Manali
The magical dale of Manali has lured Anand Pendharkar for over a decade, taking him back into its embrace to relish and endure its rigours through hail, sun and rain.
Cradled in the lap of the Himalaya, Manali is one of the most romantic and serene vales to meander on a lazy winter morning, followed up by strong tea and some hard-core skiing at Gulaba or Maddhi or paragliding and rock climbing in Solang Nala. However, if you’re not the trekking and rough-it out kind, don’t lose heart, simply choose an interesting novel and a sun-bathed boulder, but far away from the roaring, gurgling and mighty Beas.
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In Manali, you also have the option to combine a natural Jacuzzi at Vashisht Kund, with views of misty mountain peaks and some local lugdi (liquor brewed from wheat) to guzzle down, as you relish your barbecued chicken!
What turned to be ‘love-at-first-sight’, way back in 1986, Manali is yet my first love. As the Delhi bus starts climbing the Shiwalik hills towards the Valley of the Gods - ‘Kullu’, the fragrance of Deodars and Pines and the nipping temperatures, raises your hackles. The gushing Beas and its steep gorge that you see in the dawn twilight is a shocking sight. By the time you cross Kullu, you are acclimatised with the river and its untamed spirit.
On entering the broad valley at 1926m, you are already in high spirits, but all muffled up and with hands in your pockets. As you enter the perpetually crowded bus-stand, you encounter groups of tourists relishing softy ice-creams on the Mall Road or eating freshly puffed corns, as they throw smoke clouds like a locomotive, in the heavy winter air.
In New Manali, there are more than ‘necessary’ hotels, lodges and rest houses to choose from, depending on your budget and eccentricities too (Rs.35-5000/night)! However, camping needs permission from Forest Department Officials. Locals from Old Manali Village, across the Manalsu Nala, host paying guests at very minimal rates (Rs.80 for Rooms and Rs.30 for Dormitories). Night songs and family functions are thrills that cannot be experienced staying in A-Grade hotels, like the Holiday Inn or Ambassador Resort.
Note: Sleeping in the open is illegal, as deaths due to exposure have been recorded often even in the local populace, during cold waves.
Local Pilgrimage
The Dungri Temple dedicated to Hadimba Devi and located amidst ancient Deodars, about 2km from the town centre, is the prime religious shrine of Manali. Built by Maharaja Bahadur Singh in 1553, the 27m Pagoda temple having a 3-tier roof and excellent woodcarvings of animals and plants, is an exotic site. As an anticlimax, the brass image of Hadimba Devi is very tiny. Sadly, the right hand of the master craftsman of this temple was chopped off at the King’s order, to prevent him from replicating the temple. As a proof of his perseverance and dedication to art, the artist trained his left hand and reproduced a similar work at Trilokinath near Udaipur in the Pattan Valley.
Adjacent to the temple lies the attractive Tibetan Monastery, built by refugees and which is the centre of the carpet industry. Reliable quality of rugs, handicrafts, shawls, souvenir and carpets could be bought here. Apples are to Kullu what Apricots are to Hunza and Manali is the centre of the flourishing orchard industry. Most shops and HIMCO (local tourist department) outlets sell apple juice, jams, and dried apples as well as many other dry fruits like apricots, almonds, Chilgosa (pine) seeds and walnuts too.
Trekking and Mountaineering
About a kilometre off the city-centre lies the West Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (WHMI), which organises month-long training courses for men and women in adventure sports, especially rock climbing and mountaineering. The museum could be of some interest to the adventurous type. There is a weeklong Winter Sports’ Carnival during mid-February, which is well attended by locals as well as other Indian and foreign tourists. The slopes of Maddhi witness annual skiing competitions and 5 or 7-day courses are conducted at the venue for exorbitant prices of over Rs.4000, from January to March. Whitewater rafting in the Zanskar and Beas are also arranged locally, but are a dangerous preposition, especially when the rivers are in spate.
Manali has been named after the ‘Law Giver’ - Manu, as according to legend Manu’s boat was rescued from a great flood in Beas when it touched the ground in this valley. Manali is also the path to begin several famous treks such as towards the Rahala Falls, Chandrakani and Indrahar Passes, as also to Brigu, a glacial lake and Manikaran or across the main Himalaya into the tribal districts of Lahul and Spiti. From Manali leads the world’s highest motorable road to Leh via Rohtang (3985m) and Baralacha La (4880m).
Jagatsukh and Kothi are two sleepy villages that every artist, poet or even a historian and anthropologist must visit. Jagatsukh, about 5km south of Manali and towards Kullu, was the former capital before Naggar. It prides in having several ancient stone temples, one dating back to the late 13th Century. Kothi lying about 24km towards Rohtang Pass, is the best place to admire the beauty of the Solang Valley, whether snow-clad or lush with paddy and winter wheat.
Whether rafting, rock-climbing, guzzling lugdi made from the season’s wheat or getting high on the fluffy snow that swirls down on the slate roofs of village houses, Manali is Shangrila - the true heaven on Earth. The Land of Gods, the Land for Lords...