Manikaran is a holy destination in the Parvati valley of Himachal Pradesh along the banks of river Parvati. This place lies at an distance of 34km from Bhuntar (nearest airport) and lies at distance of 4km from Kasol which is also referred to as mini Israel. Manikaran is holy center for both Hindus as well as Sikhs. The legendary tales states that once the wife of lord Shiva, Parvati dropped her earings in the spring of Manikaran which led to the uprising of hot water from the place. On the other hand Sikhs believe that the third Udasi, Guru Nanak Dev Ji came to this place in 1574 with his disciples. After some time one of his disciple felt hungry. So they went to collect food but the only problem was that there was no fire to cook. Then Guru Nanak lifted the stone in Manikaran and the spring of hot water came out of the earth Surface.
Things to do around Manikaran
Kasol – It is a beautiful as well as peaceful village located at a distance of 32kmfrom Bhuntar (nearest airport) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. This village lies adjacent to gurgling Parvati river where you can sit along the river and enjoy the tranquillity and peace offered by nature. The specialty of the place lies in the trekking routes to various places like Malana, Chalaal, Kheerganga etc and you can definitely visit Manikaran which is at a distance of 4km from Kasol. Kasol is abode for the trekkers, backpackers and for those who cannot control their adrenaline rush. The cafés in the area offer you world-class cuisines which will definitely make your mouth water.
Malana – it is a village which lies in close proximity to Kasol and Manikaran everyone knows why it is so famous. Yes definitely it’s the M cream or the Malana cream. Kasol has always been a destination for the weed lovers who want to enjoy their life in the midst of smokeoffered by nature. Parvati valley offers you that which is difficult to find anywhere in the entire country and that makes this place unique. The rave parties of chalaal are renowned throughout for the magical stuff and the magical mood that will take you away from this planet. Trekking route from Kasol to chalaal is quite busy due to some above mentioned things and hence its also considered heaven for the smokers.
Kheerganga– it is a difficult trek of 13 Kms uphill from Varshaini. To reach Varshani you need to go through Manikaran,On your way to kheerganga you will cross many bridges and waterfalls. The trek is very famous for it’s rawness and the hot water springs. People travel to Kheerganga as it has a temple of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and the holy hot water springs are believed to have healing properties. The panaromic view of the surroundings and the sky from Kheerganga is an absolute delight to the eyes.
How to reach Manikaran
By air
· You can take a flight to Kullu Manali airport, Bhuntar, which is at a distance of around 34kms from manikaran. From Bhuntar you need to catch hold of a bus in order to reach Kasol or you can hire a taxi from there. I would prefer you to take a bus because it will cost you a ticket of Rs70-80 only while a taxi driver may charge upto Rs1000rs
· Alternate route( costly affair to Manikaran)
· Get to Shimla or Dharamshala through a flight, but you will have to take a bus or a cab to reach from there to Manikaran
· Shimla to kullu-210kms.
· Dharamshala to kullu-195kms.
· Airports:
· Shimla airport, Jubbarhatti
· Gaggal Airport or Dharamsala-Kangra airport, Kangra
· Kullu Manali airport, Bhuntar
· By road(most preferred method to Manikaran)
· All the buses from Chandigarh to Kullu/Manali go via Bhuntar. Bhuntar is at a distance of around 480 kms from Delhi. You can travel to Chandigarh from Delhi either by a bus or a train. I found Shatabadi(train) to be very comfortable and also it takes a little less time to reach Chandigarh by this train than by bus. I don’t know much about other trains. They might take a little longer. Hence, not preferable.
· Chandigarh can be reached from Delhi by national highway NH1 and then you can go to Kullu by national highway NH21 which passes through Bilaspur, Sundernagar and Mandi towns, covering a distance of about 270kms. All the buses go to Manali via Kullu and one needs to get down at Bhuntar from where you can hire a taxi or catch a bus to reach Manikaran
- · Bhuntar -Manikaran35kms
- · Kasol -Manikaran4kms
- · Bhuntar -Kullu10kms
- · Kullu -Manali 40kms.
By railway (not preferred method to Manikaran)
· There are only two railway stations that can be used, one is the Kiratpur Saheb in Punjab while the other is Una in Himachal Pradesh but both are at a huge distance from Kasol and you have to go by bus or a taxi from there on. You can also try the toy train from Pathankot (Punjab) to jogindernagar(Himachal Pradesh)but only if you have a lot of time to burn. Jogindernagar is about 144kms from Kasol and 147km from Manikaran. You have to go by road and from there to Manikaran too. I would not prefer for you to take this route as it is very much time consuming.