Kangra valley is one of the Himachal beautiful valleys. It rolls down the southern edge of magnificent Dhauladhar range in gentle slopes covered with forests of pine, orchards, green tea gardens and terraced fields. The Dhauladhars -the White ranges rise upto 14000 ft. providing a dramatic backdrop to the hill resort of Dharamshala. This is the principal township of Kangra covering a wide area in the form of town settlement. Lower Dharamsala(1380 mt) is a busy commercial centre, while upper Dharamsala (1700 mt) with the suburbs of Mcleodganj and Forsythganj, retains the British flavour more or less colonial lifestyle. The charming stone church of St. John in the Wilderness, with its beautiful stained glass windows is situated here and this church yard is the final resting place of lord Elgin a British Viceroy of India who was buried here in 1863, as he chose to remain in the town he loved. Up in Mcleodganj is a charming Tibetan settlement with bustling Bazars that sell carpets, handicrafts and delicious Tibetan food A giant prayer wheel ornaments main street and in the monastery, a serene statue of the Lord Buddha presides over the gentle chanting of the monks. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama resides in Mcleodganj, which is now a major centre for Tibetan Government -in- exile and Tibetan culture. It has a School for Tibetan studies with rare manuscripts and texts, Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts and a handicrafts centre. Dharamshala has everything for a perfect holiday. Winter in the Kangra Valley is enchanting. The snow line remains close enough at all times and during winter months, the northern part is swaddled in a blanket of freshly fallen snow allowing the magic of Kangra to take on yet another hue. Numerous ancient temples like Jawalamukhi, Bajreshwari, Chamunda and Baijnath (Vaidyanath) lie on the below Dhauladhar
