Best Places To Visit In Chamba | Best Tourist Places Of Himachal

Best Places To Visit In Chamba | Best Places To Visit In Himachal

Chamba is one of the most beautiful city of Himachal Pradesh as well as a famous tourist destination. Many major tourist places of Himachal such as Dalhousie, Khajjiar and Bharmour all these cities are located just a few kilometers away from Chamba. Apart from its natural scenery, the city of Chamba, situated on the banks of the Ravi river, is also very famous for the ancient temples built here.Situated at an altitude of 996 meters above sea level, Chamba is considered to be one of the most ancient cities of Himachal. Originally Chamba was founded in the 10th century (920 AD) by Raja Sahil Varman, who named the city after his only daughter, Champavati. If we try to know a little more about the history of Chamba, then we come to know that in many historical records, this place has also been mentioned to be the residence of the Kolian tribes around the second century.Around 500 BC this region was ruled by Raju Maru. At that time Raju Maru was the king of Bharmour, situated at a distance of 60 km from Chamba, who later made Chamba his capital. Although many Mughal and foreign invaders like Akbar and Aurangzeb had invaded from time to time to take over Chamba, but they never succeeded in capturing Chamba.

The British ruled the region during the colonial period from 1846 to 1947. After that, after the independence of India, on 15 April 1948, Chamba merged with India. There are many ancient palaces and temples built in Chamba, which tourists keep coming to Chamba throughout the year to see. Apart from the palaces and temples, the “Suhi Mata Mela” and “Minjar Mela” in Chamba are also very much liked by the devotees and tourists. Various cultural programs are organized daily in these fairs which last for several days. Music and dance performances are given by local and National artists in these cultural events. This ancient city of Himachal is also very famous for its folk arts and crafts. 

01. Manimahesh Lake

Manimahesh Lake, located at a distance of 52 km from Chamba, is considered a big center of faith for Hindu devotees. According to mythological beliefs, Manimahesh Lake was built by Lord Shiva after his marriage to Parvati Mata. For this reason, the religious importance of Manimahesh Lake is considered equal to that of Mansarovar Lake. Located in the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas, Manimahesh Lake has an altitude of 4080 meters (13386 ft) above sea level. A huge fair is organized in Manimahesh Lake every year on the eighth day of the new moon in the months of August and September. The journey undertaken at this time of the year is called "Manimahesh Yatra". Although there are many traditional treks to visit Manimahesh Lake, but the easiest way to reach Manimahesh Lake is to first go to Bharmaur from Chamba and from there you can easily reach Manimahesh.

2. khajjiar

Khajjiar is a wonderful hill station situated in the beautiful grasslands of Himachal Pradesh. This Khajjiar Hill Station is very famous as Mini Switzerland in Himachal Pradesh". Khajjiar is famous all over the world for its beauty and enchanting environment. Khajjiar is situated at an altitude of 6500 feet above sea level. Khajjiar really makes you feel like a mini Switzerland. Even though Khajjiar is a small tourist destination, it is no less than any hill station in India in terms of popularity and its natural beauty.As soon as you enter Khajjiar, you will first see the most famous grassland of Khajjiar. This meadow will definitely remind you of the real Switzerland. Khaj Nag temple, Khajjiar lake, Kalatop Wild life century, Jyot etc are some interesting places you can enjoy in khajjiar.

3. Champavati Temple

Champavati Temple is one of the best among the famous temples of Chamba. This temple was built in the 10th century in memory of Champavati who was the only daughter of Raja Sahil Varman and today it is known as a famous tourist spot of Chamba. Stone carvings are the best means of its identification. Whenever you enter this temple, you will get to see magnificent stone carvings. The best thing about this temple is that a big wheel has been made on its roof. Which makes it different from all these temples, mainly Lakshmi Narayan and Vasuki Nag are worshiped in the temple, a symbol of faith, this temple has historical and archaeological importance as well.

4. Rang Mahal 

If you want to see an amazing view of British architecture inside Chamba then you can come to Rang Mahal, Rang Mahal was built in 18th century by Raja Umaid Singh. The best feature of this Rang Mahal is that here you will get to see a beautiful combination of Mughal architecture and British architecture, It is made up of red stone which is surrounded by natural beauty in amazing valley provide a great experience to the tourists who come here. Rang Mahal is located in the vicinity of Surara Mohalla of Chamba city. And it is decorated by magnificent images of Ramayana and Bhagat Purana apart from Lord Shiva and Parvati. It is said that after Umaid Singh ji, Raja Shri Singh had repaired this palace. The biggest reason behind repairing was building a warehouse for royal grain and treasure.

5. Bhuri Singh Museum

Bhuri Singh Museum is a museum located in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, which is very famous for its architectural arts and crafts. It was built in the year 1908 to strengthen the scattered culture and heritage of Chamba, the museum was established by Raja Bhuri Singh's. In this museum you will get to see more than 8500 objects and relics related to art, culture and fearless science which includes carved doors, costumes, weapons, Basohli paintings, musical instruments, rare Sharda script, memorial stones, royal jewelery and Guler Kangra paintings etc. So if you want to know more about Himachal and culture and tradition then you should visit Bhuri Singh Museum.

6. Akhand Chandi Mahal

Akhand Chandi Mahal is the oldest palace of Chamba built in medieval times. This palace was built by Raja Umaid Singh. After some time during the colonial period, Raja Sham Singh got the reconstruction work of Akhand Chandi Mahal with the help of British engineers.In the 19th century (1879 AD), a British officer, Captain Marshall, also got the Durbar Hall (Marshal Hall) constructed in this palace. Janana Mahal was also built in this palace during the reign of Raja Bhuri Singh. After the independence of India, in 1958, the King sold this palace to the Government of Himachal Pradesh. The views of Chamunda Devi Temple, Rang Mahal, Bansi Gopal Temple, Sui Mata Temple and Laxmi Narayan Temple are very beautiful from Akhand Chandi Mahal. The influence of Mughal and British architecture is reflected in the construction of Akhand Chandi Mahal.

7. Bharmour

Bharmour is a small town situated at a distance of 64 kms from Chamba. According to historical facts, Bharmour which is called as  Brahmpura is considered to be the ancient capital of Chamba . The altitude of Bharmour is about 2200 meters above sea level. Bharmour is a beautiful small town situated in the  Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal mountain ranges of the Himalayas. This city is very famous among tourists due to its unique and rich culture, natural scenery, historical, mythological importance and ancient temples.About 1400 years old Chaurasi Temple located in the central part of the city is the main center of attraction of this place, apart from the Chaurasi Temple, many temples built here are believed to be around the 10th century. Due to its natural beauty, cultural heritage, traditional lifestyle and ancient history, Bharmour becomes a wonderful mix of natural and cultural tourist destination.

8. Sui Mata Temple

The ancient Sui Mata Temple, situated at a distance of just 1.2 km from the main city of Chamba. The Sui Mata Temple was built by Raja Sahil Varman, the founder of Chamba, on a small hill named Shah Madar from where can have very beautiful view of Chamba city. This ancient temple is dedicated to honor the sacrifice of Rani Sui Devi, wife of King Sahil Varman.The architecture of the temple is very attractive, there are very beautiful paintings depicting the life of Queen Sui Devi in   the temple premises. Every year a huge fair is organized i the month of march which is dedicated to Sui Devi, the queen of Chamba. According to the legend related to the construction of the temple, during the reign of King Sahil Varman of Chamba, there was no rain at this place for many years, so King Sahil Varman approaches the pundits who took a decision that if the king have to sacrifices any of his wife or son, then there will be no shortage of water in this area. But Sui Devi, wife of King Sahil Varman, could not sacrifice her son, so she sacrificed herself for the good of the subjects in lieu of her son.  Shortly after the sacrifice of the queen, it started raining heavily in this area. It is said that after the sacrifice of Queen Sui Devi, there was never any shortage of water at this place.

9. Hari Rai Temple

Hari Rai Temple is a very prominent temple of Chamba district. In this temple, Lord Vishnu's three incarnations have been established. These three incarnations of Lord Vishnu have been decorated in such a great way that they look very attractive. In this temple, along with other different forms of Lord Vishnu, idols of Lord Surya, Shiva Arun and similar deities have been installed. Harirai Temple, located near the Central Park in Chamba, was built during the 11th century. The ancient Harirai temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The idol of Lord Vishnu installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is made of Ashta metal. The idol of Lord Vishnu seated in the sanctum has four arms and three faces.The mouth on the left side of the idol represents the Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu and the mouth on the right represents the Narasimha avatar. Apart from Lord Vishnu, idols of Lord Shiva, Surya Dev and Aruna have also been installed in the temple premises. The main idol is decorated with a variety of beautiful ornaments such as rings, beads, necklaces, bracelets etc

10. Pangi Valley

Pangi is a tehsil and a valley in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. It is a beautiful mountain valley. The local people speak a local language called Pangwali. The Pangi Valley remains closed due to snowfall for 8 months of the year. This place is situated between the Greater and Middle Range of the Himalayas. In the summer season, it can be reached through a beautiful pass. One of these is Sach Pass, which is at an altitude of 4414 meters above sea level. The route through this pass is very beautiful and adventurous. There are also many waterfalls on the way. Snow Valley, high mountains, tall pine and pine trees and winding roads, you will find all this at pangi valley. You may also have to climb deep gorges in this pass. There is a small temple at the top from where there is a beautiful view.