Dharamshala

Dharamshala Dharamsala
City
From top, left to right: Skyline of Dharamsala, Mcleodganj during winter, Triund, Bhagsunag Temple, Kalachakra Temple, HPCA Stadium
Nickname:  Dhasa
Dharamshala Location within the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh Show map of Himachal Pradesh Dharamshala Location within India Show map of India
Coordinates: 32°12′55″N 76°19′07″E / 32.21528°N 76.31861°E / 32.21528; 76.31861
Country	India
State	Himachal Pradesh
District	Kangra
Named for	Derives its name from an old Hindu sanctuary, called Dharamsàla which once stood there.[1]
Member of legislative Assembly	Sudhir Sharma[2]
Government
• Type	Municipal Corporation
• Body	Dharamshala Municipal Corporation[3]
• Mayor	Onkar Singh Nehria
Area
• Total	27.60 km2 (10.66 sq mi)
Elevation	1,457 m (4,780 ft)
Population  (2015)[4]
• Total	62,596
• Rank	2nd in HP
• Density	2,300/km2 (5,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	176 215
Telephone code	+91- 01892
Vehicle registration	HP- 39(RLA), 68(RTO), 01D/02D(Taxi)
Climate	Cwa
Website	edharamshala.in

Dharamshala (/ˈdɑːrəmʃɑːlə/, Hindi: [d̪ʱərmʃaːlaː]; also spelled Dharamsala) is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It serves as the winter capital of the state and the administrative headquarters of the Kangra district since 1855.^[5][6][7] The town also hosts the Tibetan Government-in-exile. Dharamshala was a municipal council until 2015, when it was upgraded to a municipal corporation.

The town is located in the Kangra Valley, in the shadow of the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas at an altitude of 1,457 metres (4,780 ft). References to Dharamshala and its surrounding areas are found in ancient Hindu scriptures such as Rig Veda and Mahabharata. The region was under Mughal influence before it was captured by the Sikh empire in 1785. The East India Company captured the region for the British following the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1846, from when it became part of the British Indian province of the Punjab. Post Indian Independence in 1947, it remained as a small hill station. In 1960, the Central Tibetan Administration was moved to Dharamshala when the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso established the Tibetan administration-in-exile after he had to flee Tibet.

The economy of the region is highly dependent on agriculture and tourism. The town is now a major hill station and spiritual center. It has been selected as one of a hundred in India to be developed as a smart city under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship "Smart Cities Mission".^[8]