Chamba district is located on the banks of Ravi River in the Western Himalayas. The interesting placement of Chamba adds to its heavenly beauty as it is blessed with three mountain ranges that are snowy and it is in close proximity to the fringe of Shivalik. The three mountain ranges found here are Dauladhar (outer Himalayas), Zanskar (inner Himalayas) and Pir Panjal (mid Himalayas). The total population and area of Chamba is about 4.60 lakh and 6528 sq km respectively and it is situated at a height of 996 m from the sea level.
This place, which once used to be the capital of Pahari, was initially founded by Raja Sahil Verma in the early 10th century AD. Raja Sahil Verma found this place after he subjugated some of the petty chiefs like Ranas and Thakurs and then conquered lower Rani Valley. He then named this place as a symbol of love for his daughter Champavati. In addition to the beauty bestowed upon it naturally, Chamba also owes its magnificent scenery to its neighbour which is Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lahaul and Gurdaspur. Chamba is easily accessible by roadways, railways and airways. Gaggal and Pathankot are the nearest airport and railway stations respectively. The roadways are also well developed and it connects Chamba to most of the major towns and cities.
Chamba is famous for its fairs and festivals too. A few of the most popular festivals are Sui Mata Festival, Minjar Fair and Manimahesh Yatra. The Sui Mata festival is celebrated annually in the month of April and lasts for four days. It is celebrated in the commemoration of the wife Raja Sahil Verma, Rani Champavati. Each year in the month of August the Gugga fair is celebrated in veneration to Nag Devta, otherwise known as Gugga. However Minjar Fair remains the most popular festival and is attended by travellers and visitors in huge number. It is usually celebrated in the month of July or August on the second Sunday. The announcement of this festival is made with the distribution of Minjar, which is a silk tassel. Chamba is also popular for the craft items indigenous to this place like the ‘Chamba Rumal’, which is a handkerchief and has a length of about 2 to 6 feet and is very popular for their aesthetic beauty. The beautiful embroidery used on this handkerchief is called Kashida.
There are many popular tourist attractions in Chamba like the Lakshmi Narayan Temple, which is built in veneration to Lord Vishnu, the Sikhara temples built out of stone, the royal palace of Chamba and the list goes on and one. The temples of Ganesh, Lakshmi Devi, Nar Singh and Manimahesh are referred to as Chaurashi temples.