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Photo: Vivek Thakyal, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
It is a major district town a little distance away from Dalhousie and is the seat of the former princely State of Chamba. It has a number of attractions including a major museum, restaurants, etc.
Chamba is a town in the Chamba district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. According to the 2001 Indian census, Chamba has a population of 20,312. Located at an altitude of 1,006 metres (3,301 ft) above mean sea level, the town is situated on the banks of the Ravi River, at its confluence with the Sal River.
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A stunning valley with a spring in the middle, while being quite beautiful, it gets littered with trash in the peak season of July when a massive number of tourists come. Known as the 'Switzerland of India' for the meadowy scenery.
Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary
Kalatop Sanctuary was recognized as a game sanctuary on 1 July 1949. It lies between Dalhousie and Chamba at the northwestern extremity Daula Dhar. Dalhousie-Chamba Road runs through the sanctuary, which contains about 15 villages. In 1982-1983, there was a total of 1766 people living inside the sanctuary.
This reserve covers an area of 3,069 hectares. Its altitude varies from 1185 meters to 2768 meters (3910 ft-9134 ft.) The terrain is steep and typical of the Outer Himalayas. It is drained by several tributaries of the Ravi River which lies just to the north. There is a lake at Khajjiar. The temperature varies from -10°C to 35°C. The mean precipitation is 2,648 mm, one-fourth of which falls as snow.
Khajjiar, Kalatop, Dain Kund, Lakarmandi, and Bara Pathar are the tourist attractions in this sanctuary. From Gandhi Chowk, a steep, uphill walk will take you to the scenic Bakrota Circle. After walking about 2 kilometres, the road to this sanctuary starts near the Municipal Water Reservoir.
Kalatop is at an altitude of 2440 metres, and it is 8.5 kilometres from the GPO. From Lakarmandi, a jeepable road through the dense forest leads to the Kalatop Forest Resthouse. This is a perfect spot for a weekend retreat. The panoramic views of Pir Panjal Range and countryside are breathtaking.
The main water tank in the area, holding 100,000 gallons.
This is the spot (chowk means intersection) where the road from the bus stand makes a cross road between two roads to G.P.O. and the one coming in from the bus stand. It is also a fairly active market, second to G.P.O.