Chamba is situated in Himachal Pradesh and is known for its uninterrupted heritage and customs. It’s around 49 km North East of Dalhousie and around 623 km from Delhi. The Chaugan is the heart and hub of all activity in Chamba. Tradition is silent as to its use as a polo ground and the name is etymologically derived from Chaugan, the Persian name of Polo, and in Sanskrit meaning ‘four-sided’. Besides being a public promenade and recreation-ground, the Chaugan was utilized for State Darbars and sports. A large number of people can also be seen sleeping during night in the chaugan.

Some of the attractions of Chambal are the Laxmi Narayan Temple, built in Shikhara style, which is the main temple of Chamba town and which was built by Sahil Verman in the 10th century A.D. The Vajreshwari Temple is believed to be 1000 years old and is dedicated to Devi Vajreshwari-Goddess of lightning. The temple is situated on the northern most corner of the town at the end of Jansali Bazaar and is built in the Shikhara style with wooden Chhattries, elaborate carving and two other minor temples on either side of the main shrine. Other temples are the Chamunda Devi Temple and the Hari Rai Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and dates back to 11th century.

There is the Akhand Chandi Palace, the residential building of the Chamba family which was started by Raja Umed Singh sometime in1748-1764 AD. The beautiful structure of the palace with its painted walls and glass work, ceiling, intricate woodwork is fast deteriorating, since sufficient funds are not available for the maintenance of this monument. The palace offers a good view of the Chaugan, Laxmi Narayana Temple, Sui Mata, Chamunda Devi Temple, Rang Mehal, Hari Rai Temple and Bansi Gopal Temple.

One of the largest monuments, Rang Mahal is located in Surara Mohalla. The foundation of Rang Mahal was laid by Raja Umed Sing (1748-1764). Now under the aegis of Handicrafts Department of the State Government, most of the rooms of this palace are being used as work-shops for making shoes, chapples and rumals.

Bhuri Singh Museum at Chamba opened formally on 14-09-1908, it is named after Raja Bhuri Singh who ruled Chamba from 1904 to 1919 and houses a collection of paintings of Bhuri Singh and paintings of Bhagwat Purana and Ramayana inspired by Basohli style of painting.  Besides these major items of collections, there are coins, hill jewelry and costumes- both traditional and royal, arms and armor, musical instruments and various decorative objects.

Also visit the Church of Scotland , which is over a hundred years old and is remarkable for its fine stone work and buttress and lancer arch windows. The Chowari Jot (Chowari Pass) is located almost midway between Chamba and Chowari and on one side of Chowari road is nature’s wonder Khajjiar and on the other is Kainthli Dhar full of deoder and kail trees. Its altitude from main sea level is 8000 feet. It snows heavily in winter but it is quite pleasant in summer. The blossoming rhododendron fill the place with beatitude in April-May. The place is located at a distance of 18 kilometres from chowari and Chamba respectively.

Best time to Visit: March to June

How to reach:

Nearest Railhead: Chakki Bank. The best option would be to take Jammu Express from Delhi and take a cab to Chamba

By Road: From Delhi to Pathankot via Jalandhar on NH 1.