Manali is a beautiful hill station cushioned between the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. This hill station is located in Kullu district, nearly 270 km north of Shimla, the state capital. It is a small town with a total population of about 8,096. During the recent years, it has turned into a popular tourist attraction. Here, the landscape will leave you speechless. This beautiful abode is surrounded by mountains covered with snow, rivers having clear water flowing down the town. The other part of the town is filled with deodar and pine trees, fruit orchards and tiny fields.
If you want to relax for few days or trekking is your favorite hobby then, Manali is the perfect place for you. This place has everything ranging from temples to attractive sight-seeing spots along with adventure activities. In simple language it can be said that Manali is the right place for travelers to visit at every season. Here, the temperature during winter gets low so if you are planning to visit at that time of the month don’t forget to pack your woolens. As far as summer is concerned, the weather is pleasant.
Places to Visit
Hadimba Temple: Though Manali is full of attractive places, but the main centre of attraction is without any doubt, the “Dhoongri Temple”. This historical temple built in 1533 A.D is dedicated to the goddess, Hidimba. The four-tiered Pagoda shaped roof and the legendry figures drawn on the doors are things that make this temple so special. Every ear lot of tourists come here to attend the festival held in May.
Jagat Sukh: This is another popular place in Manali. It is 6 km away from Manali situated on the bank of river Beas on the way to Naggar. This place is popular for old temples of Sadhya Gayatri and Lord Shiva. While going to Jagat Sukh, visitors can halt and visit Arjun Gufa which is 4 kms from Manali on the way towards Naggar. This cave is situated near Prini village. This is the place where Arjun meditated. It is a perfect place for people planning a 1 to 2 day excursion.
Rohtang Pass: It is 51 kms from Manali located on the highway to Leh/Keylong. The spectacular and panorama view of the Mountain View is fantabulous. To enjoy the beauty of this pass, it is suggested to visit from June to October when the pass is opened though visitors can cross it anytime of the year. This pass is a gateway to Leh valley, Pangi, Lahaul Spiti. To the left of this pass are beautiful glaciers, Geypan peaks and Chandra River that flows through the Lahaul valley.
Rahala Water Falls: Visitors can enjoy the scenic beauty of this water fall while going to Rohtag Pass. The sight looks more charming if one takes the Marhi route from Kothi through the old road. It is a popular picnic spot.
Solang Valley: This valley located betweeb Beas Kund river and Solang village provides a beautiful view of glaciers, snow covered peaks and mountains. Earlier, there was only a hut and a guest house for the people of Mountaineering and Allied sports Institute. Recently, few hotels have come up in this area as large numbers of tourists visit this place for watching winter skiing festival. .
Nehru Kund: As the name indicates, this spring of water is named after Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. The reason behind giving this name is Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru used to drink water from this spring during her visit to Manali. This spring originates from Bhrigu lake, flowing from top of the mountains.
Vashist hot water spring: Every visitor must visit this place. It is famous for its old temples and hot springs. Close to this spring is a stone temple devoted to Vashist Muni. This natural hot water spring has two distinct bathing tanks for both ladies and gents. Every season of the year these baths are filled with tourists. Recently, Turkish style baths have been fitted here for the convenience of tourists.