The Kangra valley of which Palampur (1249 m) is
a major station, was the `Trigarta' of old. It was one of the leading hill
states and was once a part of the kingdom of
Jalandhara. In local parlance, the world for `lots
of water' is `pulum'. This is what has given Palampur its name and it is
water that has given the valley so much of its character. Countless
streams and brooks criss - cross the landscape and in their intricate
mesh, hold tea gardens and rice paddies. The town of Palampur came into
being when Dr. Jameson, Superintendent Botanical Gardens, North-West
Frontier Province. introduced the tea bush from Almora in 1849. The bush
thrived and so did the town which became a focus of the European tea
estate owners. Kangra tea, with its centre at Palampur, has been
internationally acclaimed since then. To further bless the area with
remarkable natural beauty, the Dhauladhar ranges rise dramatically from
the earth, just beyond Palampur. The town itself has some interesting
colonical architecture and the area around is richly garnished with
historical temples and forts - and scores of picturesque tam
lets.
How to get There The airport
at Gaggal (Kangra) is 37 km from Palampur. The road gauge railway reaches
Pathankot which is 115 km from Palampur - and the narrow gauge railway
comes right upto Maranda, 4 km from the town. Taxies and buses are
available at both places. By road, Palampur is 545 km from Delhi.
Climate In winter, the
temperature can get quite low when heavy woollens are required,. It is
warm in summer and cottons are recommended.
Places of Interest in and around
Palampur
Tea Factory (1.5 km) : At the very start of town, the tea
factory of the co-operative society, offers an insight to the processing
of Kangra tea.
Church of St. John in the Wilderness
(200 m) : This attractive church , very close to the hotel
and surrounded by poinsettias, is built on a low rise. This was
reconstructed in 1929 and has several memorial tables.
Tample of Bunslamata (2 km) : One can walk through tea gardens
and open fields or drive to reach this historical temple which was
originally built about five centuries ago.
Neugal Khad : Close to the temple of Bundlamata, is this 300m wide chasm,
through which the Bundla stream flows. Immediately ahead are the
Dhauladhar mountain.
Gopalpur (1200mt.) 10 km from Palampur is Gopalpur where the
Forest Department has set up a zoo called Dhauldhar Nature
Park
Chamunda devi (18 km)
: Legend has it
that two demons. Chand and Mund tried to harass the goddess Ambika.
Enraged, Ambika knitted her brows and from their folds emerged a
terrifying from of Kali, who slew the demons. Pleased, Ambika declared
that Kali would now be worshipped here as `Chamunda'. Himachal Tourism
also runs a `Yatri Niwas' at this sacred
place.
Andretta (13 km) : The Artist's Village
Some places in the world are made for
inspiration. Kangra Valley, with its spectacular backdrop of the mighty
Dhauladhar, the Milky Mountains, has forever been known to attract
artists, the Kangra school of miniature painting being just one notable
example. What Kangra was to art some 200 years ago. Andretta, a tiny
village 14 km south of Palampur, is to artist in the present century.
Nestling amongst the rollina plains of Kangra Valley, with a wide
panorama of snowy mountams its constant backdrop, Andretta has attracted
artists of many hues. The village was brought to prominence by Ms. Norah
Richards, the famous writer and dramatist. Known popularly as the `Nani of
Punjabi Drama', Ms. Richards' writings exhibited her deep sensibility to
life and people around her. Equally well known, and as sensitively marked,
was her contemporary Sir Sobha Singh. Honored with the title of Padma
Shri, Sobha Singh's paintings perhaps show the influence of the Kangra
school, especially in the use of colours and their shades.
42 km from Palampur situated
on the banks of foaming Beas, the historical town Sujanpur Tira (Tira mean
palace) was built by Raja Sandra Chand, who had ascended to the
throne when only ten years of age. The Tira Palace was the
winter residence of Sansar Chand and the Alampur palace on the other side
of the Beas was his summer resort. The township is
picturesque having a vast natural ‘chaugan’ (flat ground)and grassy plain
surrounded by the trees where traditional annual fair of holi is
held for four days. A sainik school is located here. The temple of
Gauri Shankar has life size statues of Lord Shiva and his consort
Parvati in Ashatadhathu. A real wealth of paintings lies in the
Narbadeshwar temple in the town.Hardly any inch of the space has been left
anadorned. The town has also the temple of Lord Ganesha and Laxmi Narayan.
Appropriately, the town was once a major trade center and known for the
craftmanship of the jwellers More Information
on Sujanpur Tira Baijnath
Temple
One of the most remarkable monuments of the
Kangra valley is the temple of Baijnath. Baijnath is situated East of
Dharamsala on the main road that leads from the Dharmsala to
Mandi. Baijnath is in reality the appellation of the chief temple
dedicated to Siva Vaidyanatha (“Lord of Physicians”) by which the town
itself has become known. The original name of the town was Kiragrama. This
we learn from the two extensive Sarada inscriptions incised on stone
slabs, which in elegant and florid Sanskrit verse give the history of the
foundation of a temple, by two local merchants. "There is in Trigarata,"
we read in the inscription, "the pleasent village of Kiragrama, the home
of numerous virtues where the river called Binduka, leaping from the lap
of the mountain, with glittering wide-waves resembling playing-balls,
merrily plays, like a bright maiden in the first bloom of youth. That
village is protected by the strong-armed Rajanaka Lakshmana." The river
Binduka, so well described by the poet, is the modern Binwa, a tributary
of the Beas. The date of the inscription is expressed both in the
Saptarshi and in the Saka eras. Cunningham first read the Saka date as
726, coresponding with A.D. 804. The true date, however, must be the Saka
year 1126 corresponding with A.D .1204. The Baijnath temple is
oriented due west. It consists of a puri or adytum. 8 feet squre inside
and 18 feet outside, surmounted by a spire of the usual conical shape, and
of a mandapa or front hall, 20 feet square inside, covered with a low
pyramid shaped roof. The adytum, which contains the linga known as Vaidaya
natha, is entered through a small anteroom with two pillars in antis. The
roof of the mandapa is supported by four massive pillars connected by
raised benches which form, as it were, a passage leading to the entrance
of the sanctum. The architraves resting on these pillars divide the space
of the ceiling into nine compartments, each of which is closed by means of
corbelling slabs. In front of the mandapa rises a stately porch
resting on four columns. "The shafts of these pillars," Fergusson remarks
"are plain cylinders, of very classical proportions, and the bases also
show that they are only slightly removed from classical design. The square
plinth, the two toruses, the cavetto or hollow moulding between are all
classical, but partially hidden by Hindu ornamentation, of great elegance
but unlike anything found afterwards." Set amidst a backdrop of
Snow-clad Mountains and lush green Valleys the temple is visible from a
far distance. Close flows the Binwa Khund (stream). Considered sacred by
local people. The temple surrounding area has been developed into a
beautiful lawn and flowerbeds so that the devotees are able to rest a
while amidst congenial surrounding.
12 km from Palampur is Alhilal (land of cresent
moon) a heritage property now converted into superb guest establishment on
a 15 acre forest estate. Taragarh combines all the charm and beauty
of a remote and peaceful mountain resorts with the splendour and
elegance of princely preserve.
NORAH
RICHARDS AND HER RETREAT AT
ANDRETTA Mrs. Richards had many admirers both in
India and abroad. In Punjab the people had acclaimed her as the
great grandmother of Punjabi theatre or "the main spirit behind the drama movement in the province". Prithvi
Raj Kapoor, late Prof. G. D. Sondhi, Prof. B. C. Sanyal and Mrs.
Freda Bedj and host of other celebrities had always held her in high
esteem. Read more....
Spirit of Tashi
Jong - Video
Mansimran Singh or Minni, as he is affectionately called, is
an artist - potter of significant merit. His English wife, Mary, is
also a professional potter.Read more.....
Creations In Clay The
continuity of tradition and aesthetic approach is important to any
art form and particularly in studio pottery despite the advancement
and changes in the technology and tools being used. But in India
studio pottery is still at a growing stage as it is only in the last
few years that some of the potters have become financially
independent and have also begun teaching. Read
more...
Atmaparkash Manav Kalyan Sahitya Aur
Sanskriti Parishad Palampuris a non-profit society based in India.
It was founded in 2000 for the
benefit of the inhabitants of the Palampur in
Kangra District in the state of Himachal
Pradesh in the foothills of the Himalayas. Read
more...
