Manali - land of gods

Manali, popularly known as 'Land of Gods' is surrounded by towering mountains and rich greenery that mesmerizes my heart in the very first glance every time I come back here. Manali has always been my favorite hill station. I have been here numerous times and it never fails to satisfy me. My dad has lived in Kullu for pretty long, he loves being here. I am back in manali after 5 years and a lot has changed. Traffic is way too much than before and the bus stand has shifted to about 2kms outside. At thee center of Manali is the huge mall road, although I do not like it at all due to immense crowd at any time of the year. Instead a much better place to be is the old manali area. it is a small street heading up to Manu temple with street shops, cafes and hostels all along. To the left is Hidimba temple and a maintained forest area , to the right are the one way bridges and after crossing them to the left is the way to solang valley , vashisht temple , Rohtang pass, Atal tunnel, Sissu, Keylong , Leh and Spiti.

If you wish to stay away from the hustle bustle of Manali book your rooms at the adventure lodge in the atal bihari vajpaee mountaineering institute. it is separated from the main city inside a jungle with calm and serenity all around. I have always loved staying at this lodge.

Hidimba Temple : It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hadimba Devi for it is believed that she meditated here.The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground believed to be the deity's image.I particularly find this place very calm . One should definitely visit the cedar forest area and try to get one with nature here.

Vashisht Temple : Famous for its hot sulphur springs , there is a black stone statue of the Rishi Vashishtha, clad in dhoti,cap & a white shawl on the shoulder inside the temple.It is considered around 4000 years old.

Solang Valley : The most lively place on Tuesdays when Rohtang pass is closed. Although some people try to sneak in and visit Rohtang by taking a pass to Keylong but returning from Rohtang. All the adventure sports take place here . The best one Paragliding! I did the biggest one this time where you go up the hill from the rope-way and fly down from about 3500 ft from the ground. This experience almost blew my mind away with all those roads and cars looking as small as my nails. Look at the top left picture below here.

Rohtang Pass : One true tourist attraction that attracts people from around the country and the world. Always covered in snow this place takes your breath away.I have always loved to climb up to the top of it, getting all physically drained due to less O2 and well my unfitness. It is at an amazing height of 13000 ft from the sea level. The road to Rohtang is very dangerous but you keep enjoying the view all along and you will up there in no time or maybe you could take some rest at Madi and have something to munch on.The best time to visit Rohtang is March when the snow is fresh and clean also since it is closed from November to February. And yes as i mentioned Rohtang pass is closed off on Tuesday .Also you have to pre book an online pass for Rohtang pass and offline booking for Keylong (about 80 kms from manali).

Manali is also an amazing starting point for a lot of himalayan treks. Some of the most famous ones include Bhrigu Lake Trek (3D/2N) and Hampta Pass trek (4D/3N). Do visit Manali once in your lifetime it will bring out the latent energy in you. Bon Voyage !