Dharamshala & McLeodganj

Dharamshala (1,475 m) and McLeodganj (1,770 m) form the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile and the residence of the 14th Dalai Lama since 1960. The Tibetan establishment grew out of a 1960 grant of land by then-PM Nehru after the Dalai Lama's escape from Lhasa in 1959. McLeodganj — named after Sir Donald McLeod, Lt-Governor of Punjab in the 1860s — is now a small, intensely international hill town with monasteries, Buddhist study centres, and a strong Tibetan-cuisine culture (momos, thukpa, chhang). The Tsuglagkhang Complex contains the Dalai Lama's residence, the Namgyal Monastery, the Tibet Museum, and the main Buddhist temple where public teachings (Kalachakra and others) are held — schedules at dalailama.com. Nearby: the Bhagsunag waterfall, the Kangra Fort (35 km, the second-oldest fort in India), the HPCA cricket stadium (one of the world's most photographed for its Dhauladhar backdrop), and the Triund trek (8 km, an overnight hike with stunning Dhauladhar range views).