The hill town of Dharamshala sits on a narrow ridgeline along the Dhauladhar range. The town is roughly divided into two sections – lower town of Dharamshala with its traditional settlement and market areas and the upper town of McLeodganj, famous for its celebrity resident, His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The heights of the two sections tha make up the Himalayan town of Dharamshala vary considerably - from 1,250 metres to about 1,770 metres with a steep winding 10 km road linking both sections.
Around a 150 kms from Mandi, this hill resort in the Kangra Valley of northern Himachal Pradesh is the most important town of the district. Surrounded by pine forests, the grand Dhauladhar ranges tower like sheets of rock over Dharamshala. A sleepy little hill town favoured by the British as a summer getaway, Dharamshala's beautiful environs continues to lure visitors. Not just is it hugely popular with honeymooners and holiday makers escaping the heat of the plains, Dharamshala is equally, if not more popular with foreigners in search of the inner peace and tranquility they hope to find in the teachings of the Dalai Lama.