Manali

                  Manali Tourist Attractions

One of the most beautiful hill stations of Himachal Pradesh, Manali falls under the district of Kullu. It is situated at a height of 2050 meters above sea level and is visited by tourists from various parts of India. The natural beauty of hill resort gets greatly magnified by the presence of the Beas River, which swiftly meanders through it. The wild flowers, hamlets and fruit-laden orchards seen on the banks of the river lend it a magnificent look. Given below are the major tourist destinations of Manali, which should be covered on all the sightseeing tours of the hill resort.

Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa
Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa is one of the small Tibetan monasteries, known as Gompas, situated in Manali. The vivid use of bright colors and liveliness of the monastery is what attracts the tourists. One can buy Tibetan carpets, durries and other artifacts from here.

Hadimba Devi Temple
Situated at a distance of approximately 1.5 km from the main Manali, Hadimba Devi Temple is also known by the name of Dhoongri temple. Surrounded by thickly wooded forests, it has a 4-tier pagoda-shaped roof, an intricately carved doorway and beautiful mythological sculptures. You can also ride a yak here.

Manu Temple
Manu Temple is located in the Old Manali and can be reached after a half-hour trek on the hill. It enshrines Manu, who landed and settled down in Manali, after the great floods and became the progenitor of human beings.

Vashisht Baths
Vashisht is a small village, situated on the bank of River Beas. It is famous for a splendid temple, dedicated to Lord Rama, and hot springs that are said to have medicinal properties.

Malana
Across River Parvati, on the trekking route from Jari, is a beautiful quaint village called Malana. The village is believed to have been inhabited by the descendants of the Greeks that came as Alexander's army. Malana is one of the villages that have democratic assembly to take care of the village's administrative matters.

Naggar
28 km from Manali, Naggar is famous for Naggar Castle, which has now been transformed into a heritage hotel; Roerich Art Gallery and Uruswati Mueseum that houses paintings of the famous Russian painter, Nicholas Roerich.

Roerich Art Gallery
Nicholas Roerich was a Russian who settled down in the beautiful hills of the Himalayas after the revolution of 1917. He was a gifted painter, who dreamt of unifying the world through art.

Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum
Situated in Naggar, within the premises of the Roerich estate, Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum is just 100 m uphill from the Nicholas K. Roerich Art Gallery. Professor and Madame Nicholas Roerich set it up in 1928.

Manali is located at an altitude of 1829M is one of the popolar hill station of Himalayan range. Manali is located in Himachal Pradesh state of India. Manali is one of the very popular and highly sought visiting place and tourist destination for not only Indians, for even foreigners during summer. Experiencing the view of hill stations surrounding Manali is a marvelous experience. Some of the Himalayan peaks which can be seen surrounding Manali are, Hanuman Tibba, 7 sister peak, Friendship peak, Patalsu peak, Ladakhi peak, Manali peak. Getting into Manali Many tourists arrive at Manali by bus from Delhi. There are different types of busses and most of them start from Behind the Chanderlok Building, Janpath, New Delhi. Himachal roadways transport start from ISBT of Delhi. Buses starts from Delhi around 18.30 and arrives at Manali at 10.00 AM ( add some delay of one or two hours ) , There are some buses from Delhi after 18.30 also. You can get a Non A/C Dlx Buses and the fare will be Rs 550 /- per ticket. Volvo A/C Buses Price is Rs 850/- A/C Sleeper Bus Price is 1,100 /- On return buses starts from Manali around 1.30 PM upto 5.00 PM and arrives at Delhi early morning accordingly. Keep some buffer time to catch any train or flight aa these buses are likely to be delayed by one or two hours.  for extensive details on reaching Manali from Delhi with various options of visiting many places through different places in Himachal Pradesh. Manali is located at northern end of Kullu valley. with the help of Lord Ganesha Rishi Ved Vyas wrote the epic Mahabharata at the source of the Beas. This river Beas orgininates in Manali,. Manali is the final town after Kullu (district head quarters of Himachal Pradesh). Manali is the gateway to Lahaul Spiti which is famous for valleys. Manali is blessed with rivers (mainly the giant river, Beas) almost surrounding from all the places, snow covered peaks everywhere. It almost looks like a sacred placed situated with nature blessing. Pir Panjal range of Himalayn snow peak covering mountains invite all as they reach Manali. Manali opens up many opportunities for not only nature lovers, but also for people who are fond of adventure sports. There are many adventurous sports possible in and around Manali. Manali is a popular destination for many trekkers. Chandratal is one of the famous trekking destination. There are countless trekking destinations in and around Manali. One need to enquire at local offices to know whether particular trekking is opened for expedition or not. Some destinations need permissions from Government officials. Rohtang pass itself is a trekking destination one can opt to enjoy the nature. Youth Hostel Association of India organizes several Himalayan trekking, family camping, nature study programs near Manali and Kullu. Contact Youth Hostel for their different trekking programs. Rohtang Pass: Snow Point This is 51 Km from Manali town and the main attraction place is known as Show point. You can enjoy snow in summer season also as this place is full of snow through out the year.  Shopping The main market place is known as The Mall and you can spend your evening after visiting tourist places around this small town. You can get all type of Indian food in this market place. The population of Manali is a mix of Kullus, Ladakhis, Tibetans, Kashmiris and Nepalis so the shops on the Mall sells handicrafts made by these communities mostly woolen were, On the way to Manali from Kullu there is a cooperative shop selling various types of woolen materials at very attractive price, this shop is known as Kullu shawl factory. Kullu shawls and Kashimirs salwar-kameez materials are one of the popular item of this area. Shops selling Tibetan antiques are interesting and popular among foreign tourists. If you are at Manali then you must visit some important areas around this beautiful place. Solang Valley This valley is located at a distance of 12 KM from main town before Kothi. The place is famous for adventurous sports like Paragliding, Zorbing, horse riding, trekking and skiing. Kothi offers pictresque view of towering cliffs, frosted hillsides and undulating meadows. This place is on the way to Rohtang but take diversion at the village Palchan. The friendship valley which is just behind Solang is used as training camps for mountainers and trekkers. The national Winter Skiing championship is also organized here. Solang valley is nearly 2500 Mtrs above sea level. We did paragliding here and was a pleasure. A little bargain is available. It depends on from what height one wants to have paragliding. We paid INR 750 from the peak most point and the total time was 45 minutes. One has to trek to this peak. Horse facility is also available who cannot climb the hill. There are local photographers who take your photographs (INR 150) while you are in the air. Even video (INR 200) also will be available. It is worth the amount as the moment is what one wishes to see, enjoy and recollect the past later. Tibetan Monastery This Monastery is very nearer to Manali the Mall. This monastery houses the giant statue of Gautam Buddha. Photography is allowed inside the premises on a nominal charge of INR 5. Triditional dresses of Himachal Pradesh (for both men and women) are available outside the monastery. One can wear and have photographs which lasts for their memory in the rest of their life. Vashisht At a distance of 3 KM from Manali Vaishist is located. There is a pair of temples stands opposite to each other. One temple is dedicated to Lord Ram and the other one is to Sage Vashishta, the patern saint and Lord Ram. Once upon a time this was a meditation place for Vashishta Maharshi. When Laxman came to take the help of Vashishta muni for Ashwa megha yaga, to warm up the cold place, he fired an arrow to the ground from where hot water spring gushed out. Till now there is a belief that the water here is having medicinal values. Manu Maharishi Temple This temple is dedicated to Manu rishi who is considered as the law provider. This temple is 2Kms from Manali. The temple is now renovated with wooden carvings. Club House No one needs to visit a club at Manali but the river side club has some unique attraction. You can do river rafting and spend some time by the side of the river enjoying different sports and games. This is managed by Himachal Tourism. This place is nearly 1.5Kms from Manali. A branch of Beas river called manalsu flows nearer to the complex. There is a shopping complex (for woolen and other clothing material) just beside the club house and also managed by Himachal Tourism. We found the quality of the items excellent and at times discount prices are available for many items which are genuine.