MANALI - NAGGAR - MANIKARAN (FROM MANALI)

At a distance of 2 km from Manali Bus Stand, Hidimbi Devi Temple also known as the Dhungri Temple is an ancient cave temple located in the middle of a dense forest called Dhungri Van Vihar in Manali. It is of the top places to visit in Manali.

Built-in 1553 by Raja Bahadur Singh, the temple is dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, sister of Hidimba and wife of Bhima, one of the Pandavas from the Mahabharata. According to the legend, the Pandavas stayed in Himachal during their exile. One of the brothers Bhima fell in love with Hidimbi, the sister of the ruler Hidimba. Bhima and Hidimbi had a son but when Bhima and the Pandavas returned from exile she stayed back, performed penance, and attained the status of goddess.

The Hidimbi Devi temple is 24 meters tall and consists of three square roofs with timber tiles, surmounted by a cone-shaped fourth roof that is covered in brass. The wooden facade and windows of .....

At a distance of 2 km from Manali Bus Stand, The museum of Himachal Culture and Folk Art was established in Utopia Complex near Hidimbi Devi Temple in Manali.

The Museum was established in 1998 to collect and exhibit cultural and folk art antiques of Himachal Pradesh. Traditional dresses, utensils, musical and ritual instruments, wood carvings and all other traditional articles used by the people of Himachal Pradesh are present and exhibited in the museum. All these above mentioned items are basically handwork of the people of Himachal Pradesh representing the rich handicraft era of the state.

The Museum is a unique and extraordinary collection of rare antiques of the state. It demonstrates the articles that clearly display the forgotten culture, art and handicraft of Himachal Pradesh. J.R. Sood who founded the Museum traveled throughout the State to research and collect ancient antique items.

The Museum not only helped in preserving the culture and art but also brings .....

At a distance of 3 km from Manali Bus Stand, Manu Temple dedicated to the Indian sage Manu is located at old Manali. Manali is named after the sage Manu who was the creator of human race on earth according to mythology and it is believed that he meditated here. This is supposed to be the only temple of Manu in India. Manu Temple is one of the best Manali tourist places.

Travellers can enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and river Beas from the temple. Lying in the congested locality of old Manali, the temple is often visited by the tourists who arrive from different parts of the world.

Manu Temple was built in pagoda style of architecture. The temple was rebuilt in the year 1992, when the vaulted ceiling and marble floors were added. One can find various artifacts along with the idols of gods and goddesses in different postures in this temple.

To .....

At a distance of 3.5 km from Manali Bus Stand, Vashist Temple in Manali is dedicated to sage Vashisht, the Kula guru of Lord Rama in the village Vashisht across the River Beas. It is among the most famous places to visit in Manali.

The village of Vashisht was named after Rishi Vashisht one of the seven sages of Hindu. According to the legend, Rishi Vashisht was left depressed on finding out that his children had been killed by Vishwamitra. Rishi Vashisht tried to commit suicide by jumping into a river but the river refused to kill him. He then started a new life in the village here. The river which took the rishi to the village was named Vipasha, meaning freedom from bondage. The Vipasha River is now known as the Beas River.

The Vashisht temple is believed to be more than 4000 years old. Inside the temple there is a black stone image of the Rishi wearing dhoti. The Vashist temple is decorated with excellent and beautiful carvings .....

At a distance of 4 km from Vashisht Temple and 7.5 km from Manali Bus Stand, Jogini or Jogni Falls is a beautiful waterfall situated near Vashisht Village in Himachal Pradesh. It is one of the famous waterfalls in Himachal, and among the popular places to visit in Manali.

Jogini Fall is formed by the tributary of the Beas River. Jogini Falls is situated on the Northern edge of Vashisht Village which marks the village boundary. The waterfall cascades down from a height of around 150 feet through multiple levels. There is a small pool at the base formed by the fall and visitors can take a plunge in the water and spend some time. This is one of the top attractions you must include in Manali Packages.

The flow of the water is heaving in monsoons and suggested not to adventure into the water during this .....

At a distance of 750 m from Manali Bus Stand, The Van Vihar is a municipal garden situated in front of the Tibetan market on the Mall Road, Manali.

The Van Vihar Park is beautifully adorned by deodar trees and is a perfect place to spend memorable time with loved ones. A number of locals and tourists visit the park to relax and get the fresh breeze of the Deodar trees.

The main attraction of the park is the beautiful man-made lake situated in the middle of the woods. Tourists can enjoy boating in the lake. There are also lot of swings for the children as well as couples in the park. The River Beas runs nearby the park. Visit the park in the evening and you will get a chance to enjoy the stunningly beautiful view of sun setting against the glorious backdrop of the majestic mountains.

Timings: 8 am - 7 pm in summer and 8 am - 5 pm in winter.

Entry Fee: Rs 5 per person, Boating Charge - Rs 30/ Person for 15 mins.

At a distance of 20 km from Manali, and 22 km from the Kullu, the Naggar Castle is a famous castle located in Naggar. It is one of the best heritage places in Himachal, and among the not to miss in during your Manali tour.

Naggar Castle is a magnificent historical structure that overlooks the Kullu valley. The castle was built by Raja Sidhi Singh in 1460 AD. The Castle was used as a Royal residence and state headquarters until the British took over the whole Kangra and Kullu from Sikh's in 1846. Raja Gyan Singh sold it to the first assistant commissioner, Major Hay for a Gun. The northern wing of the castle was later converted to the European way of living by putting in staircase, fire place and chimneys. He later sold it to the Government when it was used as a courthouse. In 1947, with the departure of the British the court-activity ceased.

The castle was built in an impressive .....

At a distance of 21 km from Manali Bus Stand, 1 km from Naggar Bus stand and 23 km from Kullu Bus Stand, The Tripura Sundari Temple is located in Naggar.

The Tripura Sundari Temple is one of such temples that are of great historic importance in Himachal. The temple stands as a massive wooden structure, exhibiting the local architecture and art of carving. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Tripura Sundari. The idol of goddess is enshrined in the temple with 21 masks.

This temple is a Pagoda style temple made of deodar wood. The temple has a great resemblance with the Hidimba Devi temple of Manali. The top of this three-tiered temple is circular with a pinnacle crowned by a Chhatra. The two lower storeys are characteristically divided by squat wooden pillars.

The temple was constructed by Raja Yashodhapal. There is a belief that the temple is in a form of a web, which was made by the Goddess after turning herself into a spider. There are the stone idols of Lord Brahma, .....

At a distance of 21.5 km from Manali Bus Stand, 23.5 km from Kullu, 1.5 km from Naggar Castle, The Nicholas Roerich Museum is one of the prominent museums in and around Manali.

Nicholas Roerich is a Russian artist arrived in the Himalayas after the revolution of 1917, where he died in the year 1947. He married to Helena Roerich and famous Indian actor Devika Rani is his daughter in law.

The Nicholas Roerich art gallery was founded in 1962 by Svyetoslav Roerich, son of Nicholas Roerich. The building that now houses the gallery once served as the residence of Nicholas Roerich. Himachal Pradesh Government and Russian Government have formed a trust to run this art gallery as the Roerich Heritage Museum.
Paintings of Kullu, Spiti and Lahaul made by the painter have been housed in the ground floor of the gallery. A great number of his works are preserved in museums all over the world. Most of the paintings show the beauty of ice covered valleys and peaks during early hours of .....

At a distance of 21.5 km from Manali Bus Stand, 23.5 from kullu and 1.5 km from Naggar Castle, The Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum is situated 100 m uphill from Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery within the same estate at Naggar.

Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum was established in 1928 as Research Institute. The intention behind the foundation of this tribal and folk art museum was to provide a place of study and research on the traditional Indian and Tibetan medicines and the history and the ethos of the Himalayan region.

It was renamed as Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum in 1993. The word 'Uruswati' has been taken from Sanskrit and it means 'Light of the Morning Star'. This Museum is one of the best tourist places of Manali which will guide you about the traditions and cultures of this historically rich place.

The main attractions of the Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum are local folk art, costumes, original paintings of Roerich and those of his Russian followers. .....

At a distance of 42 km from Kullu, 61 km from Naggar and 80 km from Manali, Manikaran is located in Parvati Valley between the rivers Beas and Parvati in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. It lies at an altitude of 1760 m. Manikaran is famous for hot water springs, Ramchandra Temple and a Gurudwara. It is a top pilgrimage site and among the best Kullu & Manali tourist places.

According to legend, Manikaran is associated with Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Once while roaming through the valley, Shiva and Parvati came across the place called Manikaran and they decided to stay for some time. During their stay here, Goddess Parvati lost her Mani (precious stones) in the waters of a stream. Upset over the loss, she asked Shiva to retrieve it. Lord Shiva commanded his attendant to find the Mani for Parvati. However, when they failed he was extremely angry. He opened .....