Chamba

Chamba district is placed in the western part of Himachal Pradesh between with the north latitudes 32°10' and 33°13' and east longitudes 75°45' and 77°33'. The main town or headquarter also known as Chamba which is placed on the bank of Ravi River between two mountain ranges, the Dhauladhar ranges and Zanskar ranges. Chamba town was established by the king Sahil Varman in 10th Century.

The land is covered with vastly fragrant Champaka trees and the local people believed that it was protected by Goddess Champavati or Chameshni. And so people called the region as Chamba. You will found here the Champavati temple which was built by King Sahil Varman in the respect of his daughter Champavati who is worshipped as a goddess in Chamba district.

Climate:

The Chamba is placed on the higher hill parts of Himalayans. The climatic system of region basically depends on its height and mountain feature. The winters last from December to February. Usually three main seasons are rotted throughout the year. Winter season is last from October to middle of April. You will found here a cool and dry weather and snowfall does happen at higher altitudes during these months.

Summer season is last from middle of April to last week of June or first week of July when monsoon season breaks-in. Monsoon season continues till the middle of September. During the monsoon season, the weather becomes misty and cloudy. The maximum temperature in Chamba district is 38°C and the minimum is 0°C. In the winter from November to March usually the areas with higher altitudes are covered by snow and many tourist gathered here to trek on mountain hill.

How to reach at Chamba

By Rail: There have no railway station in the district. But, you can travel by rail up to Pathankot (120 Km), the nearest broad gauge railway station and then enter to the district by bus or taxi.

Chamba district map

(Chamba district map)

By Road: Chamba district is well-connected by a good roadway network. This network connect the district almost each and every parts of the state. You will found regular bus services (HRTC Gov. of Himachal Pradesh) and also private taxi service facilities.

Chamba district is roughly 45 km away from Dalhousie main town upper Barkota and Khajjiar road. Bus and taxi service is available from Chamba to Pathankot, Delhi, Dharamsala, Shimla, Chandigarh, Jammu and most of the Punjab cities by national highways.

By Air: There have no airport in the district. But, you can travel by air up to Gaggal Airport (135 Km), the nearest airport placed in Kangra district and then enter to the district by bus or taxi.

There is a chart of road distance from neighboring places of Chamba Headquarter. Chamba city is well-connected with bellow mentioned places by a good road network.

Places Distance (Km) Places Distance (Km)
Dehli 450 Chandigarh 370
Shimla 378 Chhatrari 45
Manali 470 Dalhousie 45
Pathankot 120 Kangra 145
Dharamshala 185 Amritsar 245

General Info of Chamba

Area 6,528 sq km
Altitude Varies from 610 meters to 6,400 meters
STD Code 01899
Postal Code 176310
Sub-Division 6
Block 7
Head Quarters Chamba Town (height 1006 meters )
Temp. Summer 28 ° C (Avg.)
Temp. Winter 5 ° C (bellow 0 ° C on higher places)
Best Seasons to Visit any time in the year accept monsoon
Place of Interest Akhand Chandi Palace, Bhuri Singh Museum, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Champavati temple, Rang Mahal, Chaugan, Sui Mata Temple, Vajreshwari temple, Saho, Manimahesh Lake, Bharmour, Kilar .
Languages Hindi, Punjabi, English (English uses only in urban area).
Population 518,844 (according to census of 2011)
Clothing Cotton clothes in summer season and heavy woolen clothes in winter season
Religion Hindus (95%), Buddhism and Sikhism
Currency Indian Rupee (Indian rupee)

Interesting place to visit

Kailash Manimahesh Lake: Manimahesh Lake is a sacred place for Hindus. It is placed on the Kailash Mountain range with an average height of 4,170 meters. It is believed that the Kailash range is the resident area of Hindu Gods and Goddess and the Manimahesh Lake is supposed to be blessed by goddess Kali and protected by Lord Shiva. The festival time of Janmashtami (pray to lord Krishna) in the month of August or September, a big fair is held and thousands of pilgrims reach here to bathe in its sacred water, on the 15th day of the festival. This lake is 28 km away from Bharmour and regular bus service is available up to Hadsar stop.

Famous Temples: You will found a number of ancient Temple architecture in Chamba. Among of them some temples are standing with a scenic beauty. These are Lakshminarayan temple (this is the best temple in the Chamba district), Shikhara temples, Hari Rai Temple, Bansi Gopal temple, Katasan Devi Temple (20 km away from chamba town), Shakti Devi Temple (40 km from Bharmaur placed in Chatrari), Champavati Temple, Shri Vajreshwari Temple (1000 years old), Chamunda Devi Temple (3 km from Chamba) and lots of Vishnu and Shiva Temple.

Chaugan: The land is famous for the Minjar fair. It continues for a week and people celebrate the fair in their local customs and colorful dresses where a large number of sports and cultural activities.

Bhuri Singh Museum: This museum is placed in the Chamba main town and simple to tour here. It is a store house of some super-paintings and some ancient scripts.

Bandal: Bandal is 78 km away from Chamba town which connect the state Himachal Pradesh with the state Jammu & Kashmir. It is vastly covered with deep green.

Salooni: Salooni is 56 km away from chamba town. It is a beautiful place from where you will found an excellent view of the surrounding hills.

Sarol: Sarol is 8 km away from Chamba. It is a nice picnic spot placed on the bank of Ravi River. You will found here some extensive horticulture farms with lots of Cirus plants, Sheep breeding farm, Poultry farm, Bee keeping farm and canning.

Bharmour: Bharmour is a big town of the district which placed 69 km away from chamba town with an average height of 2,195 meters. You will found here 84 ancient temples, among them Manimahesh, Lakshna Devi, Ganesh, Nar Singh etc still retains its glory.

Pangi Valley: This Valley is 167 km away from Bharmaur. The tribes of Pangi are beautiful and they celebrate several festivals with colorful folk dances. You will found here a beautiful town 'Kilar' which is the head quarter of the Pangi Sub-Division. It placed in deep, narrow hills by the bank of Chenab River.