A Long Drive... To Manali

Whenever we need a break from our hectic work schedules in Delhi, we look towards the nearby mountains - any place that would be drivable by car and would be free from city sounds.

This time we headed towards the Kullu Manali region in Himachal Pradesh. We started off at 5 o’clock in the morning, with our cars loaded with, apart from our luggage, lots of food and water. Our first halt (for breakfast) was after Chandigarh, at a wayside restaurant (there are quite a few with clean toilets on the way – look out for Verka milk booths for good milk and milk products). Leaving Ropar and Bilaspur behind, we took the lunch break at Mandi, a quaint town located at the junction of Kullu and Kangra valleys. They say that there are around 80 temples in this town!

  

The best part of the drive is through the Kullu valley itself, with the Beas river flowing alongside, through the lush green mountains with occasional snow peaks peeping from behind the distant ranges.

We reached Manali at 5pm after the 12-hour drive. The journey was tiring, no doubt, but on reaching our cottage, the breath-taking view of the snow-clad mountains made us forget the aches and pains of the long drive. The waiting cups of steaming hot tea also helped!

  

Exploring Manali

The next day we went down to explore the town. A walk down the Mall road was very refreshing and appetizing as the range of cuisine being offered was amazing, from Italian, Israeli, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan to German and the veritable Continental. This was besides the regular Punjabi, Gujarati, Mughlai, South Indian and the chaat pakori for people like me.

   

For the shoppers, there were Tibetan goods, local hand knitted woolens, Buddhist items, Kashmiri embroidered clothing, Kullu shawls, caps and a lot of chunky jewellery and knick knacks found in every hill station and in Delhi’s Jan Path as well.

Beyond the Mall is the Hadimba Temple, a four storeyed pagoda like structure built in 1553, dedicated to Hadimba, the demon wife of Bhima (one of the Pandava brothers). The legend here says that Bhima married Hadimba here after killing her cannibal brother Hadimb. Hadimba is considered to be an incarnation of goddess Kali, and the image worshipped in this temple is a huge footprint of hers.

  

About 3 km north of the Mall is the old Manali. It is said that after the great pralaya (flood) Manu first stepped on the land at this place. Manali is also Manu-alaya or Manu’s home. There is a temple dedicated to Manu here, perhaps the only one in India.

 

Getting Adventurous

Our children booked the next day for adventurous activities. There were options of rafting on the Beas and paragliding. The children chose the latter. About 15 km north of Manali is the Solang Valley, where we went for paragliding. The children enjoyed the exhilarating experience and I was happy chatting with the Gujarati tourists.

 

We could not leave Manali without visiting Rohtang. Because of the heavy snow in that region the road to Rohtang Pass was damaged, so we could only go till Marrhi. There were snow slopes and we had to wear fur coats, boots and gloves (which one could rent). We could ski or just slide down the slopes on sleds. The enterprising village folk had set up Tea stalls serving hot tea and bread pakoras. Total fun!

 

The next day we packed up and left Manali, heading for Rewalsar. On the way, we took a break for lunch at the picturesque little village of Nagger, 13 km south of Manali. It has a Nagger castle, built 500 years ago, now converted into a hotel. What enticed me here was the Roerich Gallery, about 1 ½ km from the castle, exhibiting paintings by Nicholas and his son Svetoslav Roerich. The ground floor of the cottage is the gallery and the first floor, the living quarters of the Roerichs. Peeping through the glass windows, observing their belongings, one could sense the strong bond they felt for this place. Their glowing landscapes and mountainscapes tell the rest!

The journey to Rewalsar was tough, as the roads kept on winding and climbing at the same time. The glimpses of snow-clad ranges were a help though, in breaking the monotony of the drive.

Perfect Ending

The Revalsar Lake is located well into the hills, so much so, that we could glimpse it only when we actually reached it. It was well worth the spinning drive! After quickly checking into the H.P tourism hotel, we freshened up and promptly came out to explore the place. The township surrounds the lake, which we decided to circumambulate.

Rewalsar is considered holy by the Buddhists because Padmasambhava started his journey to Tibet from here. He is credited for introducing Buddhism to Tibet. A beautiful monastery is dedicated to him here.

This place is holy to Hindus, because it is said that Lomas Rishi did tapasya here to please Lord Shiva, who in turn gave him seven lakes in this region including Rewalsar. These lakes are said to be formed by the waters of Ganga and Yamuna. Next to the monastery are three temples dedicated to Lord Krishna, Lord Rama and Lomas Rishi.

Carry on walking and one comes across a large gurudwara dedicated to the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh who is said to have spent a lot of time at this lake.

  

No wonder the place had such immensely soothing vibrations… a place where you do not require to meditate consciously, meditation happens!

After spending the night, we headed towards Delhi the next morning, promising to come back again. Such trips not only act as de-stressors, but somehow act as humbling experiences as well.