Ask most people about Himachal Pradesh and they will name Shimla or Manali. The Kangra Valley, beneath the snow wall of the Dhauladhar range, offers something quieter: villages where artists and potters settled, Tibetan monasteries, a temple that has stood for more than eight hundred years and a small railway that winds through tea and paddy country.
This is not a valley to tick off in a day. Base yourself in Palampur or Bir, travel short distances and let each place have its afternoon.
Andretta: an artists’ village
About 13 km from Palampur, Andretta became an artists’ colony after the Irish actor and theatre pioneer Norah Richards made it her home in 1924. The painter Sobha Singh later settled here too, and the potter Gurcharan Singh made it his base. His son Mansimran (Mini) Singh and Mary Singh founded the Andretta Pottery and Craft Society in 1983, which still runs a studio and courses.
- Visit the pottery studio and the Sobha Singh Art Gallery.
- Norah Richards’ house and estate are maintained by Punjabi University, Patiala, which holds a Punjabi theatre festival there each year.
- Buy directly from the makers if you buy at all.
Bir: monasteries, cafés and a sky full of wings
Bir sits at about 1,525 m in the Baijnath area of Kangra district. Its Tibetan colony was founded in the early 1960s, and the town has monasteries of several Tibetan Buddhist schools, including Chokling Gompa; Sherab Ling Monastery is about an hour’s walk away. The Deer Park Institute, founded in 2006, hosts courses in classical Indian and Buddhist traditions.
Bir is best known for paragliding. Flights launch from the Billing meadow, about 14 km north of Bir at roughly 2,400 m, and land near Chowgan. The main flying season runs from September to November. Fly only with a registered operator and a certified pilot, and check that flying is open; it is suspended from time to time.
Baijnath: a temple from 1204
The Shiva temple at Baijnath was built in 1204 by two local merchants, Ahuka and Manyuka, in the Nagara style. Here Shiva is worshipped as Vaidyanath, the lord of physicians. Two long inscriptions inside, in Sanskrit and the old Takri script of the hills, record its builders and patrons. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
- Dress modestly and follow the temple’s rules on photography.
- Combine it with Bir, which lies roughly midway between Baijnath and Joginder Nagar.
The Kangra Valley Railway
Opened in 1929, this narrow-gauge line runs from Pathankot in Punjab to Joginder Nagar in Himachal, through stations such as Kangra, Palampur and Baijnath Paprola, and Ahju near Bir. Floods damaged the Chakki bridge in August 2022 and cut the line; passenger services on the full Pathankot–Joginder Nagar route resumed on 2 June 2026. Trains are slow and simple, and part of the pleasure is watching the valley go by at walking pace.
- Tickets for these services are generally bought at the station rather than online.
- Check current timings with Indian Railways before you plan a day around the train.
A gentle three-day route
- Day 1: Palampur and Andretta: the pottery studio, the gallery and an evening walk among the tea gardens around Palampur.
- Day 2: Baijnath temple in the morning, then on to Bir for the monasteries and Chowgan.
- Day 3: a paragliding flight in season, or a stretch of the toy train between Ahju or Baijnath Paprola and Palampur.
Getting there and when to go
- By air: Kangra airport (Gaggal) is about 67 km from Bir.
- By rail: Pathankot, on the broad-gauge network, connects to the Kangra Valley line.
- When: September to November is clear and is the paragliding season; spring is pleasant; the monsoon brings heavy rain and landslide risk on hill roads.
Prefer forests and rivers? Try two slow days in the Tirthan Valley. For the whole state, read our Himachal Pradesh guide.
Sources and image credits
Facts that can change were checked on 22 October 2026:
- Wikipedia: Andretta, Himachal Pradesh
- Wikipedia: Bir, Himachal Pradesh
- Wikipedia: Baijnath Temple
- District Kangra (official): Kangra Valley Railway
- Outlook Traveller: services resume on the Pathankot–Joginder Nagar line (updated 9 June 2026)
Photography via Pexels, used under the Pexels License: Rajesh S Balouria (Dhauladhar range), Bir Billing India (paragliding), Chirayu Vyas (Bir valley). These are stock images, not the author’s own.
Train timings, flying conditions and temple hours change. Check before you travel.
