Gallu Devi temple
A small ridge temple among the cedars, the Triund trailhead, and the best short sunset walk from the village.
- Distance
- 1.5 km uphill from us, 30 to 40 minutes on foot
- Effort
- A steady uphill walk; a vehicle can also reach it
- Best time
- Late afternoon, for the sunset over the valley
Gallu Devi is a small Hindu temple at about 2,130 metres on the ridge above Dharamkot, dedicated to a local goddess and set among cedars and red rhododendrons. There is a waterfall beside it and a couple of tea stalls that exist mainly for trekkers heading higher.
For most of our guests it serves two purposes. It is where the Triund trail properly begins and where the Forest Department checkpost sits, and it is the shortest walk from the village that ends in a real view, which makes it the sunset walk if you only have an hour.
While you're here
The Triund trek
The ridge walk everyone comes to Dharamkot for: about six kilometres up from the Gallu trailhead, with the Dhauladhar on one side and the Kangra valley on the other.
Bhagsu waterfall and temple
A twenty-metre fall behind the old Bhagsunag temple, with the café terraces of Upper Bhagsu stacked above it.
Yoga and meditation
Three of the best-known centres in the Indian Himalaya are within a ten-minute walk. All three need booking well ahead, and two of them close for the winter.