The land of scenic and beautiful views, Incredible chamba. Chamba is a district in himachal Pradesh. It shares its boundaries with jammu and Kashmir,ladakh, lahaul, bara bangal and kangra.
Incredible Chamba is famous for many beautiful places, temples, handicrafts, and cuisines in next few paragraphs; you will read my experience of Incredible Chamba.
Firstly, let me tell you, abount the weather and climatic conditions of this place. Chamba has a moderate climate. It’s neither too hot, too cold.
Chamba usually receives snowfall in the months of January and February. For more snowy enjoyment, you may plan a visit to khajiar, 26kms away from main city of chamba.
Temperature of chamba is different in every season
Summers (March to june) →20°c to 35°c
Monsoon (july to September) →18°c to 22°c
Winters (December to February) →-1°c to 7°c
Now, next question come to your mind is “how to reach chamba”?
Chamba is almost 600kms from Delhi, 352kms from Chandigarh and 380kms from Shimla.
I went from Chandigarh to Shimla, as I had two day plan to visit and explore Shimla also. Otherwise you may go to Chamba from Chandigarh via una.
P.S →shimla also has many worth visiting places, if you have enough time.
From Shimla I took a Bike on rent, you can also take camping accessories like tent, flashlight, riding gears, bike Helmet etc. on rent, If you wish to enjoy champing there.
I decided to rent a bike because I wanted to explore the depth of the route, which was not that feasible if I had hired a cab.
Let us now explore the places which can be visited in and around chamba
1. Chaugan→ chaugan is a grassy meadow. It is a placewhereall fairs and festivals are being celebrated.
2.Bhuri singh museum→ bhuri singh museum was constructed in the year 1908. It is dedicated to the king bhuri singh. He had contributed many valuable paintings of his family to the museum. There are 8500 art objects in the museum. If you love art, this place is for you.
3. khajiar → khajiar is beautiful place with serene and calm atmosphere. Khajiar is 24kms from chamba. It is a best place to enjoy picnic. The main attraction of khajiar is a small pond in the middle of the grassy meadow and two floating island in the pond. Khajiar is also visited by people to enjoy snowfall in winters.
4. kalatop wildlife sanctuary →Wonderful forest with long trees, Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary is a 30.69 km² animal sanctuary at khajiar in the chamba district Himachal Pradesh. The kalatop wildlife sanctuaryarea is well laid out for trekking trails both at Kalatop and Khajiar. You can go from Dalhousie and you have to walk through dense forest for three kilometers to reach a beautiful destination kalatop wildlife sanctuary.
5. Chamera Dam→ A very important dam of the region. Nice and amazing view from the hills. This Bridge across the river Ravi in Chamba valley is a protected area. The lake behind is dam is beautiful. Boat riding and such activities make you enjoyable day. One can have an awesome experience, thrilling and rocking at this place.
6. Akhand Chandi Palace→ Old Palace of Raja of Chamba, A huge palace of the Royal family where they were staying and conducting public affairs. A part of it became Govt College and shifted. Now it is having a Medical College for temporary housing. Its one of the largest palaces situated at this place.
Incredible Chamba to akhand chandi palace distance 450mtrs.
7. Champavati Temple→ Built by Raja Sahil Varman in the memory of his daughter Champavati in Chamba, this temple is a pilgrim destination for many tourists. Temple holds great religious and historical significance. Champavati temple located near police post in chamba.
Fair and Festivals
Fairs and festivals are held every year in the month of March and September when Navratri starts and thousands of visitors or devotees throng this place during these months.
8. Lakshmi Narayan Temple→ Laxmi Narayan Temple is situated in Chamba. Religious and peaceful Temple One of the oldest temples in Chamba, It was built by Raja Verman, Building made with the stones and wooden architecture is awesome and unique.Temple is just one walk able distance from the Chamba Chowgan and From bus stand as well.
Lakshmi narayan temple chamba timings
First open from early 6 am to 12.30 pm
Second from 2.30 pm to 8.30 pm. It remains open twice a day for the devotees in two halves.
9. Rang Mahal→ Founded by Raja Umed Singh in the 18th century, the Rang Mahal showcases a perfect blend of British and Mughal architecture. It’s one of the largest monuments,located in chamba.
Timings
The visiting times for travelers are:
10 AM to 1 PM
2 PM to 5 PM
The palace remains open from Monday to Saturday. Sunday is closed for visitors.
Distance From chamba
550M Distance From chamba.
10. Church Of Scotland→ Built in dressed-stone structure with lance windows, the Chamba Church steals the attention of millions of tourists. Situated in the main Chamba market.
11. Hariraya Temple→ This stands by the Chaugan gate and is dedicated to lord vishnu.The temple is dated to the eleventh century. Moorti of Lord Vishnu which is a masterpiece in metal craft.
Apart from visiting beautiful places, one can also have the benefit of enjoying the local fair (mela) and festival of Incredible Chamba.
- Minjer mela→ minjer mela was started somewhere around 10th century to symbolic the victory of king sahila varma over the king of kangra. It is celebrated from july 26 to august 2, every year. On the occasion of blossoming of Maize minjar means maize.
- Sui mela→ Sui Fair is held in the month of april. This fair is organized at sui mata temple every year, the temple is dedicated to the green of chamba, who had sacrified her life for the people of her kingdom.
- Manimahesh yatra→ Situated in the Pir Panjal Range of Himalayas Manimahesh: here mani means jewel and Mahesh means lord shiva, manimahesh is known as kailash (heaven) of lord shiva. Local people tell that when it is a clear full moon night, one can be blessed to have a ‘darshan’ of mani, over the manimahesh parvat, which is a rarest of rare occasion.
Chamba may be a hill town located at an altitude of 926 meters, in Himachal Pradesh. it’s situated at the banks of the meeting point of River Ravi and Sal River. The valley is legendary for its abundant natural beauty spanning lush meadows, lakes, and streams. it’s also known for its temples.
6th century
The town lies on the Ravi River between two mountain ridges. Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, India. The independent princely state of Chamba was founded within the 6th century ce and fell under Kashmir, Mughal, and Sikh rule before becoming a part of British India in 1846. it had been merged with Himachal Pradesh in 1948
Winters: The winters at Chamba are really cold and need heavy woollens. Chamba occasionally receives snowfall during the months of January and February. the minimum temperature recorded is 4°C.
About A. D. 900, Raja Sahil Varman conquered the lower Ravi valley from the petty hill barons called Ranas and Thakurs, who were the first rulers of the hills, and altered his capital from Brahmaur to Chamba, originally called Champa, named after his daughter Champavati
Chamba is found at an altitude of 996 metres above water level and is situated on the banks of the river Ravi. The pristine town of Chamba is understood because the ‘Land of Lord Shiva’. Treks from Chamba to the Manimahesh and therefore the Pangi Valley are worth exploring.
