Lying in the shadow of mighty Dhauladhar range is the quaint town of Dharamshala. Divided in two halves – Kotwali Bazar and the skirting markets make up Lower Dharamshala, which makes a dramatic transition in the upper reaches that has thick pine, cedar and Himalayan oak forests around the township of Mcleodganj.
It is an 18 km gradual uphill drive from Kangra that gets you to Dharamshala. Mcleodganj serves as the capital of the Tibetan Government in exile. With rising altitude, the summer temperature between Lower and Upper Dharamshala changes from warm to cool climes.
It was in the wake of the Tibetan uprising of 1959 that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Lhasa. Choosing Mcleodganj for an abode in exile saw an influx of Tibetan population that followed him into exile.

Language

Hindi, English, Punjabi are understood and spoken by the people engaged in tourism trade. Natives speak Kangri and Tibetan is spoken by the immigrant Buddhist community.

Clothing Essentials

Lower reaches of Dharamshala experience higher temperature in summers whereas the upper region gets really cold in winters. Just like most hilly regions of Himachal, cotton clothes are preferable in summers and heavy woolens are needed for winters. The spring and autumn seasons with moderate temperatures are a good time to be in town.