Himachal Pradesh
For the best valley views, continue up the road from the Chaurasi temples gate to the shabby but panoramic Brahmani Mata Temple, 3km above town. The route…
Himachal Pradesh
For the best valley views, continue up the road from the Chaurasi temples gate to the shabby but panoramic Brahmani Mata Temple, 3km above town. The route…
Himachal Pradesh
The central temple in the Chaurasi compound is a classic stone sikhara dedicated to Shiva. Built in the 7th century AD, it's now dwarfed by a huge cedar…
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…
Dalhousie
Stations of the cross lead up from Subhash Chowk to this 1894 Catholic church.
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…
Mcleod Ganj
Spiritually (if certainly not architecturally) the Tsuglagkhang's 1969 central temple room is the exiles’ concrete equivalent of the Jokhang temple in…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Himachal Pradesh
On the western edge of Nako, Nako's Gompa combines recent monastery buildings with elements that date back to the 11th century. Inside are some fine…
Manali
This squat, striped tower house with wraparound carved balcony is one of the most appealingly antiquated buildings in Old Manali, but hurry to see it as…
Himachal Pradesh
One of the Kangra Valley's oldest tea estates, Wah has been continuously cultivating since 1857. Half-hour visits let you walk through tea and herb…
Dharamsala
About as far as you can drive into Dharamsala's rugged mountain backdrop, the tiny temple of Gallu Devi is a good destination for a short but satisfying…
Mcleod Ganj
Amid tall cedars 1.5km west of McLeod, this brooding Gothic church dates from 1852, and though rebuilt after the 1905 earthquake which destroyed its tower…
Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute
Himachal Pradesh
Inaugurated in 2004, the Dzongsar Khyentse Institute is a Tibetan Buddhist college of higher learning catering for devotees of 300 monasteries covering…
Himachal Pradesh
Hatkoti's 8th-century Kinnauri-style Hatkeshwari Mata Temple is dedicated to Durga in the guise of Mahishasurmardini (slayer of the buffalo demon…
Shimla
On a hilltop some 2.5km west of Scandal Point, the state museum sits right at the base of the prominent TV Tower. Rich if somewhat static displays include…
Himachal Pradesh
In a serene spot along the delightful little lane that short cuts between Wah Tea Estate and Baijnath, this modern Drukpa-Kagyu nunnery is the base of…
Himachal Pradesh
At the streamside on the lower concrete road around 400m east of the castle, the Tripura Sundari wooden temple consists of a pagoda-style sanctum with…
Dalhousie
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…
Himachal Pradesh
At the southwest corner of Nako Lake are two inconspicuous little white-cube buildings with tin roofs. Inside one is a very ancient mural, inside the…
Museum of Himachal Culture & Folk Art
Manali
This dusty little museum is worth the nominal entry fee if you're visiting the nearby Hadimba temple. Its most interesting feature is the case of models…
Himachal Pradesh
An interesting, much-venerated old temple dedicated to the Kinnauri protector goddess Chandika stands in Kothi village. The taller of its two peaked wood…
Himachal Pradesh
This intricately sculpted stone Shiva temple stands on the spit of land at the junction of the Beas and Satlos rivers, 150m east of Victoria Bridge.
Himachal Pradesh
At the lake's southwest corner, visitors gather beneath a Himachal Tourism open pavilion throwing balls of atta (flour) or puffed rice into the water. The…
Himachal Pradesh
For fine views across the lake and village, walk around 10 minutes west from Knaygoh Kinner to a large, embossed copper prayer wheel with large metal…
Himachal Pradesh
Painted red and purple, this Tibetan-style Buddhist monastic academy for Buddhist monks has a central temple that features a large, central Sakyamuni…
Dharamsala
The Museum of Kangra Art displays some fine miniature paintings from the Kangra school, along with traditional costumes and photos from the devastating…
Dharamsala
Bhagsu's small, 16th-century Shiva temple would be forgettable but for the cold, clean, spring-fed pool out front. This has been enlarged into an open-air…
Himachal Pradesh
At the entrance to Bhootnath Bazar, 100m northwest of Indira Market, Mandi's most active historic temple is a small 16th-century stone structure with…
Shimla
One of Shimla's most atmospheric timber-framed buildings, the green-and-white Ripon Hospital building (1885) has a couple of exterior wooden stair-spirals…
Mcleod Ganj
A charity that assists current and former Tibetan political prisoners, Gu-Chu-Sum has a gallery displaying harrowing photos chronicling oppression in…
Palampur Cooperative Tea Factory
Himachal Pradesh
This factory, 2km south of Palampur town, processes the leaves from numerous small local tea growers producing 300,000kg of tea for the Kangra and…
Himachal Pradesh
Conspicuous by the giant trident rising on the west side of the lake, this group of smallish Hindu temples are dedicated to Krishna and Lakshmi (white, in…
Himachal Pradesh
High on the hillside in Bhekhali village, less than 2km north of Kullu as the crow flies but 10km by road, the 1600-year-old Jagannathi Temple commands…
Mcleod Ganj
This flourishing arts school keeps traditional Tibetan dance, music and colourful folk opera (lhamo) very much alive among the exile community. Irregular…
Shimla
Shimla's half-timbered old town hall building originally dates from 1908–10, but has been so restored that it looks essentially new.