Must-see attractions in Himachal Pradesh

  • Viceregal Lodge is the official residence of a Viceroy, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India . (Photo by: IndiaPictures/UIG via Getty Images)

    Viceregal Lodge

    Shimla

    A cross between Harry Potter's Hogwarts and a Scottish baronial castle, this 1888 pile was the official summer residence of the British viceroys until…

  • A Tibetan Stupa On The Grounds Of The Tsuglagkhang Complex Which Is The Dalai Lamas Residence In Exile In Mcleod Gang, Dharmsala, India. (Photo By: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)

    Tsuglagkhang Complex

    Mcleod Ganj

    McLeod's main focus for visiting pilgrims, monks and most tourists is the Tsuglagkhang complex, a custard-coloured concrete monastic village that's home…

  • International Roerich Memorial Trust

    Himachal Pradesh

    This fascinating complex, set in lovely hillside gardens 1km above the castle, is centred on the former home of Russian painter, writer and Inner Asian…

  • Chehni Kothi

    Himachal Pradesh

    Unspoilt Chehni village is one of the most magical villages imaginable. Surveying a wide sweep of valley and ridgetops from 2110m, its antique core…

  • Bhimakali Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    What makes Sarahan so instantly distinctive are the 'twin towers' of its fabulous Bhimakali Temple, best photographed from behind with a backdrop of…

  • Norbulingka Institute

    Dharamsala

    Soothingly set amid bamboo, trees and flowing water, the delightful Norbulingka Institute, 6km southeast of Dharamsala, was established in 1988 to teach…

  • Baijnath Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    Between Palampur and Bir, don't miss a stop in Baijnath, whose uninteresting main-street buildings hide one of Himachal's most exquisite ancient temples…

  • Bahu

    Himachal Pradesh

    On a clear November day, it's hard to imagine a more perfectly framed view than that of Bahu's remarkably preserved village core, perched on a ridgetop…

  • Bijli Mahadev Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    A popular day trip from Kullu starts with a 20km uphill drive southeast to Chansari followed by a 2.5km uphill hike to the Bijli Mahadev. The temple…

  • Lakshmi Narayan Temple Complex

    Himachal Pradesh

    Far and away Chamba's top historical attraction, this temple compound crowning Dogra Bazaar contains a line of six beautifully sculpted stone sikharas …

  • Jawal-Ji Temple Complex

    Himachal Pradesh

    Meaning 'honoured flame', Jawal-Ji is Jawalmukhi's main temple and raison d'être, enshrining natural eternal flames that are said to mark the legendary…

  • The Ridge

    Shimla

    Along the central ridgetop, this broad pedestrian esplanade diverges from The Mall at Scandal Point, guarded by a fancifully hatted policeman. Thronged…

  • Masrur Temples

    Himachal Pradesh

    Rare for North India, Masrur's elaborate if severely eroded sandstone sikharas were hewn from living rock between the 8th and 10th centuries. With a…

  • Tibet Museum

    Mcleod Ganj

    This must-see, two-storey museum sets out to remind visitors of Tibet's history as an independent nation, mourning the Chinese occupation (since 1949) and…

  • Statue of Padmasambhava

    Himachal Pradesh

    Dominating Rewalsar's western flank is an enormous, 12m-high statue of Padmasambhava. He's dressed in brown with a gold face setting off his trademark…

  • Padmasambhava cave, statue of guru Padmasambhava

    Padmasambhava Caves

    Himachal Pradesh

    Padmasambhava reputedly meditated in a location high on the ridge above Rewalsar. The supposed sites are almost 10km by road (bus ₹30, taxi one way/return…

  • Hadimba Mandir

    Manali

    This much-revered wood-and-stone temple, constructed in 1553, has a three-tier pagoda-style roof plus conical top. The wooden doorway is richly carved…

  • KOCHI, KERALA, INDIA - 2014/12/03: St. Francis Church in Kochi was  originally built in 1503.  t is the oldest European church in India and consequently is of historical importance as  witness to the European colonial struggle in India. Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524 when he was on his third visit to India. His body was originally buried at St Francisco Kochi but his remains were moved to Lisbon in later years. (Photo by John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    St Francis Church

    Dalhousie

    Stations of the cross lead up from Subhash Chowk to this 1894 Catholic church.

  • Murlidhar Krishna Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    Naggar's most magical temple sits on a hilltop terrace with lovely views. This was the site of the ancient town of Thawa, which pre-dated Naggar by around…

  • Naggar Castle

    Himachal Pradesh

    Built by the rajas of Kullu around 1500, this fort-cum-mansion is a splendid example of the earthquake-resistant, Kathkuni (alternating stone-and-timber)…

  • Jalori Pass

    Himachal Pradesh

    At the top of the Banjar Valley, Hwy 305 climbs over the panoramic 3223m Jalori Pass, marked by a couple of dhabas and a Mahakali temple. In calm weather…

  • Tsuglagkhang Main Temple Room

    Mcleod Ganj

    Spiritually (if certainly not architecturally) the Tsuglagkhang's 1969 central temple room is the exiles’ concrete equivalent of the Jokhang temple in…

  • Raghunath Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    Though little to look at, this is Kullu's pre-eminent temple enshrining the valley's major deity, a tiny bronze idol of Raghunath Ji (Rama), star of the…

  • Men-Tsee-Khang

    Mcleod Ganj

    Men-Tsee-Khang is an organisation established to preserve the traditional arts of Tibetan medicine and astrology. The Gangchen Kyishong branch includes a…

  • Brajeshwari Devi Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    Rebuilt after the 1905 quake, this highly revered temple has a centrepiece that's richly endowed with embossed silverwork. Four large bronze lions stare…

  • Gue Mummy Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    Gue village (rhymes with 'few') is photogenically crowned by a colourful three-layered shrine-temple. This celebrates Tulka Sangya Tenzin, a mysterious…

  • Library of Tibetan Works & Archives

    Mcleod Ganj

    Inside the government-in-exile compound, nearly 2km downhill from the Tsuglagkhang complex, the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives began life as a…

  • Sherabling Monastery

    Himachal Pradesh

    This sprawling monastic complex's extensive series of buildings and stupas lie semi-hidden in rolling pine woods, halfway along the pretty, narrow lane…

  • Jakhu Hanuman Statue

    Shimla

    A 108ft (33m) vermillion-pink statue of monkey-god Hanuman pokes his head above the treetops on Shimla’s highest hilltop. Appropriately, hundreds of…

  • Tashijong

    Himachal Pradesh

    Founded by lamas from Tibet's important Khampagar Monastery who fled to India in the 1950s, Tashijong is a veritable monastic township, 1km north of the…

  • Kamru Fort

    Himachal Pradesh

    Clinging to a rocky spur 2km north of Sangla, Kamru village was the original capital of the kingdom of Bushahr. The old Kamru Fort, a 329-step climb up…

  • Gyuto Tantric Gompa

    Dharamsala

    Standing in for the 1474 Tibet original, this large monastic complex forms an attractive scene backed by mountainscape at Sidhbari village (7km from…

  • Dhainkund Viewpoint

    Dalhousie

    The upland area of Dhainkund (2745m) is the most uplifting of many beauty spots around Dalhousie, with a 360-degree panorama encompassing the Pir Pinjal…

  • Kangra Fort

    Himachal Pradesh

    At least 1000 years old, Kangra Fort's impregnable stone ramparts impressively buttress a high promontory of land between the Manjhi and Banganga Rivers…

  • Bishweshwar Mahadev Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    Sitting amid young orchards beside a holy peepul tree, this 9th-century stone sikhara is a small but ornately carved national monument. Niches on the…

  • Gaiety Theatre

    Shimla

    Lovingly restored between 2004 and 2009 and hoping for Unesco status, this remarkable 320-seater theatre opened in 1877, originally as part of a bigger…

  • Bagi Temple

    Himachal Pradesh

    The tower-temple of Inner Seraj's most powerful deity honours a sage whose prayers are said to have brought about the birth of the god Rama. There's a…

  • Maharaja Sansar Chand Museum

    Himachal Pradesh

    Up a curling road, 200m from Kangra Fort ticket gate, this well-displayed one-room museum exhibits ornate palanquins, pashmina fly-whisks and silver…

  • Rang Mahal

    Himachal Pradesh

    Up on the hillside above the Chowgan, the rusty-coloured 18th-century Rang Mahal looks like a Victorian prison but was originally the royal granary and…

  • Vashisht Mandir

    Himachal Pradesh

    Sulphur-laden hot springs are channelled into small public baths inside the compound of Vashisht Mandir. The three-level wood-and-stone temple within…

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