Inside A 161-Year-Old Retreat In Dharamshala Where The Dhauladhars Stand Guard Over A Tea Plantation

There's something about tea estates. The exclusivity, the sense of being surrounded by India's most-loved beverage, and to top it all, a 161-year-old property playing the perfect home to you. You wake up enrobed in sunlight, with a cup of steaming-hot tea, while drinking in the views of the mighty Dhauladhar or the White Range. Afternoons are laidback and spent waiting for the sunset sky to paint the white peaks red. Nights here crawl up on you, after the deep purple sky has made way for the stars.  

Brij Anayra Dharamshala is all of this and more.

From the rooms. Photo: Brij Anayra

When NDTV paid a visit to the heritage hotel, the grey clouds of early-monsoon were threatening to burst open. The location of the property, atop a hill, made for a stunning 180-degree view of the mountain range but a glimpse of the Dhauladhars was still a few hours away. The drive from Delhi was long - Dharamshala is in the upper reaches of the Kangra Valley. You leave the plains of Chandigarh behind and start the climb up Himachal Pradesh before getting to the town of Dharamshala. It is a ten-plus-hour route from the capital.

Where Cricket Meets Geopolitics 

Dharamshala, as a place, has found itself at the crossroads of cricket and geopolitics more often than not. The town is home to one of the world's highest cricket grounds, at 1,457 metres. It is also the home of the Dalai Lama. Earlier this year, the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday celebrations saw celebrities from world over make a beeline for the Himachal town. Richard Gere was there. As were Union ministers. There were also video messages from former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton played out as part of the Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations. 

For a week, like that July week every year, Dharamshala became the centre of activity for the world.

Brij Anayra is a 161-year-old property in Dharamshala. Photo: Author

But it was in 1849 that the town first attracted the attention of the British, who annexed it. Under the colonisers, Dharamshala became a subsidiary cantonment for the Gurkha troops. It was turned into a picturesque hill station where the British sat down to watch the sun go down on the Dhauladhars, sipping tea from their fancy china. 

A Colonial Past And A Colourful Present

The town enjoyed a colonial legacy for a few years, till the 1905 Kangra earthquake reduced it to rubble. Over the next decades, Dharamshala was built brick by brick and it caught the attention of the world once again in 1959, when it became a sanctuary for the Dalai Lama and Tibetan refugees after their exile from Tibet.

The private sit-outs. Photo: Brij Anayra

Dharamshala, along with Mcleod Ganj, its upper part, soon became "Little Lhasa". Till today, it serves as the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile and has transformed into a centre of Tibetan culture, learning and spirituality. The influx of Tibetans and a growing interest in the life and teachings of the Buddha turned Dharamshala and Mcleod Ganj into a tourist hotspot, and in 2017, Dharamshala was declared the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh.

A Hilltop To Envy

Today, Dharamshala boasts of a number of places to stay, big and small, but none perhaps enjoys a location like Brij Anayra. The hotel is on a 161-year-old estate, originally known as White Haven, and spans 10 acres, complete with tea plantations and sweeping views of the Kangra Valley. The Dhauladhar range stands sentinel in front of the estate. The property comprises 12 suites: 5 in Viceroy Block, 3 in Planters Cottage, and 4 in Whitehaven Cottage.

Inside the massive colonial suites. Photo: Brij Anayra

During the colonial era, the estate was home to tea planters and explorers. It then became the residence for visiting British Viceroys and other distinguished personalities in the area. The suites and rooms in Brij Anayra are a hat-tip to significant historical figures who played pivotal roles in the region's development. So, you will find Clara Family Heritage Suite named after Clara Shaw Younghusband, who was key to the development of the tea industry in Dharamshala in the 18th century; or the Dalhousie Heritage Suite named after Lord Dalhousie.

There's also a suite named after the explorer Robert Barkley Shaw, facing West, and sunsets are quite a sight from it as the Dhauladhar range plays hide and seek with monsoon clouds.

England Meets Tibet

The suites at Brij Anayra come with colonial-era furniture -- a massive four-poster bed, standing mirrors in teakwood, a functional work desk for out-of-the-way assignments that threaten to disrupt your holiday, a tea box with the best of Makaibari, and private sit-outs to have a quick snack at when you're too lazy to walk the few metres to the in-house restaurant.

Himachali bun with eggs at Duchess Lounge. Photo: Author

The restaurant, called Duchess Lounge, is bright and offers a menu that is a tribute to Dharamshala's Himachali present, Tibetan influences and colonial past. So, you find a full-fledged English high tea sitting next to Himachali Dham Tiffins sitting next to momos and siddu. Khatta Meat and Murge Ka Madra are among the non-vegetarian local delicacies worth a mention. Vegetarian options include Rajma Ka Madra, Khatte Chane, and Teliya Mah.

The menu at the Duchess Lounge pays homage to Dharamshala's colonial past and Tibetan influences of the present. Photo: Brij Anayra

Over our three days at Brij Anayra, we tried a bouquet of delicacies vegetarian and non-vegetarian, from a Lebanese platter to the famous Dharamshala momos. What stood out? The local bun with eggs at the Duchess Lounge.

The Mighty Dhauladhars

Evenings here are best enjoyed in the lawn, gazing at the town of Dharamshala, as the lights flicker to life after sunset. Our first and last days in the hotel weren't too great on the visibility front.

The day in between was magic. Unadulterated.

Tibetan momos, non-vegetarian and vegetarian. Photo: Author

It had rained quite a bit that June morning. We canned our plans of stepping out to see Mcleod Ganj and decided to make the most of Brij Anayra's in-room hospitality. The rain went on for a few hours, well into the afternoon as we downed chai after cup of chai with plates of pakoda and momos. The garden in front of us glowed a dark green. The mist in between us and the Dhauladhars could be cut with a knife. There was no hope of the sun anywhere on the horizon. 

Half an hour before our phones said it was time for sunset, the rain stopped. Just like that. The mist dissipated into the air and the Dhauladhars peeked out on to the scene. The sun, somewhere on its descent down the sky, glowed a deep orange. We took in every second of the sunset before returning to the room, well-fed, warm, exhilarated; with a mental note to come back to Dharamshala for more time in those tea gardens.

FACT SHEET

Where: Brij Anayra is located a stone's throw from the main town of Dharamshala. Kangra Airport (Gaggal) is 11 kilometres from the property, and the Kangra railway station lies at a distance of 25 kilometres. Pathankot is 90 kilometres from Brij Anayra. If you're driving from Delhi, keep at least three days for Dharamshala. The 470-kilometre drive can easily take more than ten hours. 

What to do, eat, see: The property arranges for several immersive experiences, from sound healing to a tea walk. You could also get in touch with them for day trips to Mcleod Ganj, the Kangra Fort, the Dalai Lama temple, or a jaunt around the Dharamshala cricket ground.

From the Duchess Lounge. Photo: Brij Anayra

Mcleod Ganj is a twenty-minute drive, but account for traffic jams if you find yourself in the city during the weekend.

Tibetan momos here are an entire cuisine in themselves. If you're stepping out of the hotel, the Mcleod Ganj market has several eateries to try the Himachali siddu at. Do get yourself a Himachali apple cider to gulp down the momos with. 

Rooms and tariff: The hotel opened to guests in September 2023, marking the eighth property of Brij Hotels in India and the second in Himachal Pradesh (their other property in Himachal Pradesh is Brij Villa, Dalhousie).

There are 12 suites across categories at Brij Anayra. Doubles from Rs 9,999 to Rs 22,999, exclusive of taxes.

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