Manali
Manali is a valley nestled in the mountains of the Indian
state of Himachal Pradesh near the northern end of the Kullu Valley, at an
altitude of 2,050 m (6,726 ft) in the Beas River Valley. It is located in the
Kullu district, about 270 km (168 mi) north of the state capital, Shimla, 309
km (192 miles) northeast of Chandigarh and 544 km (338 miles) northeast of
Delhi, the federal capital. The small town, with a population of 8,096, is the
beginning of an ancient trade route to Ladakh and from there over the Karakoram
Pass on to Yarkand and Khotan in the Tarim Basin. It is a popular tourist
destination and serves as the gateway to Lahaul and Spiti district as well as
Leh.
Places to Visit in Manali
Hidimbi Devi Temple, also known variously as the Hadimba Temple, is located in
Manāli, a hill station in the State of Himachal Pradesh in north India. It is
an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, wife of Bhima, a figure in
the Indian epic Mahabharata. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest at the
foot of the Himalayas. The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of
the ground which was worshiped as an image of the deity. The structure was
built in 1553.
Solang Nala (Valley) derives its name from combination of words Solang (Nearby
village) and Nullah (water stream). It is a side valley at the top of the Kullu
Valley in Himachal Pradesh, India 14 km northwest of the resort town Manali on
the way to Rohtang Pass, and is known for its summer and winter sport
conditions. The sports most commonly offered are parachuting, paragliding,
skating and zorbing. Giant slopes of lawn comprise Solang Valley and provide
its reputation as a popular ski resort. A few ski agencies offering courses and
equipment reside here and operate only during winters. Snow melts during the
summer months starting May and skiing is then replaced by zorbing (a giant ball
with room for 2 people which is rolled down a 200 metre hill), paragliding,
parachuting and horse riding. A ropeway was recently opened. Going to the
summit can be possible by ATVs, Ropeway or Climbing (Trekking)
Rohtang Pass is a high mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the
Himalayas around 51 km (32 mi) from Manali. It connects the Kullu Valley with
the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh, India.
Bhrigu Lake or Brighu Lake is a lake located at an elevation of around 4,300
metres (14,100 ft) in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located to
the east of Rohtang Pass and is around 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Gulaba
village. It can be reached by trekking either from the Vashishth temple, which
is famous for its hot water springs, which is close to the town of Manali or
from Gulaba village. Actually there is no settlement in Gulaba and is actually
an area of the Pir Panjal mountain range. It is named after Maharishi Bhrigu.
The Pandoh Dam is an embankment dam on the Beas River in Mandi district of
Himachal Pradesh, India. Under the Beas Project, the dam was completed in 1977
and its primary purpose is hydroelectric power generation. Part of a
run-of-the-river power scheme, it diverts the waters of the Beas to the
southwest through a 38 km (24 mi) long system of tunnels and channels. The
water is used for power generation at the Dehar Power House before being
discharged into the Sutlej River, connecting both rivers. The power house has
an installed capacity of 990 MW. The system diverts 256 cumecs (9000 cusecs) of
Beas waters to the Satluj River. The project was completed in 1977.
The Manali Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh in northern
India. The sanctuary starts about 2 km from Manali. It is the catchment of
Manalsu khad. A path from Manali log huts and Dhungri temple passes through
dense Deodar, Kail, Horse chestnut, Walnut and Maple forests. Musk deer, Monal
and Brown bear, Leopard and Snow leopard are some of the common animals seen
here. Herds of Ibex are seen migrating in the glacier zone in summers. The area
of the sanctuary is about 31.8 square kilometres. The following area was
declared as a sanctuary on 26 February 1954, under the Punjab Birds and Wild
Animals Protection Act of 1933.
The Beas River also known as the Biás or Bias, is a river in north India. The
river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for
some 470 kilometres (290 mi) to the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab.
Hamta Pass lies at an altitude of 4270 m (14009 ft) on the Pir Panjal range in
the Himalayas. It is a small corridor between Lahaul and Kullu valley of
Himachal Pradesh, India. Hamta Village is located below Sethan village and from
there it got its name Hamta Pass. This pass is frequently used by shepherds of
lower Himalayan region, seeking for high altitude grassland in the dry cold
desert of Lahaul during summer time. Numbers of wild flowers and herbs grow at
the altitude between 3000 to 3800 m. Vertical rock walls, water falls, hanging
glaciers, tiny lakes, peaks rising above 6000 m are main characteristics of
this trek. People need a proper guide to cross certain glaciers. From Hamta
pass one can extend their journey towards the beautiful Chandrataal.
- Great Himalayan National Park
The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP), is one of India's national parks, is
located in Kullu region in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The park was
established in 1984 and is spread over an area of 1,171 km2 at an altitude of
between 1500 and 6000 m. The Great Himalayan National Park is a habitat to
numerous flora and more than 375 fauna species, including approximately 31
mammals, 181 birds, 3 reptiles, 9 amphibians, 11 annelids, 17 mollusks and 127
insects. They are protected under the strict guidelines of the Wildlife
Protection Act of 1972; hence any sort of hunting is not permitted. In June
2014, the Great Himalayan National Park was added to the UNESCO list of World
Heritage Sites. The Unesco World Heritage Site Committee granted the status to
the park under the criteria of "outstanding significance for biodiversity
conservation".
Transportation
The nearest airport Bhuntar Airport (IATA code KUU) is at Bhuntar town,
situated on NH21 about 50 km (31 mi) south of Manali and 10 km (6.2 mi) south
of Kullu town. The airport is also known as Kullu-Manali airport and has more
than a kilometre long runway. Air India has regular flights to the airport from
New Delhi.
Manali can be reached from Delhi by national highway NH 1 up to Ambala and from
there NH 22 to Chandigarh and from there by national highway NH21 that passes
through Bilaspur, Sundernagar, Mandi and Kullu towns. The road distance from
Chandigarh to Manali is 310 km (190 mi), and the total distance from Delhi to
Manali is 570 km (350 mi). Luxury buses (including Volvos) usually ply
overnight on this route and are available from all major bus terminals. Besides
12 Non-AC services, HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corporation) runs five daily
Volvo and AC buses on Delhi-Manali route and two separate Volvos by HPTDC
(Himachal Tourism Development Corporation).
