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Hidimba Devi temple
Hidimba Devi temple stands in the midst of a sacred cedar
forest near the town of Dunghri at the verdant foot of the Himalaya
mountains. The sanctuary is built over an enormous rock that
juts out of the ground, worshipped as a manifestation of Durga, the
"Hill Mother" or goddess of the earth. The temple was
constructed in 1553 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh, who made a promise to
the Hidimba deity of the Mahabharata epic.
The temple is rather unusual and is architecturally similar
only to the temple of Tripura Sundari in Naggar (also in the Kulu
valley). The Hidimba Devi temple is 24 meters tall and
consists of three square roofs clad in timber tiles, surmounted by a
cone-shaped fourth roof that is covered in brass. The interior
of the temple is occupied by the large rock and contains no useable
space except for the ground floor. Curiously, a rope dangles
from the ridge that is said to have been used to hang victims by the
hand, who were then swung--bleeding and bruised--over the large rock
in the presence of the goddess.
The base of the temple is made of whitewashed mud-covered
stonework. The main doorway includes an elaborately carved
wooden entrance that is believed to be over 400 years old.
These and other carvings center on the goddess Durgha who is a
mainstay of pan-Indian stories. However, the goddess herself
is represented only once in a three inch tall brass
image.
MANU TEMPLE: 3 kms. from the main bazar
in old Manali lies the temple of MANU RISHI. It is believed that
this is the only temple of Manu in India, who was the creator of
human race on the earth.
CLUB HOUSE: 2 kms. from the town, club
house has indoor games facilities which has been located on the left
bank of Manalsu Nallah. There are some picnic spots near
it.
TIBETAN MONASTERIES: There are 3 newly
constructed colorful monasteries, where visitors can buy carpets and
other Tibetan handicrafts. Two are located in the town and one at
Aleo on the left bank of Beas river.
MOUNTAINEERING INSTITUTE: Located 3 kms.
on the left bank of river Beas towards Kulu. This Institute
organises basic & advance training courses, in trekking,
mountaineering, skiing and water sports. Skiing and trekking
equipments can be hired from here by booking in advance. Tourists
can visit an interesting showroom here.
VASHIST HOT WATER SPRINGS AND TEMPLE (3
Kms): Vashist, a small village located on the left bank of river
Beas towards Rohtang pass is worth a visit. It is renowned for its
hot springs and temples. Nearby is the pyramidal stone temple
dedicated to Vashist Muni. There is another Temple of Lord Ram here.
Natural hot sulphur springs with two separate bathing tanks for
gents and ladies are always full of tourists. Turkish style showers
fitted baths have also been built nearby. Hot water from the nearby
spring is provided for bathing.
NEHRU KUND: 5 kms. on National Highway
to Leh,a natural spring of cold clear water named after Pt. Jwahar
Lal Nehru, who used to drink water from this spring during his stay
in Manali. This spring is believed to originate from the Bhrigu lake
situated high-up in the mountains.
SOLANG VALLEY: 13 kms. is a splendid
valley between Solang village and Beas Kund. Solang valley offers
the view of glaciers and snow capped mountains and peaks. It has
fine ski slopes. The Mountaineering Institute has installed a ski
lift for training purpose. Located here is a hut and guest house of
the Mountaineering and Allied sports Institute, Manali. Now a few
hotels have also come up. The winter skiing festival is organised
here. Training in skiing is imparted at this place.
KOTHI: Situated on the road to Rohtang
pass, a picturesque spot, Kothi is 12kms. from Manali. A PWD rest
house is situated on a ridge overlooking a narrow valley with a very
good view of mountains and valleys. Large number of films (movies)
have been picturised at this place and is the ideal resting resorts
of poets, writers and the lovers of peaceful environs.
RAHALA WATER FALLS: 16 kms. on way to
Rohtang pass. If one goes to Marhi on foot from Kothi from the old
road, the sight of the falls is fascinating. It is a good picnic
spot as well.
Rohtang Pass (el. 3978 m./13,051 ft.) is a high mountain pass
that connects the Kullu
Valley with the Lahul
and Spiti valleys of Himachal
Pradesh, India.
The pass is only open from June to September, has a
well-deserved reputation for being very dangerous because of
unpredictable snowstorms.In fact in the local language ,rohtang
literally means the "pile of corpses".
The pass provides a natural cultural divide between the
foothills and wet lowlands of northern India and its primarily Hindu culture, with
the dry desert uplands north of the first range of the Himalayas and its
mainly Buddhist
and heavily Tibetan-influenced culture.
There is a small temple at the top of the pass with a spring
that is the source of the Beas
River.
The road through the Kullu Valley, past
Manali and over the Rohtang Pass to Keylong,
and Lahul and on to Ladakh, has become
very busy during the summer months as a military route, because of
the troubles in Kashmir which
have meant that the road from Srinagar to Leh is now less used.
Traffic jams (as pictured) are common occurrences caused by the
inability of military vehicles, trucks, and goods carriers to
navigate the tight roads and rough terrain, not to mention, snow and
ice.
ARJUN GUFA(CAVE): 4kms. from Manali
towards Naggar, the cave is situated near Prini village 1km. above
the road where Arjun had meditated. This is good 1/2 a day excursion
with charming view of the brilliant mountains.
JAGATSUKH: 6 Kms. from Manali located on
the left bank on Beas on the road to Naggar. The place is famous for
very old temples of Lord Shiva and Sandhya Gayatri in Shikhara
style, these are worth a visit.
Adventure Sports
Skiing is a major pastime in Manali. Facilities for skiing
are available at Solang Nullah (January-March) and Rohtang La
(during summer). The Mountaineering Institute at Solang Nullah is a
good training institute. Heli skiing is possible at the deep
snowfields.
The Mountaineering Institute and Allied Sports is about 3 km
from the Mall and offers mountaineering and kayaking courses.
Kayaking is possible on the Beas River.
There are several good hikes from Manali. The 12 km hike up
the western banks of the Beas to the Solang Valley is noteworthy.
Lama Dugh meadow is a 6 km hike up to the Manalsu Nala, west of
Manali town.
For the best trekking expedition, take a trek from Solang
Valley, on to Dhundhi and from there to Dussar lake and then onwards
to Manali. This stretch will take you to places you would have only
dreamt of. Pure, unadulterated adventure and fun. Be sure to have a
good guide at your disposal who knows this area otherwise you would
be lost forever. The trek would typically last for 5
days.
In the summers, several travel agencies organize paragliding
on the slopes of the Solang Nullah. The charges generally include
accommodation, food, equipment, and a guide, but not
transport.
From May to July and, depending on the monsoons, from
mid-September to mid-October, some basic rafting is possible on the
Beas. The trips generally begin at Pirdi and continue 16 km down to
Jhiri.
The HPTDC provides day permits for fishing. Permits can be
obtained also at Patlikhul. Angling in the Kullu valley is possible
at Larji, Katrain and Kasol.
Beas Kund is the lake from which the River Beas originates.
It is considered holy and sacred. Besides being a holy pilgrimage
place, it is a popular destination for trekking.
Sports
Manali is among the most popular adventure sports
destinations in India. Manali offers opportunities for
mountaineering, skiing, trekking, paragliding, white water rafting,
and mountain biking. Yak skiing is a sport unique to this area..
Manali also featured in Time magazine's "Best of Asia" for its
"Extreme Yak Sports". | 