Dhainkund Viewpoint

Dalhousie

LoginSave

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 range and a large distant reservoir.

Access to the site starts by driving to the tiny, impoverished junction settlement of Lakkar Mandi, 12km east of Dalhousie. Then a series of hairpins climb 4km (some shot cuts for pedestrians) to a military barrier, beyond which vehicles may not proceed. To reach the viewpoint from there is around 700m up a stairway-path culminating by climbing a rocky area (nothing taxing). Note that the best viewpoint is around 150m further than the octagonal pavilion at which some disappointed visitors mistakenly give up.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • 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

    26.52 MILES

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

  • Norbulingka Institute

    Norbulingka Institute

    29.66 MILES

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

  • Lakshmi Narayan Temple Complex

    Lakshmi Narayan Temple Complex

    6.07 MILES

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

  • Tibet Museum

    Tibet Museum

    26.54 MILES

    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…

  • 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

    3.66 MILES

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

  • Tsuglagkhang Main Temple Room

    Tsuglagkhang Main Temple Room

    26.52 MILES

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

  • Men-Tsee-Khang

    Men-Tsee-Khang

    26.82 MILES

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

  • Library of Tibetan Works & Archives

    Library of Tibetan Works & Archives

    26.87 MILES

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

View more attractions

Nearby Dalhousie attractions

1. Jai Pohlani Mata Temple

0.54 MILES

From the main viewpoint at Dhainkund, a beautiful ridgeline walk leads to the Jai Pohlani Mata Temple in around 1km, where there's a teahouse and great…

2. Kalatop

1.12 MILES

Accessed, like Dhainkund, from Lakkar Mandi, this sanctuary covers 31 sq km of forested hills east of Dalhousie, where you might spot langurs and musk…

3. Khajjiar

2.39 MILES

The bowl-shaped, pine-ringed meadow at Khajjiar is a major tourist draw, 22km down the Chamba road from Dalhousie. It's touted as a 'mini-Switzerland' and…

4. Khajjinag Temple

2.44 MILES

Hidden among the restaurants at Khajjiar is the Khajjinag Temple, with its crude effigies of the five Pandavas installed in the 16th century.

5. Jagdamba Mata Shiva Statue

2.5 MILES

Half a kilometre southeast of Khajjiar meadow towards Chamba, a 25m-high statue of Shiva makes a photogenic landmark near the roadside.

7. Tibetan Rock Paintings

3.46 MILES

A number of Tibetan refugees have made their homes in Dalhousie and have adorned Garam Sarak with several painted rock carvings of Buddhist deities.

8. St Francis Church

3.66 MILES

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

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "india/himachal-pradesh/dalhousie/attractions/dhainkund-viewpoint/a/poi-sig/1611470/356296",
  "destination": "Dalhousie",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "country": "India",
  "city": "Dalhousie",
  "position": "superzone"
}