In the beautiful State of Himachal Pradesh, no amount of time spent exploring is enough and no season lesser. The popular tourist spots, despite the large crowds they receive, still have a nook or two you can sneak off to for a moment of quiet. So, you can only imagine what the unexplored might feel like. If you have checked Shimla, Manali and Kullu off your list and are looking for a getaway that lets you do more than sip coffee in a quaint cafe overlooking the mountains, it is time to turn your attention to Kangra. The valley, nestled in the Dhauladhar mountains and home to the Tibetan settlement at McLeod Ganj, is filled with little villages and towns waiting to surprise you. Here are my favourite things to do in Kangra.
Learn a Tibetan craft at Norbulingka
If treks and adventure activities aren’t your calling, an idle vacation with sightseeing and hotel rooms needn’t be your only option. Get your creative juices flowing and sign up for a short-term craft course at Norbulingka. They can be as short as half-a-day! Situated in Sidhpur (a short 30-minute drive from Dharamsala), Norbulingka was established in the 80s to preserve Tibetan art and craft and to revive traditional practices. The campus is divided into several workshops with a temple at its centre, a museum and store on either side. You can choose from Thangka painting (the Tibetan Buddhist form of painting deities based on proportion calculations), wood carving, wood painting and appliqué.
You can also choose the duration of your course and request special group courses. The workshops are conducted in the artists’ studios and give you a hands-on experience while you interact with traditional craftsmen.
For details, log onto www.norbulingka.org.
See a conceptual arts festival in a village
Come summer and a remote Kangri village turns into a gallery of sorts. Gunehar is a quaint village that lies on the edge of Kangra Valley, at a distance of two hours from Dharamsala and close to the paragliding site Billing, relatively untouched by tourists. Witness a conceptual arts festival called ShopArt ArtShop this year from May 14 to June 14. First held in 2013, ShopArt ArtShop is a residency that brings together 10 artists from around the world, who occupy shuttered shops in the village and convert them into art studios. The artists live and work in the village for a period of three weeks, and put up an exhibition in the last week.
They work with local material, opening up the shop every day like the other village shopkeepers, allowing villagers to become a part of the process. The festival also features music concerts, film screenings and workshops.
Village residents and visitors come together to celebrate.
For details, log onto www.shopartshop.com
Paraglide in Bir-Billing
Here’s one for adventure sports enthusiasts. Bir-Billing, the twin paragliding sites, provide perfect weather conditions and infrastructure for paragliding all-year-round. The open valley in the Dhauladhars also makes for some beautiful from-the-sky views. It was in October last year that these sites in Himachal Pradesh played host to the Paragliding World Cup, and, hence, boosted infrastructure in the entire region. As a result, there are several small hotels and home stays that have come up. Experience a tandem flight with snow-capped mountains in the distance or sign up to train for your first solo glide.
Get a crash course in tribal jewellery in Paprola
At a short distance from Palampur town lies the famous Shiva temple of Baijnath that is believed to have been built by Ravana. While Baijnath is where all the tourists head to, we suggest you stop a couple of miles short at the little market town of Paprola. Paprola’s hidden treasure of old jewellery shops are scattered between the cloth and grocery stores. They have small or no displays and can be easily missed; peek inside, just to be sure. Complete with old glass counter tops, these shops stock traditional gaddi jewellery made in silver. A tribe that inhabits the region, Gaddi men and women are known to adorn themselves with heavy but delicately crafted silver jewellery, especially during weddings.
Jewellers here, like most other locals, are happy to entertain you for a chat, and when urged, will introduce you to the ornaments — a large neckpiece they call chandrahaar, the lightweight but exquisitely crafted headgear chak, the toke (hand ornament with jali detail) and the clip. If you are lucky, you will also find some antique pieces of gaddi jewellery like finger and toe rings and necklaces, all sold by weight according to the day’s price of silver. Photo: Frank Schlichtmann
Ring in Losar at Sherabling monastery
At approximately eight km from Palampur, is the Palpung Sherabling monastery, the seat of the Tai Situ Rinpoche.
Nestled in a pine forest with mountains on three of the four sides, the monastery is a must-see if you are in Kangra, especially during the winter months.
The Tibetan Lunar New Year Losar is celebrated in the month of February for a period of 15 days, and you can witness the spectacle of the grand Mahakal Puja firsthand. Held one day before Losar, the Mahakal dance is a prayer for harmony in the coming year.
The shrine and traditional drums are brought out to the central courtyard, where the mask dance begins in the wee hours with a large crowd of spectators.
While the celebrations are worth a trek there, be sure you are well-prepared for the cold morning winds in the partly-open courtyard. And, while there, don’t forget to sample a traditional breakfast of Tibetan bread, eggs and potato curry at the modest but warm canteen.
