Dharamkot in the Kangra district — Dalai Lama land in India
If you have connected to the Himalayas even once in your life, you will understand that these mountains make you crave recurring visits. It has happened to me every year for the past 20 years since I started connecting with the mountains. In 2022, after quitting the job that had managed to engulf me in its toxicity, I decided to visit a place that I had never been to, to detox myself and almost intuitively I chose to visit Dharamkot. Dharamkot is a small hill station in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is on a hill above McLeodganj (home to Dalai lama) and has beautiful views. That is all I knew so I booked a Volvo ticket from New Delhi to Dharamshala followed by an Airbnb booking adjacent to the famous Pottery studio in Dharamkot.
As I arrived after an overnight bus journey, a cab driver was already waiting for me at the station that my Airbnb owners had arranged for me. Since the driver was friendly, I bugged him with my endless questioning on local things to do in Dharamkot and neighbouring areas. I beamed with joy when I saw Tushita meditation centre and Vipassana as soon as I entered Dharamkot. “There is a morning meditation at Tushita every day and the whole town goes for it”, the driver informed me. My Airbnb was an apartment floor with 2 studio apartments with 2 dogs and it was located adjacent to the famous Pottery Studio with breathtaking views of the Kangra valley. After unpacking I started with a walk in the whole town to acclimatise myself to the local vibe. The town has visitors from all over the world and everyone seemed to know each other. As I spoke to the locals, I discovered that the neighbourhood served only vegetarian food and was a hub for everything organic, artistic, and full of healing rituals — my kind of perfect getaway. And yes, it is a walking town, so no cars are allowed, and it is best to carry your comfortable walking shoes. This is another great way to ensure good fitness!
I spent a lot of time walking around, stopping by shops that sold traditional Tibetan artefacts, learning to play some authentic singing bowls, or then eating the local food. Since I was on a ‘travel for wellbeing’ kind of a trip, I tried out a ‘re-birthing workshop’ that was pretty intense but an interesting experience where people would practise various breathing techniques and hold space for whosoever wanted to share their experience or release their emotions. I find it quite amazing that when people have a high intent to heal, they are equally supportive of others’ healing and that is what creates a loving community. To experience it even for a moment, gave me a glimpse of what we are missing in our individualistic lifestyles today — a real moment of connection.
Art is another modality I have found myself deeply connected with when it comes to expressing my emotions. As a child, I would spend hours sketching intricate drawings of Indian gods and goddesses. The mandala artbooks showcase the similar healing effect of the intricate drawing I am referring to above. It feels meditative. When I did my research, I found out about a real master of the Tanghka art form and joined his 3-day workshop. I would walk from Dharamkot to Mcleodganj to reach his studio and spend 3 days learning Tibetan intricacies, and geometry while his dogs lovingly parked themselves on my lap. Our master cooked us all a homemade Tibetan meal in his kitchen and served it fresh from the stove. It was a meditative experience, especially with Green Tara chants playing in the background. On my second last day, I decided to sign up for the pottery class since the weather was going to be unpredictable and what could have been better than learning pottery against the backdrop of the valleys in pouring rain and ginger masala chai. To end my trip in gratitude, I visited the rare statue of Goddess Tara in McLeodganj and meditated in the beautiful energy for a couple of hours embracing my feminine side.
You will enjoy the place if you can respectfully follow the lifestyle of this town. In case you are looking for fine dining, clubs, alcohol or recreational drugs kind of leisure travel, then I would recommend exploring one of the other towns in Himachal Pradesh. This place is known to relax, detox, and explore diverse healing modalities from all over the world including Iyengar Yoga. If not, you may choose to consider Dharamkot as a one-day getaway in transit.
