Sidhbari is a suburb of

Dharamshala Dharamshala (, ; 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. The town also hosts the Tibeta ...

town, situated in the foothills of

Dhauladhar Dhauladhar () () is a mountain range which is part of a Lower Himalayan Range, lesser Himalayan chain of mountains in northern India. It rises from the Siwalik Hills, Shivalik hills, to the north of Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, Kangra and Mandi, ...

mountains, in

Kangra district Kangra district is the most populous district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Dharamshala is the administrative headquarters of the district. History Kangra is known for having one of the oldest serving Royal Dynasty in the world, the Katoch of ...

of the state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The ''

Samadhi Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...

'' (final resting place) of Sri Chinmayananda is located here.

Overview

Sidhbari derives its name from a sage, Baba Sidh. It is believed by the locals that the ''dhuni'' (burning piece of wood) here has been burning for centuries and has never been extinguished even once. Hence the ''vibhuti'' (ash) is said to have the sacred blessings of the Sidh Baba. Since 2000, Sidhbari has also been associated as the temporary residence of the Karmapa (

Ogyen Trinley Dorje Ogyen Trinley Dorje (, ; born 26 June 1985), also written as Urgyen Trinley Dorje () is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa. The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Ogyen Trinley Dor ...

). The place is called Gyuto Monastery and is believed to be a teaching place for tantra vidya. Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha is also situated here.

Places of interest

The small town of Sidhbari is bustling with activity due to several local attractions. *Very near to the village is Chinmaya Ashram or Sandeepany

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. In this Ashram is the Samadhi (resting place) of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, founder of

Chinmaya Mission The Chinmaya Mission () is a Hindu religious and spiritual organization that disseminates Vedanta, the science of the self as described in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita. Followers ...

. *In the village of Sidhbari, near

in Himachal Pradesh, lies what is commonly regarded as the meditation spot of Kapila. The sage who lived there is locally regarded as Sidh Baba due to his mystic powers, and hence the name of the village Sidhbari. *Sidhbari is also the temporary residence of the Tibetan buddhist leader 17th

Karmapa The Karmapa Tulku lineage of the Gyalwa Karmapa is the oldest among the major incarnating lineages of Tibetan Buddhism,The Karmapa, "The Karmapas Lineage", Kagyu Office established in 1110 CE by the 1st Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa. Karmapa means " ...

(

), a
Gyuto Monastery

Sidhbari is about six kilometers from

, and about 15 kilometers from

McLeod Ganj McLeod Ganj or McLeodganj (pronounced ) is a suburb of Dharamshala, in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is known as "Little Lhasa" or "Dhasa" as the Tibetan government-in-exile is headquartered here and there is a significant p ...

, where the

14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935; full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, shortened as Tenzin Gyatso; ) is the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. He served a ...

lives. *One attraction for tourists in Sidhbari is the Naam Art Gallery, exhibiting paintings by European artists Elsbeth Buschmann and Alfred W. Hallett. *Another attraction is the earthen architectural works of

Didi Contractor Delia Narayan "Didi" Contractor (née Kinzinger; 1929 – July 5, 2021) was an American artist and builder. A self-taught architect, she is known for her work on the vernacular traditions in India, using adobe, bamboo and stone for materials. Sh ...

, including several homes made of adobe and bamboo. *

Vidhan Sabha The State Legislative Assembly, also known as the Vidhan Sabha or the Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories of India. Members of the legislative assembly are often directly elected to serve fiv ...

: The winter session of assembly meetings happen here in Sidhbari. *The hamlets of Rakkar and Sokni Da Kot in Upper Sidhbari is inhabited by the Gaddi community and offers visitors authentic homestay options in traditional mud houses. *The Manuni Nallah flows through Sidhbari and is revered as a holy stream with various temples along the riverbank. The Aganjar Mahadev Temple at Khaniyara is the most famous and is located at Khaniyara, 2 km from Sidhbari. * Nishtha – Rural Health, Education and Environment Center.

References

External links

Chinmaya Mission Delhi
{{Sister bar, auto=yes Cities and towns in Kangra district Hill stations in Himachal Pradesh Dharamshala

Overview

Places of interest

See also

References

External links