# Bir, Himachal Pradesh
**Bir** is a village in the west of the Joginder Nagar Valley in Kangra district, [Himachal Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/himachal-pradesh), northern India, known internationally as a [paragliding](https://www.edgepedia.org/paragliding) destination and as the site of a Tibetan refugee settlement.[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) It is commonly called the "Paragliding Capital of India" and is also a center for ecotourism, spiritual studies, and meditation.[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) The name "Bir Billing" pairs the village with Billing, the takeoff meadow above it, which serves as the launch site while Bir is the landing zone.[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Baijnath tehsil, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, in the Kangra Valley just south of the main Dhauladhar ridge[2](https://birbilling.in/explore-bir-billing/) |
| Altitudes | Bir village at roughly 1,525 m; Billing takeoff meadow at about 2,400 m (one source gives 2,428 m; a paragliding operator gives 8,020 ft for Billing and 4,350 ft for Bir)[3](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/) • [4](https://www.travelbirbilling.com/tours/paragliding-in-bir-billing/) |
| Paragliding status | Rated among the best paragliding sites in the world; hosted India's first Paragliding World Cup in 2015[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) • [2](https://birbilling.in/explore-bir-billing/) |
| Tibetan settlement | Home to a Tibetan refugee settlement with several Buddhist monasteries and a large stupa[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) |
| Access | 68 km from Gaggal airport, 50 km from Dharamshala, 280 km from Chandigarh, 500 km from Delhi; Baijnath Paprola station on the Pathankot–Jogindernagar narrow-gauge line[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) |
| Season | Best visited March–June and September–November; the state tourism department holds a 'Para Gliding Pre-world Cup' event in October[2](https://birbilling.in/explore-bir-billing/) |
## Geography and layout
The greater Bir area is a group of smaller settlements at the western edge of Kangra district, administratively under the Baijnath tehsil.[5](https://birhp.com/about-bir/orientation-bir-billing-himachal/) • [2](https://birbilling.in/explore-bir-billing/) Bir village itself sits at roughly 4,600 feet, with tea gardens, monasteries, and most of the homestays and cafés.[2](https://birbilling.in/explore-bir-billing/) Billing, about 14 km from Bir and 35 km from Palampur, is a grassy takeoff meadow at around 2,400 m with views into the back ranges.[3](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/) A third cluster, Bhattu, about 5 km west of Bir at around 1,400 m, holds the Sherab Ling monastery in pine forest.[3](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/)
The setting is defined by the Dhauladhar mountains, tea plantations on the rolling hills, and the valley below the takeoff ridge.[6](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/himachal-pradesh/kangra/bir-billing) Monthly temperatures range from about 1.9–25 °C in December to 18.7–34.9 °C in July.[6](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/himachal-pradesh/kangra/bir-billing)
## Paragliding
**The flying site.** The rising hills of Billing provide thermals that, with moderate wind, allow takeoff, with landing on the terraced grounds of Bir.[7](https://himachaltourism.gov.in/destination/paragliding/) The site's reputation rests on a long, continuous front ridge running roughly 100 km east–west and reliable thermals from late morning; pilots can either stay on the easy front face or fly "into the back," the high mountains behind, where a descent can mean a multi-day retrieve on foot or by mule.[3](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/) On a good autumn day, Billing has 200 to 300 pilots on launch, including international visitors flying the spring and autumn windows.[3](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/)
Both solo and tandem flying are offered at Bir-Billing.[7](https://himachaltourism.gov.in/destination/paragliding/) In tandem flights a trained pilot takes an amateur guest along; commercial tandem flights run from about 15 minutes to 3 hours, with prices listed from ₹3,000 to ₹25,000 per person depending on flight length.[7](https://himachaltourism.gov.in/destination/paragliding/) • [4](https://www.travelbirbilling.com/tours/paragliding-in-bir-billing/) Himachal Tourism conducts paragliding training programs at Bir and Dharamsala.[7](https://himachaltourism.gov.in/destination/paragliding/)
**Competitions.** Bir hosted the Paragliding World Cup in 2015, India's first, bringing over a hundred of the world's top pilots to the valley.[2](https://birbilling.in/explore-bir-billing/) The Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Himachal Pradesh, organizes a 'Para Gliding Pre-world Cup' at the site each October.[6](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/himachal-pradesh/kangra/bir-billing) The 2015 World Cup was hosted with the Paragliding World Cup Association (France) and the Billing Paragliding Association.[8](https://www.travelbirbilling.com/) Development of the paragliding site has involved formal land processes: a 2023 forest-stage clearance document covers diversion of 0.9925 hectares of forest land for development of the paragliding site at Bir Billing in Tehsil Baijnath.[9](https://forestsclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/eds_UA/2014_27_11_Jul_2023_104847630_edsletter_Billing.pdf)
## Tibetan settlement and monasteries
Bir is home to a Tibetan refugee settlement with several Buddhist monasteries and a large stupa.[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) The Bir Tibetan Colony was settled in 1962 by Khampa refugees, who built a settlement around what became the Chokling Monastery.[3](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/) A Gampopa Center document on the settlement records it as set up in 1967 and registered in Simla (Shimla), Himachal Pradesh.[10](https://www.gampopacenter.org/yogi.pdf) A 1.5 km loop through the Colony passes three working monasteries, Tibetan-owned cafés serving thukpa and momos, the Deer Park Institute, and the paragliding landing site.[3](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/) The largest monastery in the area, Palpung Sherabling at Bhattu, lies 5 km west of Bir.[3](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/)
## Access
Gaggal airport (Kangra Airport, DHM) is the nearest airport, 68 km away and connected to Delhi by frequent flights.[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) By rail, Baijnath Paprola Railway Station sits on the Pathankot–Jogindernagar narrow-gauge line, linked to [Pathankot](https://www.edgepedia.org/pathankot), Kangra, and Palampur.[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) By road, Bir Billing is 68 km from Gaggal, 50 km from [Dharamshala](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharamshala), 180 km from Manali, 200 km from Shimla, 280 km from [Chandigarh](https://www.edgepedia.org/chandigarh), and 500 km from Delhi, served by government HRTC buses and private services, including a direct HRTC Volvo service from Bir to Delhi.[1](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/) Nearby Himachal Tourism properties include Hotel "Tea Bud" at Palampur (30 km) and Hotel "The Uhl" at Joginder Nagar (16 km).[11](https://himachaltourism.gov.in/nai-raahein-nai-manzilein/)
## Tourism economy and civic management
Tourism is a major sector in Himachal Pradesh, contributing about 7.07% of state GDP and employing 14.42% of the direct and indirect workforce in 2022–23.[12](https://fincomindia.nic.in/asset/doc/commission-reports/16th-FC/studies/evaluation/Evaluation%20of%20State%20Finances%20of%20Himachal%20Pradesh.pdf) Bir and nearby Billing have seen steady growth in guesthouses, cafés, and tourism infrastructure over the past decade.[13](https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/climate-change-and-tourism-are-reshaping-farming-in-the-himalayas/) That growth has brought management problems: residents and experts have raised concerns over unchecked construction, mounting waste, water shortages, and deteriorating infrastructure at Bir-Billing and other Kangra destinations.[14](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/over-tourism-threatens-ecology-infra-in-kangra-valley/) In March 2026 the Himachal Pradesh government issued a formal notification establishing a municipal council for Bir-Billing, expected to take charge of sanitation, waste management, and other civic services.[15](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/bir-billing-gets-municipal-council-to-tackle-waste-manage-tourism-growth/) A state audit report also noted that delayed handover of sites, including the paragliding center at Bir, pushed project commencement back by 8 to 13 months.[16](https://cag.gov.in/webroot/uploads/download_audit_report/2023/Report-No.-17-Complete-Page-21.07.2023-064d3a794cf1905.74176946.pdf)
## References
1. [Bir Billing, District Kangra, Government of Himachal Pradesh](https://hpkangra.nic.in/tourist-place/bir-billing/)
2. [Explore Bir Billing: Complete Travel Guide, birbilling.in](https://birbilling.in/explore-bir-billing/)
3. [Bir Billing in Kangra District, Himachal Tourism](https://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/bir-billing/)
4. [Bir Billing Paragliding, Travel Bir Billing Adventure](https://www.travelbirbilling.com/tours/paragliding-in-bir-billing/)
5. [Greater Bir Orientation, The Bir Portal](https://birhp.com/about-bir/orientation-bir-billing-himachal/)
6. [Bir Billing, Incredible India](https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/himachal-pradesh/kangra/bir-billing)
7. [Paragliding, Himachal Tourism Official Website](https://himachaltourism.gov.in/destination/paragliding/)
8. [Travel Bir Billing Adventure](https://www.travelbirbilling.com/)
9. [Forest clearance letter, Development of Paragliding Site at Bir Billing, Tehsil Baijnath](https://forestsclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/eds_UA/2014_27_11_Jul_2023_104847630_edsletter_Billing.pdf)
10. [Tibetan Settlement in Bir, Gampopa Center](https://www.gampopacenter.org/yogi.pdf)
11. [Nai Raahein Nai Manzilein, Himachal Tourism](https://himachaltourism.gov.in/nai-raahein-nai-manzilein/)
12. [Evaluation of State Finances of Himachal Pradesh, 16th Finance Commission](https://fincomindia.nic.in/asset/doc/commission-reports/16th-FC/studies/evaluation/Evaluation%20of%20State%20Finances%20of%20Himachal%20Pradesh.pdf)
13. [Climate change and tourism are reshaping farming in the Himalayas, Mongabay India](https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/climate-change-and-tourism-are-reshaping-farming-in-the-himalayas/)
14. [Over-tourism threatens ecology, infra in Kangra valley, The Tribune](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/over-tourism-threatens-ecology-infra-in-kangra-valley/)
15. [Bir-Billing gets municipal council to tackle waste, manage tourism growth, The Tribune](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/bir-billing-gets-municipal-council-to-tackle-waste-manage-tourism-growth/)
16. [Report No. 17 of 2023, Comptroller and Auditor General of India](https://cag.gov.in/webroot/uploads/download_audit_report/2023/Report-No.-17-Complete-Page-21.07.2023-064d3a794cf1905.74176946.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Settlements and neighborhoods › Villages, hamlets, and rural localities › Villages and rural localities of Asia › Villages of South Asia › Villages of northern India*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license