Dharamshala is a hill station located about 17 km north – Eeast of Kangra town in Himachal Pradesh. Dharamshala, the gateway to the Kangra valley, is also the headquarters of the Kangra district. Dharamshala is located at a distance of 239 km from Chandigarh, 252 km from Manali, 322 km from Shimla and 514 km from New Delhi. The snowline is perhaps more easily accessible at Dharamshala than at any other hill resort and it is possible to make a day's trek to a snow-point after an early morning's start. The ideal location for the cantonment was found at the slopes of the Dhauladhar, upon which stood an old Hindu sanctuary or 'Dharamshala' the name adopted for the town. Dharamshala stands at the foot of Dhauladhar and has a magnificent view of snowy peaks, deodar and pine forests, tea gardens and beautiful hills.
The town is divided into two distinct and widely separated sections, Upper and Lower Dharamsala, which differ almost a thousand metres in height. Dharamshala has a lot to offer ranging from ancient temples, churches and monasteries to museums and ancient towns. All local site seeing can be covered by foot in Dalhousie. The main tourist attractions are Panchpula, Kalatop and Khajiar lake. Panchpula stream is the main source of water supply to Dalhousie and Bahloon.