Kullu
Manali Hill Station
kulu - manali :-In the Valley of the
Gods
The Kulu valley with its pastoral ambience, fruit orchards,
temple and mountain scenery, is one of the beautiful
valleys in the Himalayas. This accessible mountain resort
is sandwiched between the inner ranges of the Himalayas
and the River Beas. Manali, 40 km. beyond Kulu, is reached
by a dramatic ascent at the end of which one view the
Central Himalayan ranges. It is a lush green hill resort
surrounded by mountains ranges and gushing streams.
For trekkers this region offers great scope for adventure.
Manali is the gateway to the Rohtang Pass and the barren
snow lands of Lahaul and Spiti beyond. Keylong, in the
midst of the region, has a number of Buddhist monasteries.
During the Dussehra festival the whole valley comes
alive with music and dance, fairs and festivals.
WHAT TO SEE
KULU -- Tour & Excursions:
There are several shrines in and around Kulu like Raghunathji
Temple, Vaishno Devi (4 km.) and the Bijli Mahadev Shrine
(14 km.).
» Raison (16 km.) where there is a camping
site on the banks of the Beas.
» Katrain (20 km.), en route to Manali,
has apple orchards and a trout hatchery.
» Naggar (27 km.). Located above the River
Beas, it commands an excellent view of the valley. It
was the capital of the Rajas of Kulu for 1400 years.
» Roerich Art Gallery (housing the paintings
and sculpture of the famous artist, Nicholas Roerich),
1 km. from Naggar.
» Manikaran Hot Spring (45 km.) are also
a place of pilgrimage for Hindus and Sikhs.
MANALI --- Tour & Excursions:
» Vasisht Baths and hot Springs.
» Dhoongri Temple dedicated to Hadimba Devi
(the wife of Bhima of the Mahabharata).
» Jagatsukh, ancient capital Kulu
» Tibetan Monastery. Tibetan carpet weaving
can be seen here.
» Solang Valley, for winter sports. There
are good skiing slopes with an excellent ski lift.
» Rahtang Pass (51 km.) at an altitude of
4112 meters (13,700 ft.) on the route to Kaylong is
the only access to the Lahaul Valley (open June to September).
» Lahaul Valley is near the Indo-Tibetan
border and is primitive and rugged, surrounded by high
mountains and massive glaciers.
» Keylong (117 km.) is reached by a motorable
road from Manali. There are several gompass of Buddhist
monasteries which are repositories of Buddhist art.
FESTIVAL OF SPECIAL LOCAL INTEREST
Festival at Hadimba Devi Temple, Manali (May). Nearly
every temple in valley has a festival at some part of
the year. Dussehra (September-October) is the biggest
festival at Kulu with festivities going on for a week.
The highlight is the Rath festival on the Dussehra day.
About 200 deities of the hill people are brought to
pay homage to Lord Raghunathji, who is taken in procession
in a large rath (chariot). There is great celebration
with music, dance and all manner of festivities.
SHOPPING
Fine Kulu shawls, the most famous being the Pashmina,
embroidered scarves from Chamba, and embroidered footwear
are real work of art. Miniature paintings from Chamba
and Kangra are also available. A popular craft is wood-carving
out of the wide range of wood like birch, walnut, black
mulberry etc., made into articles of daily use. Dolls
of Himachal, woven rugs in bright colours (called namdahs),
Tibetan carpets, Kulu cape, Tibetan curios, tankhas
(tapestries), metal craft and so much more is available
for the shopper.
ADVENTURE SPORTS
Trekking. Himachal is a trekker's paradise. Skiing on
the snow-covered slopes of Manali and Rohtang are popular
winter sports. A winter sport festival is organised.
by the Mountaineering Institute at Solang near Manali
every winter. White river runs, riverside camping, swimming,
nature walks, angling and bird watching have ample scope
in this region as do mountaineering and rock climbing
