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Honeymoon to Kulu Manali
The
Kulu Valley
The main towns, Kulu and Manali,
are in the fertile section of this valley. It is also the gateway of Lahaul
& Spiti. In the south, the valley is wider than a precipitous gorge,
with the Beas river. The valley is more than 80 km long and barely more than
couple of km wide. Here are stone fruit and apple orchards, paddy and wheat
fields with snow covered rocky peaks in the background. People here are
light complexioned and friendly. They are hard-working and realitively
prosperous. Women folk here wear lots of silver jewellery and flowing
garments of homespun wool. They are rarely seen without a large
conical-shaped basked on their backs, filled with fodder, firewood or even a
goat kid. Other inhabitants in this valley are the Gaddis, who are nomads.
They take their flocks of black sheep and white goats up to the mountain
pastures in the early summer and retreat are also some Tibetan refugees here
who run restaurants and hotel in Manali. Tibetans are shrewd traders- they
are found in most of the bazaars and also work in road gangs.
Kulu town is at an altitude of 1200
metres. Though not a tourist center, it is a site for Kulu’s fairs and
festivals. In particular, is the colourful Dussehra festival, from which the
Kulu Valley gained the name ‘Valley of the Gods’.
This festival is celebrated all over India is October, starting on the 10th
day of the rising moon known as Vijaya Dashami and continues for nine days.
Dussehra is in celebration of Lord
Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana, but in Kulu, the festival does
not include the burning of Ravana and his brothers, as in other places in
India.
All the gods from the various temples around the valley are brought from
their temples down to Kulu during Dussehra to pay homage to Lord Raghunath
in the temple at Raghunathpura in kulu.
The gods number around 200. The festival cannot commence until the powerful
goddess Hidimba, patron deity of the Kulu rajas, arrives from Manali. Like
the other gods, she is pulled in her own temple car or ‘rath’. Hidimba
arrives before all the other gods and also leaves before them. The
Raghunathji chariot is brought down, decked with flowers and surrounded by
other important gods. Priests and the descendants of Kulu’s rajas circle (Pradakshina)
the rath before it is pulled to the other side of the ground. The following
days and nights of the festival are marked by dances, music, fairs and other
festivities. It concludes when Lord Raghunath is carried back to his main
temple in a wooden palanquin.
Other main temples in and around Kulu are the Jagannathi
Devi Temple, Vaishno Devi Temple
and Bijli Mahadev Temple. Fifteen km
south of Kulu is Bajaura, Where the famous temple of Basheshar Mahadev has
enchanting stone carvings and sculptures. There are large image slabs facing
north, west and the south.
Near the Parvati Valley, which is to the
south of Kulu, is Manikaran built near sulphur hot springs. It is
interesting to watch the locals cook their food in the pools of hot water at
the Sikh temple. The temple offers free accommodation with hot water bath
facility separately for men and women.
Other Places of sheer scenic beauty here are Raison,
Naggar and Katrain.
How to get there
Air : Flights connect Kulu with Delhi,
Shimla, Chandigarh, etc.
Bus : Buses connect Kulu with Dharmasala,
Shimla, Chandigarh, Delhi, Manali etc.
Conducted tours
Rafting trips on the Beas river, treks mountain biking tours, kayaking
tours, etc are conducted by Gy Robins & Gerry Meffat, who operate
Equator expeditions.
During the High Season, bus tours to Rohtang Pass,
Mamkaram and Naggar castle
are conducted.
Manali Manali is 42 km from Kulu on the
main road, Manali is beautifully situated offering pleasant walks around the
town and a large number of hotels. At the peak of tourist season, it abounds
with Indian and foreign tourist. Smaller villages around Manali have
semi-permanent hippy populaion. These villages are beautiful and worth
seeing. Manali is famous for its marijuana where it grows wild all around.
But the police are strict here and will confiscate any marijuana found on
one’s person.
Nearby is the Hidimba Devi Temple. It is
a wooden temple in a clearing in the dence forest. It was built in 1553 and
is also known as the Dhungri Temple.
Accommodation in and around Manali is quite cheap except for the period from
March to April which is the peak season. Independent houses can be rented
for as low as Rs. 700/- per month in the near by villages.
How to get there
Bus : Buses operate from Manali to Delhi,
Shimla, Dharmasala, Mandi, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jammu, Kulu Keylong.
Places to stay
Apple Valley Resorts
Vill 2 P.O, Mohal Dist. Kulu, Kullu – 175 126.
Ph : 01902-66266
Hotel Vaishali
Gandhi Nagar, Kullu –175 101.
Ph : 01902-4225
Hotel Manali Ashok
3 star – Aleo Left Bank,
Manali – 175 131. Ph : 01902-53103
Out Town Hotel
3 star P.O. Box – 105, Aleo Manali, Manali – 175 131.
Ph : 01902-52375
The Confier
P.O. Box – 38, Near Log Huts, Manali – 175 131.
Ph : 01902-52434
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Gujarathi
