Dalhousie (1970 m) is a hill station in Himachal Pradesh and is spread across 5 hills near the Dhauladhar mountain range and is located 50 km from Chamba and 85 km from Pathankot.
The town is named after The Earl of Dalhousie, who was the British Governor-General in India (1848-1856, right till the Indian Uprising) who established this place as a summer retreat.

Dalhousie has a strong reminiscence of the by gone colonial-era and take you back in time when the British used to shift base to the hills to get away from the scorching summer in the Indian plains, thus the term “hill stations” came into being and places such as Shimla, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Nainital and Dalhousie were developed.

Dalhousie’s tryst with the British started around the 19th century when the troops marched into the hills. They had just then annexed the Sikh Empire and they were looking for a summer retreat. Named after Lord Dalhousie, the then Governor General of India, Dalhousie seemed to be a popular option, located on the edge of the Dhauladhar range. The British acquired five hills – Kathalagh, Potreyn, Terah or Moti Tibba, Bakrota and Bhangora from the ruler of Chamba and in turn his taxes were reduced. The original plan was to build a sanatorium in the mountains but then it eventually became a summer retreat.
The story goes that that Raja paid an annual tribute of Rs 12,000 to the British and the value of the five hills along with more land from neighbouring hillocks was a mere Rs 7000. The amount was reduced from his tax so that the British could claim Dalhousie. The Cantonment came up on the new land. Dalhousie was once considered a part of Punjab but it eventually became a part of Himachal Pradesh.

The most famous colonial buildings in Dalhousie are the four churches which date back to 1800s.

The St. John’s Church is Protestant church founded by missionaries, built in 1863 AD and is particularly famous for its glass paintings. On the other hand St. Francis Church is a Catholic church built in 1894 AD from the contributions made by the Army and Civil Officers and Civilians.
St. John’s Church has a library with important materials relating to Dalhousie and most importantly has several beautiful, rare and priceless photographs belonging to the British period.
There are 2 other churches in Dalhousie, the St. Andrew’s Church, another Protestant church built in 1903 AD, and the St. Patrick Church, Catholic church built in 1909 AD.


Old Photo 1: ‘Strawberry Bank’ in 1890’s. Later became the Strawberry Bank Hotel; was demolished in 1930’s. Present site is occupied by the rebuilt Sacred Heart Convent and School


Old Photo 2: St Francis Church in 1895. With Strawberry Bank House on the summit


Old Photo 3: St Francis, Catholic Church. Subhash Chowk in 1895


Old Photo 4: St Francis, Catholic Church, Dalhousie in 1895


Old Photo 5: Barracks of the cantonment depot, Balun Plateau in 1890’s


Old Photo 6: One of the Dalhousie Hills, 1890’s

Another building worth a visit is the Silverton Estate, a Victorian bungalow from the 1930s, now converted to a heritage hotel with the name Brijvilla. Silverton Estate is infact also the best place to stay at Dalhousie which still retains its bygone colonial charm.

About 30 km from Dalhousie is the famous Khajjiar meadows with a lake with a floating island at its centre in the surrounds of the Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary.

Moreover, the estate of Jandrighat, the residence of the former rulers of Chamba is also definitely worth visiting.


Old Photo 7: Khajjiar, 1890’s

Images Source: Flickr/richardasplen



I last visited Dalhousie in 2003.