Bir, Himachal Pradesh

Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India


Bir is a small village on the central western part of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. This scruffy little town located 1,525 m (5,003 ft) above sea level is home to a number of Tibetan monasteries.

According to local accounts, Bir was first settled by immigrants from Bengal in the 17th century. Other groups move in to the area. In 1966 it saw an influx of Tibetans after the Neten Chokling, the incarnate lama of the Nyimgma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, relocated to the area with his family and followers. Bir today has developed into a tourist destination. Similar to Bilaspur, it is a destination for adventure sports such as paragliding and trekking.

Tibetan monks in Bir

Planning your trip to Bir

Travel to Bir by public transport require a number of transits. From Delhi, you can take a bus to Dharamsala. There is a bus from Lower Dharamsala to Bir. By train, there is a service to Pathankot. From there you can take the "toy train" to Ahju, which is just 3 km from Bir. The advantage of taking the train, which is often overcrowded, is the many picturesque vistas along the way.

Tibetan stupa in Bir, India

Places of Interest in Bir

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About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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