This district of Himachal Pradesh lies on the western side of the state. The Kangra valley is a gentle and picturesque place. It has a huge reservoir, which is man-made and is located on the ‘Beas River’. It covers a large area in the southern part of the district. One can visit a number of places in Kangra, some for their scenic beauty, some for adventure sports. Others are known for beautiful valleys and some for their ancient temples. Kangra district has always been on the forefront of Himachal paradise history. It was from this side, that the Mughals and the British invaded Kangra fort. Kangra has a rich history and a glorious past. The entire district has forts and temples most of them were built by the Rajput warrior tribes. Many times in its past, Himachal Pradesh and particularly Kangra was ruled by tribal princes and at one time there were hundreds of Rajput tribes ruling this state. The southern part of the district has Shivalik hills, gentle valleys that rise up to the Dhamatrdhar range of the Himalayas. This entire range of mountains remains covered in snow throughout the year.

The tea gardens of Palampur are well known and ‘billing’ near Baijnath is known for its adventure sports particularly ‘hang gliding’. An annual competition is held here. In most of the places in Kangra, one can find moderate to fine climate which is perfect for tourism and for visiting around the year. The Kangra district gets the max. rainfall in the state. This keeps the district green around the year.

The people of Kangra are quite adept at various crafts and arts. The Kangra school of paintings is an integral part of art literature; they are miniature paintings made with vegetable dyes worthily based on love themes of Radha and Krishna. One can find influence of this style of paintings in other handicrafts too. The art of embroidery is based on it and covers handkerchiefs, scarves, shawls, kurtas etc. The rugs, carpets and blankets too bear beautiful and colorful designs. Even the ponies of the area wear multicolored carpet saddles. The other school of painting that survive in the district is the Gompa school. At one time, it was confined only to the monasteries, today you can find many articles of clothing and household materials based on these painting styles. One part of it is completely Buddhist and as original in form as before. Another part of this painting style has combined the Kangra school and what we get to see is a mixture or combination of the two. The typical and varied dressing styles of the people of Kangra can be seen in the dolls that can be seen in the markets. The dolls are life like and beautiful and the traditional costumes are exquisite. The most common tribe to be found here is the Gaddi tribe. These people are simple and content. They are Hindus and are semi – nomadic who lead a hard and adventurous life.

In upper Dharamsala otherwise called Mcleod ganj or ‘Little Lhasa’, is the residing place of the Tibetan community. Dharamsala is world famous for this gentle and compassionate man. The administrative head quarters of the Tibetan government in exile, is also situated here. Most of the Tibetan refugees living here and the place is worth a visit. One gets to see the perseverance, dedication, faith and unity of the people who have been forced out of their homes and country.

The Shakti temple too is a draw for the tourists- most of them domestic. The Varajeshwari temples, Jawalamukhi, Nainadevi, Chamunda Devi are places which attract thousands of pilgrims every year.

Kangra was the famous capital of the great hill state. It flourished under the patronage of Raja Sansar Chand Ji (1775-1823). At the beginning of the 11^th century, Mahmood opened the era with the raid on the plains of the Punjab in the year 1001. The last raid before the takeover of the town by Mughal emperor Jahangir, was by Temur the Lame, the Mongol emperor from central Asia in the 14^th century. There was peace during his reign and more temples were built.

But Ranjit Singh interrupted this peace in the end of the 18^th century in 1799. Once again Kangra went through the agony of war. Raja Sansar Chand moved his capital and court to Nadaun, 65km from Dharamsala and later towards the decline of the empire to Sujanputra. Here, the good king died in 1823.

The famous temple of Brajeshwari Devi was of such legendary wealth that every invader wanted to ransack it. Mahmood of Ghazni carried off the fortune in gold, silver & jewels in 1009. The temple is situated in the bazaar, at the end of a labyrinth of alleys.

Chintpuri is the famous pilgrimage centre of India. It is 80km south of Dharamsala and 41km from Trilokpur. It has famous stone temples. This place is worth seeing and a beautiful and an evocative place.

The temple of Jwalamukhi, the Goddess of light, lies 34km south of the Kangra valley. Pilgrims descend into a tiny square chamber. The temple is one of the most sacred sites in the Kangra valley. A golden spire, the legacy of wealthy devotee, tops it.
Recognized as one of the 51 seats of the 'Shakti Peeth', two important fairs are held during the nine days worship of the Devi in April and mid October. The famous temple is one of Himachal's dome styled temples alongwith Chintpurni and Renuka Devi.

Nagar knot is a city situated upon a mountain with a fort called Kangra Maha Mai, which is considered as one of the works of the divinity and in pilgrims come to this great place from distances and get their wishes fulfilled.

Varajeshwari Devi temple is 30km from Jwalaji temple and is located behind the over-crowded Bazaar of Kangra. The temple was once decorated by Gulabu Ram of Samloti village after it was rebuilt in 1920. The temple looks very attractive when seen against the background of the mountain ranges of Dhauladhar.

Before one enters into the temple, sacred threads, brass utensils, flags in red color, images of Devi etc. are available. The temple is surrounded by number of deities. At the entrance, there is a small hall for the devotees to sit to wait for their turn to get the "darshan" of the Devi.