India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [536]
ESSENTIALS
VISITOR INFORMATION There’s a Tourist Information Office ( 01892/22-1205 or -1232; Mon–Sat 10am–1:30pm and 2–5pm) in McLeod Ganj, but you’ll be hard-pressed to squeeze anything worthwhile out of the lackluster staff; you’d do better to make inquiries at your hotel. CONTACT is a free monthly newsletter distributed in and around McLeod Ganj (www.contactmag.org). Although its primary aim is to promote Buddhist issues, it also carries up-to-date information and advertisements regarding cultural events and activities likely to be of interest to foreign visitors. If you are here for massage, meditation, alternative healing, yoga, or Tibetan cooking classes, this publication will point you in the right direction. Online sources of information include www.dharamsalanet.com, and the politically orientated www.tibet.org.
AUDIENCES WITH HH THE DALAI LAMA & HH THE KARMAPA If your main reason for visiting Dharamsala is to attend a public teaching by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, you had better plan well ahead, first by checking out his schedule on www.tibet.com, and then by making the necessary arrangements through the Branch Security Office (Bhagsu Rd.; 01892/22-1560) when you arrive; a private audience will require you to write to His Holiness many months before you get here, and, unless you’re Richard Gere, you’ll need to make a very strong case for meeting him (Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, P.O. Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala 176 219, India; 01892/22-1343 or -1879; fax 01892/22-1813; ohhdl@dalailama.com). When attending one of his teachings, be sure to bring a cushion, an FM radio with headphones, a cup (for tea), sun protection, your passport (and a few extra passport photos, just in case), and as little else as possible (for security reasons). A public audience with His Holiness the Karmapa is easier to guarantee—he usually gives a public lecture, and a blessing to all who attend, at 2:30pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays at his monastery in Sidhpur. You don’t need to make an appointment, but can contact Lama Phuntsok ( 94-1829-4401 or 01892/23-6637) for details, or to arrange a private audience, for which you should call at least 5 days in advance.
GETTING THERE & AROUND It’s possible to drive from Shimla or Chandigarh to Dharamsala, and there are two great overnight options along the way—choose between Taragarh Palace, outside Palampur, or The Judge’s Court, in Pragpur (see later in this chapter). The most pleasant way to get to the Kangra Valley directly from Delhi is by train (driving by car takes almost 12 hr.). The overnight Jammu Mail from Delhi allows you to rest up before hiring a car for the scenic 3-hour road trip from Panthankot to Dharamsala (80km/50 miles). Another option is to fly—Kingfisher operates daily to Kangra Airport in Gaggal, 15km (9 1⁄3 miles) from Dharamsala. In Dharamsala, you will find it easy to get either a taxi or auto-rickshaw. (Auto-rickshaws are incredibly impractical for getting up to McLeod Ganj, however, because of the engine-killing gradient of the town.) Ways Tours & Travels (Temple Rd., McLeod Ganj; 01892/22-1910 or -1988; www.waystours.com; waystour@gmail.com) hires out cars with drivers for local sightseeing, and the friendly Mr. Gupta can help with all your travel arrangements as well as organize individually packaged tours throughout the region. (You can also contact Ways in New Delhi, at House no. 45, New Tibetan Camp, Majnu-Ka-Tilla; call 011/2381-3254 or 98-1128-9552.) A chauffeured round trip from McLeod Ganj to Pragpur or Palampur, with a guide, should cost around Rs 3,000. If you just want to hire a reliable taxi driver to take you just anywhere in Himachal (or on a tour of specific sights), call Jagmohan Attri ( 98-1639-4043); he operates out of Pragpur in the Kangra Valley and is not only great company, but full of