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Photo: SriniG, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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.
Khajjiar is a hill station near the town of Chamba in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Located approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Dalhousie, it lies on a small plateau about 2,000 meters above sea level in the foothills of the Dhauladhar ranges in the Western Himalayas. It is also part of the Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary.
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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.
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.
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.