Manali

Manali – The Queen Of Himachal Pradesh


Manali is one of the best places to visit in Himachal Pradesh and hence is referred as the “Queen of Himachal Pradesh”. Its beauty attracts almost everyone to visit Manali. Manali is an ideal combination of a Honeymoon destination as well as a Trekking destination. It has many beautiful snow points like Rohtang Pass, that offer many sport activities; religious places like Hadimba temple, Manu Temple & Vashisth Bath; Jogini Waterfalls and the very famous Tibetan Monasteries.

“Ye haseen wadiyan, yeh khula asmaan, aa gaye hum kahan, ae mere saajana” – a very famous and the most romantic song of the decade was shot in the majestic Pir Panjal range of Manali in Himachal Pradesh. Owing to its wonderful surroundings and the awesome climate many Bollywood songs and scenes have been shot in Manali and its surroundings.

Any part of Himachal Pradesh will definitely give you some best of the awe moments during your trip. But Manali is surely the best to provide you a complete package. Manali has almost everything scattered in Himachal Pradesh. It’s like every sport under one roof. Well not taking much time in praises let’s have a look at the various places that are a must to be visited places.

Rohtang Pass

Rohtang Pass is the ancient trade route for the people on the either side of the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas. It serves as the only pass in the region connecting two different cultures. It connects Hindu culture in the Kullu Valley with the Buddhist culture in Lahaul and Spiti Valleys. The pass is a very popular tourist attraction in Himachal owing to the wonderful snow adventures that it provides. The famous song “Ye ishq haye….” From the movie Jab We Met, very well showcases the mesmerizing beauty of the Rohtang pass and a few other locations in Manali.

The pass remains covered with snow throughout the year and landslides are very common there. Hence, the pass is not accessible to the public throughout the year but is open only for a few months. But when open, it is probably the most beautiful location with snow adventures in Himachal Pradesh. Various snow adventures like snow biking, skiing, ice-skating, paragliding and many more are the options available for the entertainment of the tourists there.

Solang Valley

Solang Valley is another most favourite adventure destination for any tourist visiting Himachal Pradesh. Unlike Rohtang pass, it is open for the public throughout the year. But, the adventures offered by the place depend on the season as snow is not experienced there throughout the year. Horse Riding can be enjoyed in all the seasons. Horses there are used to take you to the Solang Valley and to the other points where adventures are available.

Some of the activities attracting the tourists there include paragliding, cable car ride, ropeway to take you to the higher altitude, skiing, parachuting and zorbing. But you have to be weather lucky to enjoy all of them. The adventures availability depends on the weather conditions there. Sometimes even reaching there is not possible due to unforeseen weather conditions. So you need to plan your trip according to the weather conditions there. Weather there is so unpredictable that you always need to have a plan B for yourself to enjoy the place to its fullest.

Beas River

Beas River – Our most favourite location in our trip to Manali. Yes, we love beaches and water bodies, but this river is our favourite for some other reason. Beas River provides you with a wonderful experience of River Rafting. River rafting at Beas River comes in the top ten places in India for River rafting. The crystal clear water of the River has a wonderful speed creating a completely appropriate location for River Rafting. Other than River rafting, there are a few more water adventures available at the Beas River like river crossing, camping and trekking.

River rafting – a bumpy ride in the middle of the wildly flowing waters of the river surrounded by the Pine and the Deodar trees. This is probably the shortest definition of the adventure. The adventurous ride is of 7 km to 14 km depending on the climate and the behaviour of the River. And the best part is when in the middle of the ride your guide permits you to jump into the water to experience the chillness of the wild water of the Beas River.

Vashisht Temple & Hot Water Springs

Vashisht Temple which is believed to be around 4000 years old, is one of the oldest temples in Manali. It was built in dedication to the sage Vashisht, the teacher of Lord Rama, as he had stayed there for a few years. Even the village has been named as Vashisht village. The temple has Vashisht Hot Water Springs which is believed to be so sacred that every year it attracts so many visitors from throughout India. An ancient temple of Lord Rama is found just next to this temple. It is also worth visiting once.

Hidimba Temple

An ancient cave temple surrounded by a forest named Dhungiri Van Vihar with Cedar trees. The way towards the temple has systematic arrangement of long Cedar trees on both the sides of the road. The temple is built on a rock. It has wooden doors with intricate carvings of many Gods and Goddesses on them. It has a 24 meters tall wooden shikhar or the tower of roofs above the sanctuary. The tower in all comprises 4 roofs of which 3 are wooden and the fourth one is a metal roof. The three wooden roofs are square in shape and are covered by timber tiles. A large metal umbrella surmounted by a metal finial forming the fourth roof crowns the summit of the temple. 

Apart from all the details of the place, the beautiful combination of the history and the heritage is significant in the divine atmosphere. You can easily spend a handsome amount of time in the serene surroundings.  

Manu Temple

Another ancient temple in Manali, Manu temple is located in the old Manali. The Manu temple here is most probably the only temple in India made for Lord Manu. At many places, Lord Manu has been described as the creator of the human beings. The tourists are attracted here for two reasons, one being the pilgrimage spot and the other is the architecture of the temple. The structure of the temple is of the ancient Pagoda style, which makes it more fascinating.

There are a few more attractions which can be visited in Manali, apart from the above mentioned attractions, of course if time persists. There is Manali Sanctuary, Jogini Waterfalls, The Nehru Kund, the Manali Market and many Tibetian Monasteries worth visiting in Manali.

Happy Travelling…..

Comment!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.