Introduction to city Manali - In Himanchal
Pradesh
Located in the Kullu Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh, Manali is
one of the most beautiful hill stations of the country. The town provides
ample opportunities for adventure sport and winter sports. Easily
accessible by road and a major base point for many of the important passes
of the country, Manali draws a good number of tourists from within the
country and abroad every year.
Sightseeing : Places to visit in destination -
Manali
Manali has a number of thrilling and picture perfect sites to visit.
Some of the important attractions are the natural hot-water
fountain and temple in the Vashishtha Baths, the legendary
Hadimba Devi Temple and the picturesque Tibetan Monastery.
Go a little bit away from the town, and you come across the legendary
Arjun Gufa, the historical Jagatsukh, the Nehru Kund, Kothi, and
the Solang Valley, besides the Rehalla Falls.
VASHISHTHA BATHS - Manali |
| The hot water spring of Vashishtha is famous for its medicinal
power. A large number of people throng here for a bath as the water
of the spring is believed to cure several diseases. There is a
pyramidal stone temple nearby, which is dedicated to Vashishta Muni.
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HADIMBA DEVI TEMPLE - Manali
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| The Hadimba Devi temple is an important place to visit in
Manali. The temple is dedicated to the goddess-turned-demoness
Hadimba (or Hirimba), the wife of Bhima. It is said that Bhima fell
in love with Hadimba, the sister of demon Tandi, whom he killed in
order to marry Hadimba. Built in the 1553, this temple is locally
known as Doongri Mata temple. The temple is characterised by its
pagoda-like roof that adds into the beauty of the place. According
to a legend, to prevent the duplication of this four-tier temple
construction, the chief craftsman’s right hand was chopped off. But
this motivated the builder to construct another more elaborate and
beautiful temple with his left hand, for which he lost his head. The
second temple was built at Triloknath, 155 km away from Manali.
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TIBETAN MONASTERY - Manali
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| The colourful Tibetan monastery is famous for its carpet-weaving
unit where the residents, the immigrants from Tibet, produce
handicrafts of various kinds that attract the tourists towards it.
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ARJUN GUFA - Manali |
| Located at a distance of 15 km from the main Manali town area,
Arjun Gufa is another place to visit in Manali. Located near the
Prini Village, the legendary gufa (cave) is an ideal spot for a
daylong visit. According to a legend, Arjuna, one of the Pandavas,
used to practice stringent meditation here to attain the powerful
Pashupata Ashtra (a powerful weapon used in warfare). |
JAGATSUKH - Manali
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| Located at a distance of 6 km from Manali, Jagatsukh is the
largest village of Kullu district. It is situated on the bank of the
river Beas, and is famous for its glorious history as well as the
religious importance that it holds. The village has a famous temple
dedicated to Lord Shiva. The structure of the temple is of the
Shikhara style. Jagatsukh also holds historical importance as it
functioned as the ancient capital of Kullu for about ten
generations. In addition, it was here that the first and second
revolutions against the Thakurs and Ranas took place. |
NEHRU KUND - Manali |
| Located on the Manali-Keylong road at a distance of 6 km from
Manali town, Nehru Kund is a calm and peaceful place to visit. The
name of the place is given after the first Prime Minister of India,
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. The place is especially famous for the clean
water spring, which is believed to flow from the Brhigu Lake |
KOTHI - Manali
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| Located at a distance of 12 km from Manali, Kothi is situated on
the Lahaul-Spiti-Leh highway. Kothi served as the camping place for
tourists when the 3,978-metre-high Rohtang Pass had to be reached on
foot. However, the Rohtang Pass is now accessible by bus, jeep and
pony. It also has a comfortable staying option in the beautiful PWD
Rest House, which lies in the middle of a picture-perfect
surrounding of the snow-capped peaks and glaciers. |
SOLANG VALLEY - Manali |
| Located at a distance of 13 km from Manali town, Solang Valley
is known for its beautiful landscape, thrilling snow-capped mountain
peaks and the view of the glaciers. You can have a breathtaking view
of the Himalayan range from the various view points. Many tourists
throng this place especially during the winter skiing festival. It
also has on-the-spot skiing training facility, a hostel of the
Department of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, and ANTREK Campsite
Resort. |
REHALLA FALLS - Manali
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| Located at a distance of 16 km from Manali, the picturesque
Rehalla Falls is a result of spilling water from steep rocks and
melting glaciers. It is perched at an altitude of 9,000 ft. and
provides you an excellent view of the nature around. The entire area
is also characterised by the forest of deodar, silver birch trees
and a fresh and aromatic air.
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Excursions : Places nearby city -
Manali
Manali offers sites nearby that you can visit on a daylong trip. These
places provide you a view of the magnificent Himalayas and the
scintillating feeling of being one with the Mother Nature. The region
around Manali also has some of the major passes of the country. The
Rohtang Pass, Keylong, Naggar, Manikaran, Udaipur, Bhutta Weavers Colony,
Kullu and the Bhuntar are some of the places that are worth a
visit.
Bhuntar |
| Located at a distance of 50 km from Manali town, Bhuntar is a
picturesque town. Bhuntar houses the nearest airport to Manali.
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Bhutti Weavers Colony |
| Bhutti is an important shopping place around Manali. It houses
the Himachal State Weaving Co-Operative, also called the Bhutti
Weavers colony. It has retail outlets for shawls, caps, gadmas and
other handicrafts. |
Keylong |
| Keylong, located at an altitude of 3,350 metres, is the
headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district of the state of Himachal
Pradesh. Keylong makes a convenient base to visit some of the nearby
destinations like the Rohtang Pass, Koksar, Sissu, Gondla and Tandi.
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Kullu |
| Kullu is a wonder-filled, picturesque excursion itinerary from
Manali. The place is characterised by fascinating mountains, calm,
placid and gorgeous valleys, gentle breeze, and whispering pines.
Kullu finds mention in the great Indian epic Mahabharata as many
mythological figures came and resided in this valley of the Gods.
Being in Kullu will give you the opportunity to see some of its
important places like the Akhara Bazaar, Katrian, Kasol, Rasion,
Manikaran and Pulga. |
Manikaran |
| Located at a distance of 86 km from Manali, Manikaran is another
mythological as well as religious site to visit from Manali. The
name of the place is derived from the words, 'mani' (meaning jewel)
and 'karan' (meaning ears). According to a legend, fascinated by its
beauty, Lord Shiva and Parvati decided to stay here. One day Goddess
Parvati lost one of her earrings here and could not find it despite
all efforts. This made the Lord angry and He opened his third eye,
which resulted in large-scale destruction. The name Manikaran is
believed to have its origin in the above legend. |
Naggar |
| Located at a distance of 22 km, Naggar makes an ideal getaway
from Manali. Besides its natural beauty, the place is also an
important pilgrimage site with its Gauri Shankar Temple, the Chatar
Bhuj Temple, Tripura Sundri Devi Temple and the Murlidhar Temple.
Naggar was the capital of the Kullu Valley during the 16th century.
The beautiful castle here, built by the then Kullu ruler, houses a
temple in the courtyard with a small museum. |
Rohtang Pass
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Situated at an altitude of 3,978 m, the famous Rohtang Pass is a
must visit destination near Manali. The gateway to Lahaul Spiti,
Pangi and the Leh valley, it is an important excursion point, a
paradise for the adventurous tourist. Although it asks you to bear
some chill in the wind but the views it provides are worth all the
hardships. You can also see the precipitous cliffs, huge glaciers
and deep ravines. However, this pass is open for tourists only
during the summer months as the rest of the year the traffic flow is
interrupted due to the heavy snowfall.
From Rohtang, one can
access the Sonepani Glacier and the snow-crowned twin peaks of
Geypang and Marh (10 km from Manali). |
Udaipur |
| Located at a distance of about 145 km from Manali, Udaipur is
the base point to visit a number trekking of sites. It is also
famous for its exemplary shikhara style temple built after 1720 near
Chamba. Formerly known as Margul, the name Udaipur was given during
the reign of Raja Udai Singh of Chamba (1690-1728). The place is
also known for its apples, walnuts, apricots, etc.
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