Street Spirit: Tourists love to hang out at the eating joints that dot the streets (Pic By Ipshita Banerjee)

But it is the obsessive anti-China sentiment that gives McLeodganj its real identity. Tales of Chinese repression of Tibet are told with passion. Colourful Tibetan flags and Free Tibet posters are seen everywhere in this ‘Little Lhasa’. Not surprising as Tibetan refugees form a majority of the population.

September and October are the best months at McLeodganj for the spiritually inclined. His Holiness hosts a series of annual lectures around this time at his temple complex at the eastern end of the town. The lectures are open to all, and devotees have to jostle for space. Although, not everyone comes for the right reasons. The following conversation for example, was overheard among a group of orange-robed, tonsured tourists: Devotee 1: “She was talking so loud, she totally took away my zen man!”. Devotee 2: “I hope Karma kicks her a**!”

Key Destination: Lamas recite prayers at the monastery; Church of St John in the Wilderness (Pic By Ipshita Banerjee)

(Pic By Noemie Bisserbe)

If, you are not the spiritual sort, McLeodganj still has enough attractions as it sits at the foot of the evergreen Dauladhar range. Blessed with dense forests, the outskirts of the town has sights and sounds far removed from city life. Tranquillity is often just a short walk away: take any of the roads that branch away from the main square, follow it far enough and soon you will have only the trees for company. It is wise to ask your hotel staff which paths should be best left unexplored. For adrenaline-junkies, a local para-gliding club offers lessons and tandem flights. Ask ahead to make sure they are not closed.

There is enough to keep shopaholics occupied if you are not looking for big brands. Clothes and junk jewellery shops line every street. Turquoise is common. There are also sights aplenty for the camera-wielding tourists. The 19th-century Church of St John in the Wilderness and its nearby graveyard are a 10-minute walk from town. Reading the gravestones is like reading history — elegies to young Raj-era officers of the first Gorkha regiment and their families who died in an earthquake in 1905 and even the tombstone of James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and Viceroy of India, who died here on a visit.

For meals, head to Mcllo’s right on the main square. Its location makes it convenient but it is slightly expensive — Pierce Brosnan once knocked down a few beers here. The owner proudly displays photographs of that memorable evening on everything from the walls to his menus. A more reasonably-priced alternative is Nick’s Cafe, where pizzas cost as little as Rs 60 and a plate of momos Rs 40.

A word of advice — distances are so short here that nothing is more than a 10-minute walk away. So avoid the tourist trap that is the local rickshaw-wallahs’ union. Use them only to visit Dal Lake (avoidable), which is 3 km away or the wonderful Norbulingka Institute for Traditional Tibetan Arts about 30 minutes away by road.

Getting to Mcleodganj isn’t hard. The nearest rail head is Pathankot — about 95 km away. There are also daily flights from Delhi to Kangra, an airfield 45 minutes away from McLeodganj. If you prefer to take the road, air-conditioned buses from Delhi are quite convenient. The journey, completed overnight, takes 14 hours.

It is not all peace in Dharamsala though. There are perceptible tensions between migrant Tibetans and Kashmiris who have monopolised the tourism industry and locals who own the land. Locals say that easy money from tourism is to blame for high land prices and a degradation of the town’s spiritual ethos.

Still, there certainly are good reasons to mark this tiny place on your travel map. If you are neither spiritual nor a junky, you could go for a glimpse of Hollywood star Richard Gere, who is a devoted disciple of Dalai Lama and occasionally visits the suburb.

(Businessworld Issue 11-17 Nov 2008)