Dalhousie

Dalhousie, at about 1,970 metres in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, is one of the most graceful and unhurried of India's colonial hill stations — a place of pine and deodar forest, Scottish-Baronial and Victorian architecture, and long quiet promenades with the snow line of the Dhauladhar range floating on the horizon. Founded in 1854 by the British and named after Lord Dalhousie, the then Governor-General, it was built as a summer retreat and sanatorium and spreads across five wooded hills — Kathlog, Potreyn, Tehra, Bakrota, and Bhangora. Its character is gentle and walkable: the Mall and Garam Sadak and Thandi Sadak promenades wind through forest between viewpoints; handsome colonial-era heritage buildings stand at Gandhi Chowk and Subhash Chowk; and the Bakrota Hills and Panchpula (where a memorial to the revolutionary Sardar Ajit Singh stands beside a stream) reward longer walks. But Dalhousie's most famous excursion lies 24 km away: Khajjiar, a glorious saucer-shaped meadow of green turf ringed by dense deodar forest and centred on a small lake, set at about 2,000 metres, which a visiting Swiss diplomat in 1992 declared a "Mini Switzerland" — one of a select group of places worldwide judged to resemble the Swiss landscape. The ancient Khajji Naga temple, dedicated to the serpent god, stands at its edge. Beyond lies the historic town of Chamba with its Lakshmi Narayan temple complex and the alpine meadows of the Kalatop sanctuary. For vegetarian travellers, this is Himachali country at its best: the traditional Pahari dham — a sit-down vegetarian feast of madra (chickpeas in yoghurt), rajmah, sepu vadi, kaale chane ka khatta, and rice, served on leaf plates — alongside siddu (steamed stuffed bread), Chamba-style chaa, and Tibetan momos and thukpa in the market. The best months are March to June and September to November; winter brings snow.