Manali-Plan Your Trip into The Eye Pleasing Valleys

Hello friends! Today, I am taking you to a majestic Himalayan resort town which will not only refresh your mood, but also lift your adrenaline rush by offering you some of the best adventurous activities in India.

Friends, I am talking about Manali, one of the most popular Indian hill stations situated in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The beautiful town is encircled with lofty Himalayan Mountains and the lush green forests. Apart from this, its rustic culture, colorful markets, adventure sports and delicious local cuisine are some of the major reasons that attract tourists to visit this amazing destination. So, I would suggest you to make aweekend trip to this wonderful spot. It is a perfect tourist destination to visit with friends and family and is budget-friendly too.

Places to Visit in Manali

Friends, it is important to plan in advance to make your Manali sightseeing more wonderful and interesting. It’s each and every place is worth watching. So here I am starting with pilgrimage sites in Manali and its surrounding.

Hadimba Devi Temple:

Actually, the temple is an ancient cave dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, wife of Bhima. The temple is built in pagoda structure type, which it makes somewhat different to others temples in India. The place is associated with Mahabharata. It is said that the whole of the region was ruled by a demon who was the brother Hidimbi Devi. During their exile, Pandavas were passing through this place and on the request of locals, Bhima Killed demon and married his sister. Hidimbi and Bhima fell in love with each other. After marriage, Hadimba gave birth to son named Ghatotkachh. Wooden Carvings inside the temple are worth watching.

Key Points

-Temple is accessible by road; you can take your vehicle up-to temple’s stairs.

- To avoid annoying traffic, park your vehicle a KM. behind and walk to temple enjoying nature, if you can.

- Get your pictures clicked in traditional dresses, which are offered by nearby shopkeepers.

- Very important thing- To avoid heavy queue rush in temple, visit temple early morning.

Manali Bazaar:

Manali has its own beautiful bazaar that is parted into three major parts Mall road market, Old Manali market and Tibetan Market. So, if you want to buy a souvenir to keep your Manali trip memorable, Manali Bazaar gives you lots of options.

Key Points:

-Hand-woven carpets, shawls, rugs are worth to buy in Mall Road Market

-If you’re decorative items, you can also buy Tibetan artifacts and souvenirs from Tibetan Market.

Manali Sanctuary:

Friends, if you’re on long vacation, then you have lots options around Manali, but if you have to limited time and want to visit best of Manali, head to its amazing sanctuary. Manali sanctuary is one of the best places to visit in Manali in one day. It’s just a 2 kms distance from the main Manali where you can seek pleasure in Himalayan flora and fauna. 

Key Points:

-Sometimes you may have to go 10-15 kms ahead inside the park to see animals, depends on your luck.

Solang Valley:

Friends, as I said above, Manali is equally best place for adventure lovers along with nature lover; Solang valley is the place where you can enjoy ice skating and paragliding. Few Ski agencies are set up around the place which operates during winters. However, you can enjoy Para-gliding, horse riding, and ropeway all year around.

Key Points

For ice skating January is the best time

You can also head to an oldest temple Anjaani Mahadeve, located 2.5 Kms from here.

Recommended for honeymooners

Jogini Falls:

I personally liked this place so much in Manali. I find myself very close to Mother Nature. Serene atmosphere, natural sound of waterfall I think you can count yourself lucky, once you’re here. Sit near to this eye-pleasing waterfall and enjoy tiny droplets of water on your face.

-Best place for meditation as very less people go here.

-You need to trek 1.5 km from Vashishta temple to reach here.

-There is no shop for food here, so keep some snacks and water bottles with you.

Manikaran Shahib:

The sacred place is approximately 35 kms from Kullu and 80 kms from Manali. The founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Ji came to this place during third Udasi. There is a huge Gurudwara here on the right bank of river Parvati. Every day thousands of devotes come here to seek blessing.

Key Points

-Don’t forget to have bath in hot and holly springs of Manikaran before going for prayer

- Relish the mouth watering langar (God’s food).

Rohtang Pass:

32 Miles away from Manali on Eastern Pir Panjal Range, Rohtang Pass is a high mountain pass that connects the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys. It is located on an elevation of 13,051 ft that remains open only from May to November.

Key Points

- With enchanting and picturesque landscapes you may also face traffic in as lots of people head to this place in season. I would suggest you head to this place as early as you can in morning

- If you’re going through a local taxi service, beware they may insist you to rent local winter clothes. They would tell you that Rohtang pass is too cold; yes it is cold but not more than their intention.

Vashishta Temple:

It is almost 4000 years old ancient temple in old Manali. The beautiful temple is dedicated to Rishi Vashistha, one of the seven sages of Hindu.

Key Points

-       You can have an exceptional view of the Beas River from the temple.

-       Bathing in hot water springs is an amazing experience here.

What to Eat in Manali

Friends, visiting Manali and not having its local street food, is like you’re enjoying half of Manali trip. Believe me the town gives best mouthwatering authentic local food that you would hardly get in any 5 star hotels.

Trout Fish:

If you love to eat Non Veg trout fish is fantastic to have here, which is caught from the local river. The Johnson Café is a perfect place to have it where it is served with roasted almond sauce.

Italian Pizza:

Italian Pizza is another best food to eat in Manali. There are lots of small-big restaurants in Mall Road that serve Italian Pizza. I would personally recommend you to go to IL Forno Restaurant, which is located on Hadimba Road. It is run by a foreigner lady. The best part of their pizza is they use everything organic from their own garden.

Dham:

Dham is an authentic food of Manali that is cooked during wedding ceremonies in Himachal Pradesh. It includes rice, curry, and sweetened rice. There are many food eateries in Mall road that offer this amazing, mouth watering dish.

Chinese and Tibetan Food:

Chinese and Tibetan food is worth to taste in Manali. Some shops are really good, especially which are far from Mall road. May be because of they have less customer; they make it from their heart.

I hope you liked this post. Please do comment for your suggestions and stay connected to read our next travel blog.

Top 10 Places to See in Kashmir

No words are enough to describe the beauty of Kashmir. This northern most state of India is known for its picturesque landscape and attractive natural phenomena. Therefore, it has been an object of interest for numerous travel enthusiasts. The whole of Kashmir is worth watching. So Let’s know 10 most popular places to see in Kashmir.

Srinagar:

Srinagar is the summer capital of the state, Jammu and Kashmir, reflecting the authentic Jammu and Kashmir. The city is located on the banks of Jhelum river, surrounded by snow-capped mountain valleys. Srinagar is blessed with numerous tourist attractions including Mughal gardens, mosques, temples and the most renowned Dal Lake. Dal lake gives you an opportunity ride on Shikara boats and houseboats. While riding you can observe numerous beautiful birds such as breasted Kingfishers and large striking birds.

Gulmarg:

Gulmarg is one of the prominent places to visit in Jammu and Kashmir, noted as a popular skiing destination in the world. It comes under the Baramula district and is surrounded by Pirpanjal ranges in the western Himalayas. It is approximately 52 km from Srinagar having numerous points of interests such as a Baba Reshi Shrine, Gulmarg Biosphere Reserve, Strawberry Vallery, etc. Along with skiing, Gulmarg is also very popular for mount biking, trekking, snowboarding, etc.

 Leh and Ladakh:

Leh and Ladakh are two of the most prominent tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir. The culture of these reasons is closely related to that of Tibet. Ladakh is often considered as the Land of high passes. There are numerous beautiful monasteries in Ladakh, which are the main attraction of the region, drawing tourists from all across the world. Some of the popular Buddhist monuments in Ladakh are Sankar Gompa, Spituk Gompa, Hemis Monastery, Shey Gompa, Thiksey Gompa, etc.

 Sonmarg:

Sonmarg is a beautiful hill station in the Ganderbal district of Jammu Kashmir. It is said that it was a gateway on the ancient Silk Road that used to lead to China. Sonmarg, which means ‘meadow of gold’ has magnificent snowy mountains in its backdrop also attract tourists all around the country. Sonmarg is also very popular for its trekking routes that lead to some of the beautiful lakes of Himalayas’ such as Vishansar Lake, Krishansar Lake, Gangabal Lake and Gadsar Lake.

Kupwara:

Often credited to as ‘The Crown of Kashmir’ is a prominent tourist destination in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Lolab Valley and Bugas Valley are the two prominent tourist destination in this region comprising of beautiful meadows, mountains and waterfalls. 

Pahalgam:

Pahalgam is usually known as the Valley of Shepherds is approximately 3 hours drive from Srinagar. It is also the departure point for pilgrims going on the Amarnath Yatra that takes place annually in the months of July-August. There are also some must visit places in Pahalgam that will leave you into another world like Kolhoi Glacier, Betaab Valley.

 Kargil:

Kargli is an another point of interests in Kashmir, which is the witness of Kargil War of 1999. Today, it is a flourishing town in Ladakh district, located approximately 204 km from Srinagar.There are lots of tourist attractions in Kargil sector that can be explored such as Pashkum, Mulbek, Shargole, Fokar Urgiyan Rzong and Royal Wakha, Drass War Memorial, Karste Valley, etc.

Kathua:

If you want to have a glimpse of Kashmir's history, you must head to this beautiful place in Kashmir. Kathua is also called as the city of Sufis, as there are many Sufi shrines of peers in the region. The beautiful place is situated on the banks of a river offering scintillating views and calm atmosphere.

Pulwama:

Pulwama is an alluring town in Pulwama district, approximately 40 km from the summer capital of Srinagar. It is also known as ‘Dudha Kul of Kashmir’ because of its high milk production. The morality of the people of Pulwama is associated with agriculture and grow saffron, apple, almonds, walnut and cherry.

 Anantnag:

Anantnag is one of the picturesque places to visit in Kashmir. It is located an elevation of approximately 5253 ft. The whole of the area has beautiful lush green gardens and fresh water springs. Anantnag is also very popular for its Martand temple, which now in ruins. Martand was a Kashmiri Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Sun, which was demolished by Muslim ruler Sikandar Butshikan in the early 15^th century.   

 Poonch:

Poonch is located adjacent to Indo-Pak Border, but instead of that, it draws travel enthusiasts from all over the globe. The place is surrounded by beautiful alpine mountains, stunning lakes and green meadows. In addition to this, there are many shrines and temples in the region such as Budha Amarnath, Gurudwara Nangali, Gurudwara Deri Sahib, Ziarat Sain, Illahi, Bakhsh Sahib, Battalkote, etc.

Weather in Kashmir:

Kashmir is an abode of many valleys and is surrounded by the Himalayas and Pir Panjal ranges. In addition to this, the Kashmir has forests such as Himalayan subtropical pine forests, Karakoram forest plays an important role in the weather of the Kashmir. Winter all quite cool in Kashmir, sometimes temperature goes up to - 20° C. From moderate to heavy snowfall is normal in Kashmir in Winters. Even the only road that connects with Srinagar with the rest of India gets blocked. Summers are pleasant in Kashmir and is the best time to visit from a tourism point of view. In July day time to 24.1° C. The highest temperature recorded in Kashmir is 38.3° C. The average rainfall is around 720 millimetres.

 Languages Spoken in Kashmir

Kashmir is the Muslim majority area in India and Urdu is the official language of the state Jammu and Kashmir. However, the local language of Jammu and Kashmir is Kashmiri. It is said the Kashmiri was originated from Indo-Aryan people and is used to be called as kosher. Ladakhi is the second most spoken language in the state, spoken, especially in the Ladakh region while in Jammu region Dogri is largely spoken a language.  Kashmiri Pandits and Gujjar people within the state mostly speak Hindi.

What to Eat in Kashmir

Kashmiri Cuisine is generally based on an ancient tradition of Kashmir. It is not only popular in India Kashmir but among the Kashmiri diaspora spread in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Wazwan is one of the prominent meals in Kashmiri cuisine, which is a multi-course meal. It is usually seen as identity and culture of Kashmir. All the dishes included in Wazwan are meat-based using lamb or chicken. Wazwan is famous meal throughout the state and in many hotels and restaurants in India.  The interesting thing about this meal is that this meal is shared by groups of four people and the meal is taken out of a large copper platter called the team. Some of the popular Kashmiri cuisine dishes are given below.

·         Dum Olav

·         Gogji Raazma

·         Goshtaba

·         Lyodur Tschaman

·         Matschgand, lamb meatballs in a gravy tempered with red chillies

·         Modur Pulaav

·         Monji Haak/Gogji Haak

·         Mujh Gaad, a dish of radishes with a choice of fish.

·         Nadir Yakhin

·         "Shaem", which is similar to Goshtaba

How to Get Around in Kashmir

Roads are the best and only medium to visit different tourist destinations in the state, Jammu and Kashmir. In the state, you will find a good roads connection the prominent destinations like Gulmarg,  Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Kargil, etc with each other. From Srinagar Bus Stand, which is located at Lal Chowk, buses are available for all the major destinations in Jammu and Kashmir. The Leh-Srinagar National opens only from 15^th May to 15^th November depending on the weather conditions. The Jammu Kashmir Road Transport Corporated operates buses continuously between Jammu, Srinagar and Leh. In addition to this, mini buses, coaches and tourist taxis are widely available for various tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir.