Manali

Manali is a high-altitude Himalayan resort town in India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state. It has a reputation as a backpacking center and honeymoon destination. Set on the Beas River, it’s a gateway for skiing in the Solang Valley and trekking in Parvati Valley. It's also a jumping-off point for paragliding, rafting and mountaineering in the Pir Panjal mountains, home to 4,000m-high Rohtang Pass.

Kullu

Known as the ‘Valley of Gods’, Kullu is a cluster of beautiful valleys in Himachal Pradesh. Located between the majestic Himalayas and river Beas, Kullu is situated at an altitude of 1230 m. Kullu, along with Manali, are favorite hill stations with tourists especially honeymooners. Scenic views and snow-clad mountains, towering Deodar jungles, rivers and apple orchards have attracted several feature filmmakers too.

Kullu is a hot-spot for adventure sports. Trekking, river rafting, mountaineering, paragliding and hiking over the Himalayan glaciers are some of the activities that Kullu offers. Angling is another activity enjoyed a lot by locals as well as tourists. Mountaineering beginners can trek around the Beas Kund region, Hanuman Tibba and Deo Tibba.

Most of the trekking trails are situated beyond the Rohtang Pass in the valleys of Spiti, Lahaul, Zanskar and Ladakh and private companies organize expeditions for up to 12 days. The hot springs of Kheerganga , Manikaran, a pilgrimage and the Great Himalayan National Park are a few of the ‘touristy’ places worth visiting here.

Kullu was earlier known as Kulanthpitha, meaning ‘the ending point of inhabitable world’. The beautiful valley is also mentioned in epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vishnu Purana. Chinese traveler Huien Tsang visited Kullu in 634 or 635 AD and described it as a region completely surrounded by mountains. King Ashoka had a stupa built here, which was eventually taken away by a Mughal king and installed in Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi.

In days of yore, Kullu had several Buddhist monasteries. There were Hindu temples too and people of both faiths lived peacefully together. Both Buddhist and Hindus inhabited the caves near the mountain passes. The valley is said to have been rich with gold, silver, red copper, crystal and bell metal. The first motorable road in Kullu was built only after Independence.

BEST PLACES TO STAY IN KULLU

Cottages are available on rent in the hills as they are quite cheap and also comfortable. Most of the hotels in Kullu are located at the foothills.

There are some luxury resorts too which would cost anywhere between Rs 5,000 to Rs 9,000 per day. The resorts provide very good facilities like steam baths, massages, 24 hour internet and TV. Budget and mid-range hotels are also available at pocket friendly prices.

Shimla

The enchanting beauty of Shimla made British declare the land as their summer capital. The colonial influence is still evident in the city. The hill station offers spectacular views of the snow-capped Himalayan ranges. With lakes and rich greenery around, Simla welcomes tourists round the year, of course, if you don’t mind the ‘below zero’ temperature in winter. Here are the leading destinations in Simla.

Kasauli

This small hill station seems to live in time warp that belongs to the 19th century. The narrow roads of Kasauli (1951m) slither up and down the hillside and offer some magnificent vistas. Directly below is the spread of vast plains of Punjab and Haryana which as darkness falls, unroll a gorgeous carpet of twinkling lights. At 3647 m, the peak of Choor Chandni also called the Choordhar powerfully dominates the lower hills and across the undulating ranges, Shimla is visible.

The upper and lower malls run through Kasauli's length and one can enjoy longs walks. A mixed forest of pine, oak and huge horse-chestnut encircles the town. Its colonial ambience is reinforced by stretch of cobbled road, quaint shops, gabled houses with charming facades and scores of neat little gardens and orchards.

ACCESS : Kasauli is connected by road. The closest broad gauge railhead is at Kalka, 37 km away. The closest airport are at Chandigarh, (65 km) and Shimla (73km). Taxis and buses for Kasauli are available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Kalka and Shimla.

CLIMATE : In winter, the temperature gets quite low and heavy woolens are required. In summer, the climate is mild light woolens/cottons are recommended.

Chandrakhani Pass

Chandrakhani Pass is one of the most beautiful and serene pass, at an altitude of 3660 m located in the Kullu valley. Chandrakhani Pass offers fabulous views of the Deo Tibba peak, Pir Panjal and Parbati range of mountains. The trek is one of the most beautiful treks that introduces the traveler to the remote, hilly cultures of Himachal Pradesh. The scenic beauty of the Kullu valley, and the mountain peaks that dot that horizon is a treat for the nature lover throughout the journey. The region is also known as the Valley of Gods. Legend has that Jamlu (the presiding deity at Malana), opened a basket containing the gods of Kullu at the Chandrakhani Pass and the strong winds blew the gods to their present abodes.

Hadimba Temple

Hadimba Temple in Kullu Manali is one of the main tourist places in Manali for the visitors. Is is around 1.5 kms from the Mall Road. There are plenty of hotels in Manali which are on the way from Mall Road to Hamdimba temple. It is an old wooden temple of four store, located in the middle of dense forest known as Van Vihar. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Hadimba and was erected in 1553. It comes in Kullu Manali best places to visit

THE HISTORY OF HADIMBA TEMPLE

Hadimba has been idealized and worshipped in this particular area in Mahabharat. Few of the sub mountainous tracts of the Himalayas were ruled by Hadimb Rakshah. Hadimba was his sister.

WHO BUILT HADIMBA TEMPLE IN MANALI

Raja Bahadur Singh Built hadimba temple in Manali and there is a fair being held every year known as Bahadur Singh Re Jatar among kullu manali local peoples. Birthday of Hadimba devi fair is also held on 14th May every year with music and dance.

Rohtang Pass

Located at a height of 3979 metres and at a distance of 51 kms from Manali, Rohtang Pass is on the highway to Keylong/Leh. In winters, the pass remains closed but is open from June to October for motor vehicles. This pass is a gateway to Lahaul Spiti, Pangi and Leh valley. The best time to visit the pass is between May/June to October/November. In the month of May, Rohtang becomes a hotspot for adventure enthusiasts. Tourists can go for various thrilling activities like snow scooter, skiing and mountain biking. Nature lovers can enjoy beautiful views of glaciers, peaks and Chandra river that flows down in the Lahaul valley.

There is a waterfall named as Rahala, which is located at a distance of 16 kms from Manali on the way to Rohtang Pass. This waterfall flows down from an altitude of 2,500 metres and looks amazingly wonderful. Photography buffs must visit this pass as they get to click one of the most beautiful pictures of nature. It is recommended to hire a local cab or take a bus, as the drive to Rohtang Pass becomes quite tough with slippery road and narrow curves.

Tibetan Monasteries

The Tibetan monastery is one of the major tourist spot in Manali and is famous for weaving different and colourfull carpets. Residents and immigrants of Tibet produce handmade handicrafts to attract the various tourists.

Tibetan Monastery is one of the oldest and famous place in Manali. Due to huge number of tibetan peoples settled in Kullu Manali Tibetan Monasteries has been set up.

The main attraction of the monastery is the handicrafts of Tibetan artistry and the carpets that are woven and sold in the monastery. The Gadhan Thekchoking Gompa in Manali was constructed in the year 1969. The architecture of the monastery represents the Tibetan style of architecture designed with hued frescoes. The statue of the Lord Buddha presides in the monastery.

The Gadhan Thekchoking Gompa is situated near the Mall in Manali. The monastery is run by the local people who gather funds through donations.

Solang Valley

Located at a distance of 13 kms from Manali, Solang Valley lies between Solang village and Beas Kund. It offers a beautiful view of glaciers and snow capped mountains. Since the valley has fine ski slopes, it is a perfect place for skiing. The guest house of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali is based here. This institute is the venue for winter skiing festival and also offers training in skiing to the tourists. In winter, the valley becomes a skiing paradise with children of all ages slipping and sliding over the fresh white snow. When snow melts in the summer, skiing is replaced by parachuting, zorbing, paragliding and horse riding. For snow lovers, the best time to visit Solang Valley is between the months of December to February.

Jakhu temple

This temple of lord Hanumanji is situated at the height of about 8500 ft. in the east of historical ridge ground in Shimla city. This temple is very easily approachable and is one of the most sought after site to be visited not only by the devotees and pilgrims but also by the tourists of all age groups visiting Shimla, the Hill capital of Himachal Pradesh.

According to mythology , during the battle between lord Rama and Ravana at Lanka ,Lakshmana the younger brother of lord Rama was injured from an arrow from Meghnad and turned senseless. In order to save his life ,when lord Hanuman was moving towards Himalaya to get sanjeewani herb , all of a sudden he saw Yaaku sage on Jakhu mountain in penance .This place was named Jakhu , after the same sage .In order to gather more details about sanjeewani , lord Hanuman landed here . As a result of which Jakhu mountain which earlier was much higher ,half sunk into earth .After getting all the clarifications about the herb , lord Hanuman started his journey towards mount Dron . However , his friends accompanying him felt asleep here due to long distant tiring journey . When they woke up , all of them were sad on not finding lord Hanuman with them . All of them decided to stay here .Their successors can be seen roaming in this area even today . Lord Hanuman had even promised the sage Yaaku to meet him during his back journey .However due to shortage of time as a result of wickedness of Kaalnemi , he had to return back to Lanka via shorter route .The waiting sage got very sad .At the same time lord Hanuman appeared before the sage and told him the reason for not keeping his promise .When lord Hanuman disappeared , an idol of lord Hanuman appeared by itself and is present in the temple till date . This temple of lord Hanuman was constructed by the Yaaku sage in remembrance of lord Hanuman.

Dalhousie

Retaining not only the colonial looks but also the name, Dalhousie, was named after Lord Dalhousie, who was the British governor in the 19th century. This hill station is spread across five hills. The varying altitudes of the land have a wide range of vegetation including pine, oak and deodar. Here are the leading attractions in Dalhousie.

Dainkund Peak
Panchpula
Ganji Pahari
Sach Pass
Garam Sadak
Subash Baoli
Bakrota Hills
Katalope

Chamba

The spectacular beauty of Chamba has made this place dear to nature lovers. Located on the banks of River Ravi and at an altitude of over 900 meters above sea level, Chamba makes an excellent holiday retreat. Here are some important destinations in Chamba.

Khajjiar Lake
Chamera Lake
Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary
Bhuri Singh Museum
Rang Mahal
Maharaja’s Palace
Akhand Chandi Palace
Manimahesh Lake
Chamba Central Park
Church of Scotland