Manali :India

Manali is the main tourist resort in the valley. It is ideally situated along the western bank of the Beas, close to the snows of the Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley. Since it is at an altitude of 1,830 metres (6,004 feet), it is never hot, The mean maximum temperature in summer is 25°C (77°F) so light woollen clothing and blankets are needed even in May and June. It is well organised for tourists, with an efficient, though sometimes oversubscribed, tourist office in the main bazaar. This is also the site of the taxi stand, bus stand and ponies-for-hire stand. A host of small shops, restaurants and small hotels (see page 272) provide the neccessities of daily life. The bazaar is not large, but is becoming progressively built up. The crowds of tourists have increased since the recent troubles in Kashmir began. Those who like peace and quiet will be relieved to hear that most established guest houses are on the quieter roads to the north of and above the bazaar. Walking just a couple of kilometres (just over a mile) outside the town you can still reach undisturbed countryside.

SIGHTS
To the north of the bazaar the main road leads past a forest reserve, fringed by introduced species English limes and oaks. Marijuana, which once made Manali a hippie haven, still grows wild under the trees. A left turn leads to the pagoda-style Hadimba Temple surrounded by deodar cedars of the Doongri forest. There is a steep footpath to the temple or a longer motorable road. The four-tiered pagoda built in 1553 is constructed around a small natural cave which enshrines the footprints of the goddess Hadimba. Outside hang deer antlers and markhor horns donated by local hunters. Hadimba, the demoness, married Bhima, one of the great heroes of the Hindu epic, the Mahabkarata, and eventually was adopted as the patron goddess of the Kullu royal family. Other gods in the valley recognise her seniority and, mounted on palanquins, their images attend a festival in her honour every May.