Manali is a small
hill station situated at the northern end of the Kullu district of
Himachal Pradesh. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India.
Manali is situated at a height of 2050m in Western Himalayas. Lush green apple
orchards, snow-covered mountains, and evergreen deodars trees attract millions
of tourists every year.
Name Manali is derived from the
word ‘Manu-Alaya’ which means “the abode of Manu”. Manu was
among the family of ancient Hindu sages Saptarishi. Manu recreated human life
and nature after the great flood which had washed out the complete world. Every
village of Manali has its own deities and because of this Manali is also known
as “Valley of Gods”. One can get a chance to see these deities during some
rituals functions and village fairs.
Manali is well connected with
roads. It is 250 km from state capital Shimla, 310 km from Chandigarh and 540
km from Delhi. The nearest airport is Bhunter Airport which is 50 km from
Manali. The nearest railhead is at Joginder Nagar which is a narrow gauge
railhead and about 175 km away from Manali. Other broad gauge railheads are at
Chandigarh 310 km, Pathankot 325 km, Una 250 km, Kiratpur Sahib 268 km and
Kalka 275 km.
Manali is a paradise for
adventure lovers. Paragliding, White River rafting, and river crossing are some
adventure activities in Manali which everyone wants to enjoy while they are in
Manali. There are plenty of short and long treks that start from Manali. Trek
to Hamta Pass, Beas Kund, and Bhrigu Lake are some of the famous treks. In
winters when slopes of Solang Valley are covered with snow, tourist enjoys snow
activities like skiing and snowboard.
| Important contact details of Manali- Himachal Pradesh | |
| Police Station Manali contact number | ,01902-252326 |
| Fire Station Manali contact number | 101, 1902-252222 |
| Hotel Association Manali contact number | ,01902-253059 01902-253859 |
| Himachal Roadways Bus Stand Manali (HRTC) contact number | ,01902-252323 |
| Emergency Ambulance contact number | 102 |
| Lady Willingdon Hospital Manali contact number | ,01902-252379 |
| Civil Hospital Manali contact number | ,01902-253385 |
| Manu Diagnostic Centre Manali contact number | 9418083587 |
| Kullu Valley Hospital Kullu contact number | ,01902-226322 |
| Civil Hospital Kullu contact number | ,01902-224312 |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering Manali contact number | ,01902-252342 01902-253789 |
| Himachal Tourism Manali contact number | ,01902-253531 |
| Taxi Union Manali contact number | ,01902-252120 |
| Auto Rikshaw Union Manali contact number | ,01902253366 |
| Post Office Manali | ,01902-252568 |
| Life Insurance Corporation Manali contact number | ,01902-253052 |
| Bharat Gas Manali contact number | ,01902-254222 01902-253264 |
| Indane Gas Manali contact number | ,01902-254130 |
| Telephone Exchange Manali contact number | ,01902-252404 |
Places to Visit in Manali or Main
attractions of Manali
- · Hadimba Devi Temple
- · Manu Rishi Temple
- · Club House
- · Vashisht Hot Springs
- · Jogni Waterfall
- · Nehru Kund
- · Solang Valley
- · Kothi
- · Gulaba
- · Rohtang Pass
- · Van Vihar
- · Mall Road
- · Tibetan Monastery
- · Naggar Castle
Taxi
for Local Sightseeing in Manali.
Manali is named after sage Manu. It is also known as “Valley of
Gods". It is a prime holiday destination today just 40km from Kullu. High
mountains covered by snow, tall deodars, rippling water of River Beas, cool
breeze, singing birds, wildflowers, fruit-laden orchards, picturesque hamlets
all that nature can give is here. It is 50km from Bhuntar Airport Kullu. It is
310 km from Chandigarh and 280 km from Shimla by road.
How Matsya Avatar is related to Manali.
In Hindu mythology, there are four eras [yuga] – Satya yuga, Treta yuga, Dwapara Yuga, and Kali-yuga. Each Yuga is supposed to be a day for Lord Brahma. One day of Lord Brahma is 4320 million human years. After the end of every yuga, Lord Brahma goes to sleep. The power of Lord Brahma’s creation comes from the Vedas. When Lord Brahma sleeps there is no creation and the universe comes to an end. Lord Vishnu is the God of Preservation. Whenever the earth was in danger and when evil threatens to overpower good, Lord Vishnu descends from heaven to incarnate on the earth. There are ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. [Dasavatar – Das meaning ‘ten’ and avatar is ‘incarnation’, the last avatar – Kalki avatar is yet to come] The first avatar of Lord Vishnu is called as Matsya Avatar [Matsya means ‘fish’].
In the Satya Yuga, there was a king by name Manu. He was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu. His greatest desire was to see Lord Vishnu with his own eyes. For this, he performed severe penances for thousands of years.
The Satya Yuga was about to
end and a great flood was to come and destroy all the life on earth to start
afresh for the next Yuga. Lord Brahma after a day full of creation was tired.
He wanted to go to sleep and was soon snoring loudly.
While Lord Brahma was
sleeping an asura Hayagriva emerged from Brahma’s nose. With Brahma asleep,
Hayagriva realized that it was the right time to take in all the knowledge of
the Vedas. Hayagriva concentrated and soon absorbed the knowledge in the Vedas.
He then hid deep inside the ocean, thinking that nobody would find him there.
Lord Vishnu saw this and was worried. If the Vedas were stolen by the asura, the knowledge of the Vedas could not be passed on to the Next Yuga. As a Preserver, it was his job to make sure the knowledge survived to the next Yuga.
Wondering what to do, Lord
Vishnu looked at Manu performing penance. Lord Vishnu smiled realizing that he
could complete quiet a lot than just save the Vedas…
The next morning, Manu went to the river to begin his prayers. He took the water in his hands and held it high above his head and offered it to the Lord Vishnu to mark the beginning of his prayer. He was about to pour the water into the river when he heard a tiny voice from his hands. ‘O, great king! Please do not put me back in the river…’ Surprised Manu stared at his hands. In the palms of his hands was a tiny fish, squirming. The fish looked at Manu, pleading, ‘Please do not put me back in the water. There are so many bigger fishes in the water, they will eat me. Please, O great king…’ Manu looked at the tiny fish with pity. As a king, it was his duty to protect anybody who came to him for help. The king readily agreed and put the fish inside his ‘kamandalam’. [Kamandalam is a small jug carried by sages in those days to carry water]
Manu finished his penance and went home for the night. He had left the fish inside the kamandalam, knowing that the fish would be safe inside. He woke up next morning hearing a strong voice, ‘O king…Help me…Your kamandalam is stifling me. I cannot breathe in here…’ Surprised Manu looked at his kamandalam, only to find a big fish staring at him from the top of the kamandalam. The fish was pushing the sides of the jug as the jug was too small for it.
Overcoming his surprise, Manu
ran inside his house to get a bigger vessel. The fish gulped few breaths and
said softly, ‘Thank you, kind king.’
Manu smiled and was about to
walk out the home to begin his morning prayers when he heard an even more
powerful voice, ‘King, this vessel is too small for me. Please get me another
one. ‘Manu blankly stared as the fish stared out of the vessel he had got just
minutes back. The fish was again struggling for breath. Manu brought the
biggest vessel in his house and threw the fish inside it. The fish thanked him
and after checking that the vessel was big enough for the fish, still puzzled,
was about to walk out of the house, when he heard a strong voice, ‘I am sorry
this vessel is also not sufficient for me, king’
Manu stared in disbelief as he saw the huge fish stare out of the big vessel. However realizing that this was not the time for questions, he carried the fish and ran to the river, where he had found the fish and threw the fish inside.
The fish gulped a few breaths
inside water, ‘Thank you…king. You have protected me. But please don’t leave me
here. I am afraid the other bigger fishes may eat me…’
Manu began to get suspicious,
but he was a king. He could not just stop protecting someone who had come to
him for help. He stared at the fish for long and before his very eyes saw the
fish getting larger and larger, till it had covered up the entire river.
The same routine followed
again. Manu carried the fish from one river to another river, but the fish kept
getting bigger.
Finally, he dropped the fish
inside the ocean, only to find that the fish have grown to full one side of the
ocean. Looking at gigantic fish, a sudden flash came to Manu. He bowed before
the fish, ‘Narayana, you are Narayana...my Lord.’ The fish smiled, ‘You wanted
to see me and here I have come.’ Manu stared with tears in his eyes, as a huge
horn grew on the head of the fish.‘My Lord, you have granted me
my only desire. I want nothing more. What do you want me to do now?’ Manu said
prostrating before the fish.
‘Manu, the Yuga is about to
end in seven days. There will be a great flood and all living things on the
earth would perish. I want you to build a big ship. Take the seeds of all
plants, the male and female of every animal, and the seven sages along with
their families. Take them all on the ship’ Manu nodded. The fish
continued. ‘Don’t forget to bring Vasuki, the snake God also.’ Manu nodded
again as he watched the fish tear through the ocean to the other side.
One half of the fish’s work completed, the fish went to the other side to complete the other reason for the incarnation. On the other end of the ocean, the fish saw Hayagriva guarding the Vedas. Seeing the huge fish, Hayagriva was terrified. What a huge fish…However, no sooner than he had thought this, the fish attacked him. The fish was so huge, that a single push sent the asura reeling. Still dazed Hayagriva tried fighting the fish, but the fish was huge and powerful.
After a brief and futile
struggle, the asura was dead. Once the asura was dead, the Vedas imbibed by him
went back to Lord Brahma, who was still asleep. On the other side of the
ocean, Manu was building his ship. He had also brought the seven sages with
their families. Soon there were torrential
rains that washed away everything. The water level kept increasing and very soon
there was a flood. The ship wobbled and many times was about to capsize, but
Manu and that others were steadfast in their belief that Lord Vishnu would
protect them.
Soon the fish came as promised, ‘Manu, use Vasuki as a rope to tie my horn to the ship’ It bellowed loudly, above the roar of the rain. Once the fish was tied to the ship, the fish guided the ship in sea and kept the ship safe while the storm raged outside. The fish taught the Vedas to Manu and the others during the voyage. After the storm abated and everything was washed away, the fish deposited the ship at Mount Himavan for the people there to continue the new yuga.
The place where Manu's ark came to rest in a valley as the floods subsided and
that valley came to be known as Manualaya and later Manali.
