Dharamshala

This article is about the town in Himachal Pradesh. For other uses, see Dharamshala (disambiguation).

Dharamshala
Dharamsala
City
From top, left to right:
 Skyline of Dharamsala, Mcleodganj during winter, Triund, Bhagsunag Temple, Kalachakra Temple, HPCA Stadium
Nickname: 
Dhasa
Dharamshala is located in Himachal Pradesh
Dharamshala
Dharamshala
Location within the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh
Dharamshala is located in India
Dharamshala
Dharamshala
Location within India
Coordinates: 32°12′55″N 76°19′07″E / 32.21528°N 76.31861°E / 32.21528; 76.31861
Country India
StateHimachal Pradesh
DistrictKangra
Named forDerives its name from an old Hindu sanctuary, called Dharamsàla which once stood there.[1]
Member of legislative AssemblySudhir Sharma[2]
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyDharamshala Municipal Corporation[3]
 • MayorOnkar Singh Nehria
Area
 • Total
81.60 km2 (31.51 sq mi)
Elevation
1,457 m (4,780 ft)
Population
 (2024)[4]
 • Total
100,000
 • Rank2nd in HP
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
176 215
Telephone code+91- 01892
Vehicle registrationHP- 39(RLA), 68(RTO), 01D/02D(Taxi)
ClimateCwa
Websiteedharamshala.in

Dharamshala (/ˈdɑːrəmʃɑːlə/, Hindi: [d̪ʱərmʃaːlaː]; also spelled Dharamsala) is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It serves as the winter capital of the state and the administrative headquarters of the Kangra district since 1855.[5][6][7] The town also hosts the Tibetan Government-in-exile. Dharamshala was a municipal council until 2015, when it was upgraded to a municipal corporation.

The town is located in the Kangra Valley, in the shadow of the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas at an altitude of 1,457 metres (4,780 ft). References to Dharamshala and its surrounding areas are found in ancient Hindu scriptures such as Rig Veda and Mahabharata. The region was under Mughal influence before it was captured by the Sikh empire in 1785. The East India Company captured the region for the British following the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1846, from when it became part of the British Indian province of the Punjab. Post Indian Independence in 1947, it remained as a small hill station. In 1960, the Central Tibetan Administration was moved to Dharamshala when the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso established the Tibetan administration-in-exile after he had to flee Tibet.

The economy of the region is highly dependent on agriculture and tourism. The town is now a major hill station and spiritual center. It has been selected as one of a hundred in India to be developed as a smart city under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship "Smart Cities Mission".[8]

  1. ^ "Gazetteer of the Kangra District" (PDF). Calcutta Central Press. 1883–1884.
  2. ^ "Details | eVidhan- Himachal Pradesh". hpvidhansabha.nic.in.
  3. ^ "Home". edharamshala.in.
  4. ^ "Demographics – MCD-Dashboard-Document Management System".
  5. ^ "Notification, Government of Himachal Pradesh" (PDF).
  6. ^ "It's official, Dharamshala is second capital of Himachal Pradesh". 2 March 2017.
  7. ^ Sharma, Arvind (20 January 2017). "Dharamshala Declared Second Capital of Himachal". hillpost.in. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Why only 98 cities instead of 100 announced: All questions answered about smart cities project". Firstpost. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2019.