Dharamsala or Darmsala ( Hindi धर्मशाला , Tib. དྷ་ རམ་ ས་ ལ་ ) is a city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh . The administrative center of Kangra County.
City | |
Dharamsala | |
---|---|
Hindi धर्मशाला , tib. དྷ་ རམ་ ས་ ལ་ , English Dharamsala | |
A country | India |
State | Himachal Pradesh |
History and geography | |
Square | 29 km² |
NUM height | 1457 m |
Timezone | UTC + 5: 30 |
Population | |
Population | 19,034 people ( 2001 ) |
Density | 656 people / km² |
Digital identifiers | |
Telephone code | +91 1892 |
Zip Codes | 176219 |
Content
Etymology
The name Dharamsala is derived from the originally Sanskrit words dharma (धर्म) and shala (शाला), which can be translated as 'spiritual dwelling' or, more voluntarily, 'sanctuary'. Exact literary translation is difficult because of the vast semantic field of the word dharma [1] and the cultural aspects of India.
In Hindi, the word dharamshala usually means shelter or guest house for pilgrims. Traditionally, such "dharamshaly" were built near places of pilgrimage (usually in remote areas) in order to provide a place of rest for pilgrims. It can be assumed that the city received its name due to its location close to one of these “dharmashal” [2] .
History
The history of Dharamsala has been associated with Hinduism and Buddhism since ancient times.
In the XVIII century, Tibetan settlers built numerous monasteries here, but it is believed that the monasteries gave way to traditional Hindu buildings. Almost all of the local population (Gaddi) - Hindus. The cult of Shiva and Durga is widespread.
In 1848 this area was annexed by Great Britain, and a year later a military garrison was located in the city. In 1852, Dharamsala became the administrative capital of the Kangra district and a mountain station popular with the British.
During a major earthquake of 1905, which killed about 20,000 people, the city was almost completely destroyed, as was the nearby city of Kangra . After that, government agencies moved to the city of Shimla , which is not on the line of tectonic discharge (see Fault ) and less seismic. In Dharamsala, weak earthquakes are still frequent.
In 1959, the Dalai Lama XIV left Tibet , and in 1960 he accepted an offer from the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, to use this place for the work of the Tibetan government in exile . It also began to hold sessions of the Assembly of Tibetan deputies - the Tibetan legislature.
Since then, many Tibetan refugees (for example, Ani Pachen lived here) have settled in the city. Most of them live in Upper Dharamsala (Mcleod Ganj), where they founded monasteries, temples, schools. The city is sometimes called "Little Lhasa ", it also became a tourist and commercial center.
Since 2002, Miss Tibet has been held in Dharamsala.
Physical-geographical characteristic
The average height above sea level is 1457 meters, the area of the city is 8.51 km² [3] . Dharamsala is located in the Kangra valley, in the shadow of the Dhauladhar range. The city is divided into two distinct parts: Lower Dharamsala (business and administrative center) and Upper Dharamsala (Mcleod Ganj). Mcleod Ganj is located 9 kilometers along the road and 460 meters higher. In Mcleod Ganj is the residence of the Dalai Lama . Mcleodganj with Lower Dharamsala is connected by a narrow steep road, accessible only for taxis and small cars. Mcleodganj is surrounded by pine trees , Himalayan oaks and rhododendrons . In the lower part of the valley are plantations of rice , wheat , tea .
- Climate
The climate is humid subtropical (Cwa). The city is influenced by monsoons. Summer begins in early April and lasts until mid-June. Maximum temperatures are noted at the beginning of June (up to 36 ° C). The monsoon season lasts from July to mid-September. In the monsoon season, up to 3,000 mm of rain falls, making Dharamsala one of the wettest places in the state. Autumn lasts from October to the end of November. Average temperatures in autumn are 16-17 ° C. Winter begins in December and lasts until the end of February. Snow is common in Upper Dharamsala. In Lower Dharamsala, almost no snow falls. After the winter comes a short and pleasant spring. The Dhauladhar Ridge is usually covered with snow throughout the year, but in recent years it has been losing snow during dry periods.
The best time to visit the city is spring and autumn.
Climate of Darmsala | |||||||||||||
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Indicator | Jan. | Feb | March | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sen | Oct. | Nov. | Dec | Year |
Absolute Maximum, ° C | 24.7 | 28.0 | 31.6 | 35.6 | 38.6 | 38.6 | 42.7 | 37,8 | 34,8 | 34.6 | 26,6 | 28.2 | 42.7 |
Average maximum, ° C | 14.4 | 12.8 | 21.6 | 26.9 | 29.1 | 30.5 | 27.2 | 26.1 | 24.6 | 23.7 | 19.8 | 16.4 | 23.1 |
Average minimum, ° C | 5.1 | 10.3 | 14.7 | 16.3 | 20.1 | 22.9 | 21.4 | 20.2 | 17.5 | 14.8 | 10.7 | 7.4 | 15.1 |
Absolute minimum, ° C | −1.9 | −1,6 | 2.4 | 7.3 | 8,8 | 12.8 | 15.1 | 14.1 | 11.2 | 8.0 | 4.8 | −1 | −1.9 |
Precipitation rate, mm | 114.5 | 100.7 | 98.8 | 48.6 | 59.1 | 202.7 | 959.7 | 909.2 | 404.8 | 66.3 | 16.7 | 54.0 | 3054.4 |
Source: [1] [2] |
Population
According to the 2001 census, the population of Dharamsala was 19,034. Men - 55%, women - 45%. The literacy rate is 77%, which is above the national literacy rate of 59.5%. In Dharamsala, literacy among men is 80%, among women 73%, 9% of the population is under 6 years old.
About 5,000 Tibetan refugees live in the city.
Transportation
The nearest airport is 20 km from Dharamsala, near the town of Kangra . Most tourists come and go by bus or by rail.
There are daily tourist buses from Delhi. Departure is at about 19 pm. Arrival at Mcleod is at about 6-7 am.
In 3.5 hours by taxi from Dharamsala there is the railway station Choki-Bank.
Attractions
- Residence of the Dalai Lama XIV .
- Zuglakang Monastery next to the residence.
- Waterfall, located behind the village Bugs.
- A library that holds a large collection of Tibetan books.
- Temple Sahaji Yoga. The path to it lies through the sacred lake.
- Dharamkot, located 14 km on top of a hill.
- The residence of the Karmapa .
- Institute of Tibetan medicine and astrology Men-tzi-khang
- Norbuling Institute
See also
- Song for Tibet
Gallery
Main Street MacLeod Ganj
View from Daramkota : Mcleod Ganj, Lower Darmsala and the River Bias . Sketch of Alfred Hallett, 1980
Notes
- ↑ Dharma # Etymology
- ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 11, p. 301
- ↑ Area of Dharamshala Town . Archived April 24, 2012.
Literature
- Mongush M. V. In Dharamsala - for the healing of the soul (a few facts from the field diary) // Modern problems of service and tourism: scientific and practical journal. - 2009. - № 3 . - pp . 43-48 . - ISSN 1995-0411 .
- Urbanaeva I. Dharamsala and the world of Tibetan emigration / Otv. ed. B.V. Bazarov , Institute of Mongolian Studies, Buddhology and Tibetology SB RAS . - Ulan-Ude: BNTS SB RAS , 2005. - 184 p.