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palampur

Location:

Palampur is the major place of kangra valley it is 40 km from Dharamshala and at the height of 1250m the land scape is some what different the name comes from the local word pulum, or lots of water And water certainly around here. Palampur is very famous for its tea garden green fields and natural beauty. the town come into being when the tea plants was introduced in the 19th century and Palampur became a focus for the tea Planters. kangra tea, with its centre at Palampur has been internationally acclaimed since then. a further bless the area with remarkable natural beauty, it is situated in the lap of Dhauladhar ranges
Distances : Dharamshala 35 km., Kangra 40 km., Baijnath 16 km., Jogindernagar 40 km., Pathankot 124 km., Dalhousie 176 km., Shimla 235 km.
How to get There: The airport at Gaggal (Kangra) is 37 km from Palampur. The road gauge railway reaches Pathankot which is 115 km from Palampur - and the narrow gauge railway comes right unto Maranda, 4 km from the town. Taxies and buses are available at both places. By road, Palampur is 545 km from Delhi. the NH 21 pass through the town so there is no difficulty in the means of transport
Climate In winter, the temperature can get quite low when heavy woollens cloths are required,. It is warm in summer and cottons are recommended.
Places of Interest in and around Palampur: Tea in Kangra valley was introduced in 1854. When "Holta" tea estate was set in (4200 ft above the MSL). After the devastating earthquake of 1905 annihilating both man and plantation, the tea prodoction lost its paramount position, however, the scene has changed with the setting up of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Palampur Complex where scientists are striving to produce tea Production of the one popular Kangra Tea through the scientific methods, using tissue culture techniques, producing numerous" Somatic embryo's encapsulated into a gelatine like substance, sodium alginate to form a bead like structure called an artificial or synthetic seed. And hence the production has shown a tremendous increase. From 84 kg of green tea leaves per hectare to 200 kgs of green leaves per hectare. A new concept, the "organic tea farming". green tea without using any chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers has come into operation to explore the much needed export potentiality. in the e tea gardens, the chemical control of grass weeds is quiet necessary, particularly during the early years of establishment, after which the bushes attain a good spread and dense canopy, which suppresses the weed growth in natural way. Out of the various grass weeds in the estates in the Kangra valley the that is found in abundance. The entire tea production of Himachal Pradesh is produced in kangra especially in the Palampur valley. It was doctor William Jameson who had introduced the Chinese green tea, had brought the seeds from the kumaon hills, to nagrota and Bhawarna hills first. After testing and trying period of more than 75 years, the four co operative tea factories at Palampur , Bir, Sidhbari and Baijnath encouraged the disillusioned planters to produce quality tea and it is fetching good price now.
Church of St. John: in the Wilderness (200 m) : This attractive church , very near to Govt collage is built church was reconstructed in 1929 and has several memorial tablets
Agriculture university: The sprawling campus of Palampur 's agriculture university offer an insight into the extensive research and development done by the intuition in several fields
Temple of Badla Mata: (2 km) : One can walk through tea gardens and open fields or drive to reach this historical temple which was originally built about five centuries ago.
Neugal Park: Newgal park comes in the way of temple temple of Bundla Mata, from here you can see the Neugal khad (small river) and sourab kaliya ban vihar(park) and can also enjoy rolling skating.
Adretta : 13 km away from Palampur is also know as the village of artist. this has been the home of the world famous artist and painter Shoba singh Norha Richards and B.C Synyal. . Shobha singh has created many of his famous work -Sohani Mahiwal Heer Ranjha and many other painting while living in Andretta . Shoba Singh's home is now Known as Shobha Singh Art Gallery. several of his notable work are displayed there and there is also a pottery and craft centre at Andretta. and Patiyala writer house, is also situated in andretta where the various scholar comes to visit
Baijnath :lord Shiva temple is situated in baijnath lord shiva is reserved as Vaidyanath the lord of physician with the wealth of intricate carving and great full Proportion this temple is big draw for pilgrims and visitors is said that here king ravana supplicated lord shiva for the boon of immortality.
Tasi jong : is also known as kampagar The Khampagar Monastery in Kham, Eastern Tibet is the seat of H.H. Khamtrul Rinpoche. It was the head of over 200 branch monasteries, nunneries and retreat centers in Kham of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage.
In 1965,having foreseen the imminent coming of the communist Chinese, The 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche, Kalzang Dongyu Nyima, left for India with a group of 16 monks. In India, they settled first in Kalipong in West Bengal, where many lay people from Khampagar area in Kham came seeking refuge, and affiliated themselves with the newly formed community. In 1969, the community moved to Himachal Pradesh in North India. There they settled in the peaceful Kangra valley on 34 acres of land which was named Tashi Jong. .The 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche besides being a very highly qualified Buddhist Teacher was an excellent artist. He encouraged the community to become a settlement specializing in the preservation of Dharma, unique Tibetan culture and all kinds of traditional arts like hand woven carpets, wood carving, Thangka (sacred) painting etc.
Nowadays the community has a monastery of 160 monks and about 500 lay people in the settlement. The monastery is unique in many respects and it includes a special group of highly realized yogis called Togdens. In Tibet the Togdens lived in retreat centre or in caves. In Tashi Jong, there are retreat huts for the community of Togdens. Although they are fully ordained Bhikshu, the Togdens display the matted hair and white robes of the Milarepa traditional. At present, there are more then 15 Yogis from old and new retreat centre, who are undergoing this profound training which requires many years to complete.
The other monks at Khampagar are studying Buddhist Dharma philosophy, and training in ritual activities and practicing different tantric sadhanas. They also do a ritual dance called Cham. Cham dance is a tantric meditative dance practice which may be viewed by the full public, where by the practitioners dance in full costume according to a particular sadhana (ritual text). Cham dances originated from the visions of Guru Padmasambhava and his eight emanations which appeared to Kunga Tendzin, the 3rd Khamtrul Rinpoche.
Dongyu Gatsal Ling, a nunnery for young women from Tibet other Himalayan regions, has recently been established near Tashi Jong by a western nun Ven. Ani Tenzin Palmo, a disciple of the 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche, to fulfill her Guru's wish. Dongyu Gastsal Ling offers a strong program of Dharma education comprising of all aspects like study, meditation and ritual practices. When complete, the Dongyu Gatsal Ling will have 80 nuns.The late Tokden Amtin mentioned that at the time of the initial consecration blessings of the land of Tashi Jong, both H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and H.H. the 8^th. Khamtrul Rinpoche strongly felt this place to be the pure land of Five Manjushri.
ART GALEERY: Well known Indian portrait painter late Sardar Sobha Singh's art gallery still draws visitors each day. Punjabi playwright Mrs. Norah Richard also lived and died here. The Punjabi University holds an annual competition in Andretta in honour of Norah Richard in which plays are staged in the open. many living artists have made this village their home due to its scenic location, and quietness, as it is far away from noisy roads.