McleodGanj.Dharamsala.Kangra valley

"Close to Heaven"

Palampur , Kangra Valley

Palampur is a hilly town and a municipal council in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Palampur is famous for its picturesque and snow clad mountains and tea gardens. Tea gardens are located between 800-1600 meters above mean sea level. Tea was first introduced way back when Dr. Jameson, the Superintendent of Botanical Garden Peshawar, North West province and Saharanpur visited Kangra district in 1849.

Palampur is located at 32.12° N 76.53° E Palampur, at a height of 1219 mts., is a main spot in the beautiful valley surrounded by tea gardens and pine trees. The place enjoys a healthy climate and the pine scented air is said to have curative properties. The scenery presents a sublime and beautiful contrast- the plain presents a picture of rural loveliness and repose, while the hills are majestic. Behind this town stands high ranges of Dhauladhar mountains (white hill of snow), whose tops remain covered for most part of the year. This place is being developed as large tourist centre. A ropeway and an amusement park is also on the to be established here. An Agricultural University is already functioning near by one Ayurvedic hospital is situated, also one Ayurvedic medical college is there in Paprola is about 10 km away from here some tea factories are also in operation Kangra valley is also known as tea capital of India this tea was quite famous among Britishers.
There are also some pleasant walks around the town. A short walk from here takes one to the Neugal park here you take some hot sips of coffee with the awesome cold winds and have a pleasant view nearby, few kilometres ahead is Bundla chasm which falls over a 100metres to the Bundla stream. The stream is a thin streak running over stony ground far below the cliff. During the monsoon seasons, it swells and rages - madly over the entire width of the chasm taking stones and boulders along with it and makes loud roaring noise like thunder.

Reach Palampur | Connectivity | Getting There

Air:Nearest airport is Kangra airport after which it is accessible by road by all major Route Buses to the Mandi -Manali-Kullu highway.

Rail:Palampur is connected by narrow gauge railway from Pathankot. Approximate distance from Pathankot to Palampur is 112 km.Glimpse of the Majestic Kangra valley can be seen through the Train.

Road:Palampur is also accessible by road and there are many buses from Dharamshala 40 km, Kangra 38 km, Kulu-Manali 205 km & Shimla 259 km. From Delhi (542 km) from Pathankot Service to Palampur by Himachal Road Transport Corporation is easily available and too from Chandigarh (240 km).There are lots of Semi- Delxue and Air conditioned Buses which ply to Palampur run by the state transport HRTC.

Climatic CONDITIONS

Due to the altitude to which the city is located, the climate of this region is largely on the cooler side.
The temperature in this area is moderate. During summers the weather is mild and pleasant. The temperature in the months of March to April, remain pleasant at 14-19 degrees centigrade. During May to June summers get moderately hot with a temperature of 24-25 degrees centigrade. This period is very good for adventure sports and also fishing. During this time it is advisable to use cotton garments
Monsoons arrive by mid July and last up till September with around 65% annual rainfall being received at this time. This time acts as a break for tourist visits.
Autumn sets in, in October and the weather is sunny and fresh. From December onwards till end of February its winter and the temperature drop up to 10-12 degrees centigrade. Any visit at this time requires the use of warm clothing.

Places to See | Sight Seeing | What to See in Palampur and its Around.

NEUGAL CAFE (3 km): Roaring in the rainy season and tinkling all the year around, Neugal Cafe offers a fine view of the Dhauladhar range & the great view of Neugal Khud. Himachal Tourism café provides food and a fine view from its restaurant.
BANDLA (4 km): Spread over an area of 4 km, the estate has a modern tea factory.
'BANDLA MATA MANDIR : A beautiful nd ancient temple of godess vindyavasini is 5 km away from palampur.
ANDRETTA (13 km): Home of the famous artist, late Sardar SOBHA SINGH and play-writer. Ms. NORA RICHARDS. There are beautiful paintings worth seeing in their private houses. It affords an excellent view of Dhauladhar range. Andreta is 12 km from Palampur.
CHAMUNDA DEVI: The famous temple dedicated to the goddess Chamunda is 25 km away and Yatri Niwas here provides an excellent accommodation for the visitors.
BAIJNATH TEMPLE(15 km): At a distance of 16 km from Palampur, Baijnath is a pilgrimage centres of the Hindus in Kangra Distt. Here one finds the oldest existing Shiva temple in the country, believed to have been originally built by the Pandavas close to the Binwa Khad.
BIR & BILLING: Bir, surrounded by tea gardens and an amphitheater of low hills, is an ideal landing around for para-gliders. Bir has Buddhist Monasteries that are worth visiting. Fine Tibetan handi craft are also produced here. Billing, up in the hills 14 km. from Bir with an arena of 200 km for high altitude and cross country flying, is one of the best aerosports sites in the country.
Gopalpur (13 km) There is a mini zoo here, here you have a glimpse of Leopard, Black Beer and many more rare species.
Sujanpur Tira (42 km) Built in 1758 the fortress of Tira Ghar the remnants of old halls, palaces end temple. the town of Sujanpur below the fort, has several old temples of which the Narbadeshwar and Murli Marahar are exemplary.
TashiJong (12 km) There is a Tibetan monastery here.
JAGHNI MATA TEMPLE- is a temple at nature's paradise 10 km from the Bundla Mata temple.
BHARKUDI- is a tourist place worth seeing: it is filled with fountains and caves and there is a temple of Lord Shiva. It is 25 km from Palampur on Andretta Road.
Al-Hilal -A few kilometres from the city of Palampur is Al-Hilal, a place of unparalleled charm. During the conquests of Kangra by Maharaja Renjit Singh, this place was a military bastion.
Sardar Sobha Singh's art gallery- a great place for art lovers. It is just 12 km away from Palampur and well connected by bus or by train. Sardar Sobha Singh Ji was a world-famous painter. His paintings like Kangari Dulhan, Gaddan, are great
Maranda (4 km) There is a Rotary Foundation eye hospital here.A railway station is located in marnda town.
Chobu (about 13 km from baijnath) Very picturique view for nature lovers near binwa river, water falls from 15- 20 ft. height is looking very gracious you can have a view of it, as it is quite soothing to your soul here you are completely with nature no one disturb you except the cool, clear wind and sound of water from the near by binwa river. this place is not developed for tourists that's why it is still in its natural form.have a glimpse of the true nature.
Joginder Nagar (30 km from Baijnath) Very beautiful place here two hydel power projects are situated Bassi and Shanan, Shanan is established here during british raj. Water for this project is lifted from Uhal River from Barot which is also an untouched beauty on the earth. To go to Barot one trolley way from joginder nagar also it is well connected by road.

Adventure Routes from Palampur

Several trek routes lead out of Palampur, particularly over the Dhauladhar Mountains towards the town of Chamba. Some important treks are over the Sanghar pass to Bharmaur via Holi, the forest trek from Mcleodganj to Treund and from Baijnath over the Jalsu pass to Bharmaur. A four-day trek will lead the traveler to Holi, via Waru La. Twenty-eight kilometers from Palampur is Billing, near Bir, an important centre for the adventure sport of paragliding. Paraglider pilots often land near Palampur after cross-country flights starting from Billing. Palampur also has numerous Buddhist monuments and is famous for its Tibetan handicrafts.

Fairs and Festivals in Palampur and Around

The festival of Holi comes in the full moon day in the month of Falgun. Some women in the village offer special Puja during Holi. Small twigs of the 'Kamal' tree are painted in red and yellow and then laid out in little bamboo baskets (khartoo) along with thread, kumkum, jaggery and roasted grams. The women carry this basket and little pots of coloured water in their hands and go for the Puja. This is first offered to an elderly man (Dandochh) and then the Holi is played. The next day the entire village plays Holi. The day prior to Holi, when the moon comes out, the Holi bonfire is built and set to fire. There is a scramble during this among the younger men to touch the Holi flag first. He who touch it first, is considered lucky. Special Kadah Prasad (sweet gruel) is also cooked and distributed.
The Holi melas at Palampur, Ghughar, Paprola, Baijnath, Jaisinghpur and Sujanpur also have an attraction of their own. The Holi festival of Sujanpur traces its colourful history back to the glorious days of king Sansar Chand. This fair has been declared as a state festival by the Himachal government. The fair lasts for five days during which various processions of deities are taken out. Folk dances and traditional folk theater forms are also presented. Clay pots are also sold and the entire valley seems to reverberate with the joyous sounds of the traditional Holi songs. Holi mela in palampur is also celebrated with very pomp and show many exebitions and competetions are held here these days. local jhankis are the main attraction of this festival there is also competetion in between man made by man jhankies.

Palampur Town as a small Education hub in the Kangra Valley

St. Pauls' School''': One of the oldest schools built during Bristish regime is St. Paul's School. Its the oldest school of city (est. 1923)& has glorious past in academic history. It offers not only HP board education but have ICSE board too. This school has picturesque location & largest campus of all other schools in city. For different sports like Basket ball, Badminton, Football etc, school has different grounds.
S.D. Chand Public school : SDCPS is one of the very good school in Palampur. Situated in Ghuggar area it is about 1 km from city. The school has a 25 year old good record of generating a good crop of professionals in various fields.
CSK HPKV, Palampur (Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya Palampur),http://www.hillagric.ernet.in/ one of the four universities in Himachal Pradesh is situated in Palampur. It was established in 1978. Most popularly it is known as Agriculture University Palampur among the people of Himachal Pradesh; it is one of the best agricultural universities in India.
D.A.V Sr. Sec School,Palampur: One of the primere institute in Himachal Pradesh. Situated in the green hills of Palampur,dhauladhar. It has excellent academic,sports and extra-carricular activity record. The school emphasises on the all round development of students and provide full support to its students and staff in all the fields.
Veterinary School:COVAS, College Of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, is the only premier veterinary institute in HP. It was established in the year 1986. It is situated at Holta, a small but beautiful location in Palampur Valley.
IHBT: An institute by CSIR located 2 km from Palampur on way to Baijnath and is one of the reputed institutes of the country dealing with Himalayan Bioresource Technology and research on Tea Gardens. Located with Dhauladhar (snow clad hills) in the back drop does pioneering research in respect of Biotechnology.
IVRI: Regional Station of IVRI (ICAR) established in 1959 is located in the heart of the city Palampur. The institute has excellent infrastructure for research in animal sciences, especially in the areas animal nutrition and disease investigation with a referral laboratory for animal disease diagnosis.
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Palampur: One of the best school in the state it is known for its excellent results not only in the boards but also in the competitive exams. Situated in a serene environment it has got one of the best and dedicated staff. Situated in Holta Camp, K V is affiliated to central board of secondary education, new delhi. With good sports facilities in the school the school's football and basketball teams compete at various zonal, state levels. The school emphasises on the all round development of students and provide full support to its students and staff in all the fields.

Eat & Drink

There are some restaurants, few best ones are Joy, Taj and Golden Dragon. You can also go to Neugal Cafe which is the best sightseeing in Palampur. It is a nice place and has a very beautiful view of Dhauladhar range. Kangra Tea ,Jhol (Drink made of preserved rice water).

Hotels , Lodges , Guest Houses in Palampur and Around

HOTEL T-BUD
The hotel named appropriately considering its location just opposite to the lush green tea gardens in Palampur. The hotel is situated in the best part of the town and has its specialty of giving its guests the solitude and tranquility that they seek. The rooms in the hotel are spacious, well furnished and have all the modern amenities to facilitate they stay of the guests.
The hotel also has a multi cuisine restaurant and conference rooms for business meetings if required by guests. The tariff of rooms will keep changing as per the season for tourists.
HOTEL TARAGARH PALACE
Hotel Taragarh Palace is located 5kms from the Baijnath Bus Stand. The hotel was original built by the royal family of Jammu and Kashmir and was formerly known as Alhilal. The hotel furnishing gives a royal elegant experience and is known for its warm hospitality.
The hotel has 26 elegantly furnished rooms with all necessary amenities. The rooms give a colonial feel with its teak paneled dinning hall and wide verandas. The hotel also provides other facilities like a dinning hall, swimming pool, a tennis court and conference facilities. Another important feature is the horse riding facility and a spa with ayurvedic professional treatments.
SAI GARDENS
This holiday resort and country club is located at the foot of the majestic Dhauladhar hills. This makes it a major attraction as the view from the hotel is enchanting. The rooms are a mix of both contemporary style and the traditional Pahari hospitality. Sai Gardens provides its guests the best of offers throughout the year and assure a comfortable and enjoyable stay along with the ranges.
Along with the standard rooms, this hotel also provides Executive rooms and Presidential Suites to suit the needs of all types of guests. These additional rooms have state of the art facilities and facilitate a comfortable stay and also a suitable atmosphere to work.
SILVER OAKS HOTEL
Located at the edge of the Bundla Chasm, the Silver Oaks Hotel overlooks the forests along the Neugal Khad. The hotel is set between the Dhualadhar ranges, the gushing waters and the lush forests giving it the perfect ambience for a quiet holiday getaway.
The hotel has 14 double bed rooms and 2 suites and each room gives a magnificent view. Every room is well furnished and provides all amenities for an easy stay.
COUNTRY COTTAGE
Country cottage located at a height of 5000 ft lies among the tea bushes and the pine trees of Palampur. The hotel has a main complex and three cottages, which are built in blue mountain stone and knotted pine. These cottages are surrounded by tea bushes and overlook the range.
The hotel is again designed to give the ambience of a cottage making your stay even more interesting.

D.FO. REST HOUSE

Bir/Aero Sports Hostel D.F.O. Palampur 01894-32630 Swar Rest House D.F.O. Palampur 01894-32630 Palampur Inspection Hut D.F.O. Palampur 01894-32630 Chobin Inspection Hut D.F.O. Palampur 01894-32630 Sukeri Inspection Hut D.F.O. Palampur 01894-32630 Kosti Inspection Hut D.F.O. Palampur 01894-32630 Balkrupi Inspection Hut D.F.O. Palampur 01894-32630

PWD REST HOUSE

Palampur Rest House E.E., Palampur 01894-30563 Palampur Rest House (Class - III) E.E., Palampur 01894-30563 Khera Rest House E.E., Palampur 01894-30563 Thural Rest House E.E., Palampur 01894-30563

World Known Kangra Tea

Tea in Kangra valley was introduced in 1854. When "Holta" tea estate was set i[ (4200 ft above the MSL). After the devastating earthquake of 1905 annihilating both man and plantation, the tea prodoction lost its paramount position, however, the scene has changed with the setting up of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Palampur Complex where scientists are striving to produce tea Production of the one popular Kangra Tea through the scientific methods, using tissue culture techniques, producing numerous"Somatic embryo's encapulated into a gelatine like substance,sodium alginate to form a bead like structure called an artifical or synthetic seed. And hence the production has shown a tremendous increase. From 84 kg of green tea leaves per hectare to 200 kgs of green leaves per hectaare. A new concept, the "orgnic tea farming". green tea without using any chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers has come into operation to explore the much needed export potentiality. In the tea gardens, the chemical control of grass weeds is quiet necessary, particularly during the early years of establisment, aafter which the bushes attain a good spread and dense canopy, which supresses the weed growth ina natural way. Out of the various grass weeds in the estates in the Kangra valley the that is found in abundance.

The entire tea production of Himachal pradesh is produced in kangra especially in the Palampur . It was docotor william jameson who had itroduced the chinese green tea, had brought the seeds from the kumaon hills,to nagrota and Bhawarna hills first. After testing and trying period of more than 75 years, the four co operative tea factories at Palampur , Bir, Sidhbari and Baijnath encouraged the disillusioned planters to produce.

Hotels, Guest Houses,Resturants,Travel Agencies In Palampur