Manikaran
We actually set off to Kulu – Manali but since my uncle, a former employee of NHPC had a friend in Manikaran we first went to Manikaran. The route was Chennai – Delhi – Chandigarh – Manikaran. We took a cab from Chandigarh – left around 3 in the afternoon and reached Manikara at 11 pm. We met our guide Bharturamji and driver Rameshji at Nahgwai 30 kms before Manikaran and changed vehicles. It was pitch dark, no lights and not a sound. After a point we could hear the sound of gushing water and we had reached the NHPC guest house at Manikaran. Virmaniji, my uncle’s friend and Chief Engineer received us with great warmth. It was shivering once we got down from the jeep (this was in May). Dinner with hot phulkas and sizzling sabji was waiting for us and after dinner we reached our rooms and set off to sleep in our rajaais. Next morning, no clue about the time, we got up and went out just to see where we were.
Oh my God! No words can describe the breathtaking place. The guest house, located in a plain was surrounded on all sides by huge mountains, green mountains on the east and south. In front, just 10 metres away the ice cold river Parvathi was flowing in its full gusto. On the right we could see the snow clad peaks of the Himalayas. It was too much for my eyes. I could not believe this!!
About 10 in the morning Barturamji took us to Manikaran. It is a small place and not many tourists as in Kullu or Manali. Barturamji told us that off late, the inflow of tourists has increased. First we visited the NHPC’s dam site where a 30 Km long tunnel is being drilled through the mountains to generate hydro electric power. Then we visited the Sri Ram Mandir and Shiva temple, famous for their hot springs. Manikaran has some of the hottest springs in the world. It was a great sight to watch perennial boiling hot water gushing out of the ground in front of Lord Shiva and joining the ice cold waters of the river Parvati engulfed with fumes. They have laid carpets all round the hot water spring but still it was difficult to walk on them since it was very very hot!. We bought a sack each of raw rice and dal tied with a long thread and put them into the hot spring and when we went around the temple and came out in about 10 minutes time, we had cooked rice and dal ready from the spring. The rice and dal thus cooked are treated as prasadam in Manikaran. Even now when we think back, it is just amazing. That’s what nature is all about. Then we did a little bit of shopping (u get some good wooden items in Manikaran) in the small market adjacent to the temple. We heard that there were caves with hot water springs in the mountains behind, but didn’t visit them due to paucity of time. We then had lunch at the Gurudwara behind the Shiva Temple where most of the food (rice,dal, etc) is cooked in the hot water springs. They fill pots made of clay with rice and dal and lower them into the springs after tying the mouths with cloth and take them after 30 minutes and you have boiling hot cooked rice and dal ready. It was a wonderfull experience and we felt sorry that we could stay for two days only in Manikaran since we had to leave for Kulu.
We actually set off to Kulu – Manali but since my uncle, a former employee of NHPC had a friend in Manikaran we first went to Manikaran. The route was Chennai – Delhi – Chandigarh – Manikaran. We took a cab from Chandigarh – left around 3 in the afternoon and reached Manikara at 11 pm. We met our guide Bharturamji and driver Rameshji at Nahgwai 30 kms before Manikaran and changed vehicles. It was pitch dark, no lights and not a sound. After a point we could hear the sound of gushing water and we had reached the NHPC guest house at Manikaran. Virmaniji, my uncle’s friend and Chief Engineer received us with great warmth. It was shivering once we got down from the jeep (this was in May). Dinner with hot phulkas and sizzling sabji was waiting for us and after dinner we reached our rooms and set off to sleep in our rajaais. Next morning, no clue about the time, we got up and went out just to see where we were.
Oh my God! No words can describe the breathtaking place. The guest house, located in a plain was surrounded on all sides by huge mountains, green mountains on the east and south. In front, just 10 metres away the ice cold river Parvathi was flowing in its full gusto. On the right we could see the snow clad peaks of the Himalayas. It was too much for my eyes. I could not believe this!!
About 10 in the morning Barturamji took us to Manikaran. It is a small place and not many tourists as in Kullu or Manali. Barturamji told us that off late, the inflow of tourists has increased. First we visited the NHPC’s dam site where a 30 Km long tunnel is being drilled through the mountains to generate hydro electric power. Then we visited the Sri Ram Mandir and Shiva temple, famous for their hot springs. Manikaran has some of the hottest springs in the world. It was a great sight to watch perennial boiling hot water gushing out of the ground in front of Lord Shiva and joining the ice cold waters of the river Parvati engulfed with fumes. They have laid carpets all round the hot water spring but still it was difficult to walk on them since it was very very hot!. We bought a sack each of raw rice and dal tied with a long thread and put them into the hot spring and when we went around the temple and came out in about 10 minutes time, we had cooked rice and dal ready from the spring. The rice and dal thus cooked are treated as prasadam in Manikaran. Even now when we think back, it is just amazing. That’s what nature is all about. Then we did a little bit of shopping (u get some good wooden items in Manikaran) in the small market adjacent to the temple. We heard that there were caves with hot water springs in the mountains behind, but didn’t visit them due to paucity of time. We then had lunch at the Gurudwara behind the Shiva Temple where most of the food (rice,dal, etc) is cooked in the hot water springs. They fill pots made of clay with rice and dal and lower them into the springs after tying the mouths with cloth and take them after 30 minutes and you have boiling hot cooked rice and dal ready. It was a wonderfull experience and we felt sorry that we could stay for two days only in Manikaran since we had to leave for Kulu.
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