Palampur Sightseeing, Quick Facts, History, Packages, Tours & Excursions

Sightseeing Highlights:

The 13^th century Baijnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the most important architectural monuments in Kangra Valley. One of the twelve Jyotirlingams, Baijnath Temple is visited by thousands of pilgrims during Shivratri.

The Temple of Bundelmata built nearly five centuries ago, can be reached through tea gardens and open fields. Next to the temple is Neugal Khad, a 300-metre wide chasm through which the Neugal stream flows. Set against the backdrop of Dhauladhar Mountains, the area offers a good picnic spot. There are lovely walks around the town including the one to Bundla Chasm with a beautiful waterfall on the way.

Bandla Tea Estate spread over 4 km of tea gardens makes for an interesting visit. The village of Andretta is 13 Km away from Palampur and is a retreat for artist lovers. Set up by the late Sardar Shobha Singh, Andretta has an open air theatre, a crafts museum and the famous Shobha Singh Art Gallery. The magnificent art-deco mansion of Taragarh spread over 15-acres of wooden estate was built by Nawab of Bahawalpur in 1931. Today it has been converted into a heritage hotel. Tashijong, 12 Km away from Palampur has a beautiful monastery. Bir, surrounded by tea gardens is a major paragliding centre, while Billing, 14 Km from Bir has a base for cross-country flying.

Activities:

A half day tour to the tea estates of Palampur is a must. Kangra Tea Factory allows visitors to see the processing of tea as well. You can buy Kangra Tea at Bharmour or from the factory outlets just outside Palampur. At Tashijong, you can buy Tibetan handicrafts, carpets, woollens, thangkas and block prints.

The Dhauladhar Mountains offer some great trekking trails. The famous ones pass through Sanghar pass to Bharmour via Holi; Waru Pass onto Chamba; Indrahar Pass to Dharamshala and Jalsu Pass from Bharmour to Baijnath. Bir is the perfect place for paragliding while the cliff at Billing serves as a base for take-offs. At Andretta Pottery and Crafts Society, you can pick up some pottery. There is also a terracotta museum which exhibits pottery from all over India.

HPTDC

Hotel T-Bud, Palampur

Telephone: 01894-231298