Himachal Roadways Volvo from Maharana Pratap Inter State Bus Terminus aka ISBT Kashmere Gate at 8:50 pm. Around 12:30 am the bus took a pit stop at Mayur Deluxe Dhaba by the highway at a place named Samana Bahu village in  Nilokheri, Karnal.

The dhaba was the dirtiest of the lot. The point and economics is simple. Every roadways driver and conductor gets money from Dhaba owners to stop the bus there. Estimate they get around 500 rupees each and get free food. In return the Dhaba gets to charge overpriced food to passengers and not bothered of hygiene or any other facilities. The drivers make sure that where ever they stop there are no other shops or facilities.

We arrived at Dharamshala ISBT at around 8:15 am and hired a cab for Hotel Misty Woods.

Hotel Misty Woods

Hotel Misty Woods is a budget hotel, with clean and leanly furnished rooms. The environment is cosy and comfortable not making you to feel alienated like star hotels. Of course that is my personal view. The staff was well behaved and courteous always available for services, help or suggestions. It is little less than 4 km from Dharamshala bus stand on Jogiwara road adjacent to Chocolate Log restaurant.

Namgyal Cafe

Experiencing local delicacies is an integral part of travelling. So, we headed to Namgyal Cafe for their famous thin crust pizzas. You may have tough time locating the cafe on Nowrojee road 50 meters off the main square. But it is worth the effort for you’ll get to taste some of the best pizzas in town. Earlier it was inside in Dalai Lama’s Temple complex, but now it is in a back alley and located on the second floor of Om Hotel.

The billing counter of the restaurant is crammed with notes from across the world and the walls have colourful paintings. If you get bored while waiting for your order choose from a range of books lined up on bookshelf. They have quite a good collection ranging from fiction to spirituality. Or you can just stare out of the window facing the valley appreciating the dynamic sky and mountains.

What Namgyal Cafe is best at is rather specific; vegetarian pizza. If you prefer your pizza covered in pepperoni and sausages then you may be disappointed, but this restaurant is worth a visit even if you’re not enticed by the food. The wood-fire thin crust pizzas are some of the best you would have eaten in a long time. It is one of the few eateries in Mcleodganj where you get a lot of options in vegetarian pizzas.

They also have sandwiches, crepes, pastas and cakes. The combo of Tofu, seasonal vegetables, and rice tastes awesome and satisfying at the same time. Every bite of the Spinach and Garlic Pizza tastes delicious as it’s made of fresh ingredients. Treat yourself to the unique flavors of authentic Tibetan cuisine, and the tempting desserts offered at this tiny Cafe.

Bhagsunag Temple

Built over a fresh water spring, Bhagsunag Temple commemorates a mythical agreement between demon king Bhagsu and snake god Nag. The truce has the snake god grant the demon rights to use water from his underground realm to irrigate his parched lands. Also popularly known as Bhagsunath Temple, it is highly revered by the local Gorkha and Hindu community. In early 18th century the Gorkhas came to Bhagsu with British to settle. Later they formed the historic 1st Gorkha Rifles in 1815 (The Malaun Regiment).

The spring water flows into a pool where pilgrims do take a holy dip. The two pools around the temple are believed to be sacred and are considered to contain miraculous powers of healing. The temple is situated on the way to the famous Bhagsunag Waterfalls, and thus tourists make it a point to stop by at the temple and seek the blessings of the Almighty before they proceed further on their journey.

Bhagsunag Waterfall

At a distance of less than 1 km from Bhagsunag Temple, Bhagsunag Waterfall, also known as Bhagsu Falls, is a beautiful waterfall. After you visit the Bhagsunag Temple, an uphill walk to Bhagsunag Falls is a good place to unwind. This natural waterfall draws pilgrims and tourists to enjoy its sheer allure. The best time to be at the waterfall is in the rainy season from July to September.

Cascading down from a height of 20 m, this is a mid-size waterfall. During monsoon, this waterfall turns beautiful alongside a mountain that features slate graffiti. This area is covered with snowfall during winters. Tourists love to swim across the cold water which gives the pleasant and refreshing experience. Trekking is also good and much enjoyable option here.

We ended out trip for the day there and then walked back to Hotel Misty Woods enjoying the views on the way. We spent the evening in the hotel and then had our dinner with Spicy Tibetan momos, vegetable noodles followed by chocolate fudge brownie.