Manali known as the valley of Gods is a city in Himachal Pradesh located on the northern end of the Kullu Valley. The Manali city is named after the Sanatan Hindu lawgiver Manu and is regarded as the derivative of 'Manu-Alaya' which means 'the abode of Manu'.It is a famous tourist destination in India with over 36lac people visiting every year. Manali is situated at an elevation of 2100m in Himalayas on the river Beas and recognized as a backpacking center and honeymoon destination. Manali will give you a surreal view of gushing water flowing in between the mountains along with the glorious sunshine.
I planned this trip to Himachal with my office colleagues last year January and it was a 5 day trip. We created our trip from New Delhi to Manali with the help of a travel agency which made our trip more convenient. Our trip included different places like Solang Valley, Hidimba Devi Temple, Vashisht Bath, Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa in Manali and we also covered Manikaran Gurudwara in the end.
Hidimba Devi Temple: Hidimba Devi Temple locally known as Dhungari Temple is an ancient cave temple dedicated to deity Hidimbi Devi(wife of lord Bhima). This temple was built in 1553 AD by Maharaja Bahadur Singh. It is a beautiful four-storyed temple surrounded by devdar trees forest called Dhungiri Van Vihar. People of Manali believe that temple stands at the site where deity Hidimba meditated.
In Hidimba Devi temple you can spend 2-3 hrs and experience the scenic beauty of the forest. There you will find local people outside the temple carrying fluffy rabbits, sheeps and yaks for tourists to get photographed with them. Some people will be carrying traditional Himachali dresses for the tourists so that they can wear them and get clicked by the photographers. These are the sources of income for the local people in Manali.
After visiting the temple we went back to our hotel which was at the bank of river beas. On the bank of river there are many water sport camps for the tourists along with some Maggie points. We did rope jumping there which was so much fun and later had maggie sitting beside the river. We stayed there till the evening then we headed back to our hotel.
Vashisht Baths:We started our Day 2 of "Manali Darshan" with Vashisht ashram, which is around 2Km away from the main city. Inside Vashisht ashram there is a main room where a black stone wrapped in dhoti is placed, that represents the legendary sage Vashisht.
This place gives tourists an enchanting view of nature and also peace to the soul.
Vashisht Bath is the name of the hot sulphur water spring inside the ashram.
It is believed that there are various metals and radioactive elements present in the water that can cure all the skin ailments. I would definitely suggest you all to keep this place in your checklist when you plan to visit Manali. The timings for visiting the ashram are 7:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm daily. Outside the ashram you can find many souvenir shops to buy local authentic goods. We spent some time there buying small gifts as memoirs for our family and friends.
Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa Monastery: While coming back from Vashisht Bath we went to the Buddhist monastery, "Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa" which is at a distance of 4 Kms. Being one of the most popular attraction in Manali, this place is always crowded with tourists. As compared with other monasteries you can find this monastery slightly small in size but emits high spiritual energy.
This beautiful monastery was constructed by Tibetan Refugees in the year 1960. People from near by cities usually come here and meditate in the tranquil environment. Here in the monastery monks offer prayers, learn and share their knowledge about Buddhism and the importance of tolerance and non-violence. We spend some time here meditating and talking to the students, knowing there experience and leanings. Overall it was a delightful experience for all of us in the monastery.
Solang Valley:Then it was our day 3 in Manali and it was a full packed day for the fascinating "solang valley". Solang Valley is located at a distance of 14Kms from Manali, on the western bank of river beas and can be visited on the way to Rohtang Pass. This place offers tourists a captivating view of snow capped mountains surrounding the beautiful valley. On top of the hill you will find a shrine dedicated to lord Shiva which is visited by pilgrimages all across.
The valley is famous for hosting various adventurous sports like skiing, parachuting, paragliding, trekking, and mountaineering. The best time to enjoy the adventures of this place is in months of December to February and timings are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The fee charges are different for different activities, like for zorbing it is INR 500 and for paragliding INR 1200.
Mall Road: On the last day of our trip, we planned to go to Mall raod, known as heart of the city. Here you can find offices of municipal corporation, fire service, and police headquarters located. No automobiles are allowed in this area you can only use your transport till the entry and then you have to walk in the market. Mall road is lined up with multiple showrooms, restaurants, hotels and bars. You can buy beautifully woven shawls, handicrafts, rugs, jewelry, wooden furniture and archaic books.
After completing Manali tour we headed towards Kasol and Manikaran which are on its way back to Delhi. I will be putting up a separate blog on both of these places which will give you a clear picture about them.
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