Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Manali sit at an altitude of 2,050 m in the Beas River Valley is a hill station nestled in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh near the northern end of the Kullu Valley. It is located about 270 km north of the state capital, Shimla.

Beautiful temple at the heart of Manali

Manali is a small district with a population of approximately 30,000 people is administratively a part of the Kullu district. The small town is the beginning of an ancient trade route to a famous place, Ladakh and from there over the Karakoram Pass on to Yarkand and Khotan in the Traim Basin. I always dream to go up to the beautiful place, Leh in Ladakh which is accessible via NH21, but during winter the connecting road is closed.

School childrens during winter time

The climate in Manali is predominantly cold during winters, and moderately cool during summers. The temperatures range from 4 to 20 degree Celsius over the year. The average temperature during summer is  4 to 15 Celcius with a maximum record of 27 and drop as slow as −15 Celcius in the winter.

Chrysanthemum healthily bloom in a winter season

A serene view on our walk to the nearby temple

Manali is named after the Hindu lawgiver Manu. The word Manali is regarded as the changed name of "Manu-Alaya" which literally means "the abode of Manu". Legend has it that sage Manu stepped off his ark in Manali to recreate human life after a great flood had deluged the world. Manali is also often referred to as the "Valley of the Gods". The Old Manali village has an ancient temple dedicated to sage Manu.

We were brought to another carved Hindu temple by the driver after consultation with the locals. We were here right after we had our lunch just accross the town. The most impressive thing about the temple beside a fully carving and protected building is it's bell. Naim tried on to bring the welcoming sound in below photo.

I took the opportunity, went into a circle while reciting Al-Fatiha in remembrance of our God. That's what I normally do to remind myself that a purpose of my visit to other religious temples (than our mosque) is in searching for Him, as monotheist. Deep inside, I felt his presence to similar to the devotee in below photo was searching for her God, when she bowed down in her prayer.  

After reciting my prayer, I went around the building to capture the temple's beauty especially a fine arts of the carving.

Not to forget few shots surrounding the locations.

From far, we can hear the school children singing and reciting their books. It was a very cold weather and I opined that they might have get use to it, learning outside the classroom.