Manali

The city lies at an altitude of 1800 meters, and the former - "Old Manali" - 200 meters above sea ​​level .

Manali is a cosmopolitan city ​​and people from different parts of India live here. About 64% of men and only 36% of women. The literacy rate of 74% is above the national average (59.5%): 80% of literate men and 63% of women. 9% of the population has not reached 6 years.

Mostly cold winters, moderately cool summers. The average annual temperature ranges from 4 to 30 ° C. The average summer temperature is from 14 ° C to 20 ° C, and the winter temperature is from −7 ° C to 10 ° C.

Monthly rainfall varies between 24 mm in November and 415 mm in July. On average, 45 mm in the winter-spring and 115 in the summer and in the monsoon. The average annual total precipitation is 1520 mm. Snowfall, which usually took place in December, lingers in the last fifteen years and comes in January or early February.

Manali is named after the Brahmin- legislator Manu . The word Manali literally means "the abode of Manu." According to legend, St. Manu moored here on his ship after the whole world was flooded. Kullu County is still called the Valley of the Gods. In the old Manali there is a temple dedicated to St. Manu ^{[2] [3]} .

The name "Manali" is derived from Manu-Ali, that is, " Manu doorway", after St. Manu lived here. In ancient times, the valley was inhabited by nomadic hunters, known as "rakshas". The next inhabitants were shepherds from Kangra , settling here they took up farming . Some of these early inhabitants of the region are known as Naur or Nar, which is a unique caste of the Kullu Valley. Now only a few families of Naura lively. The Naurian family in the village of Soyal, near Haripur on the west coast of Manali, is known in the district for its large land holdings and for the fact that they could call "Rakshasas" to work for them.

The British brought apple trees to the valley and bred trout , new species in the flora and fauna . It was said that the first harvest of apples was so large that the apple trees broke due to the weight of the fruits before they were picked. Today, apple trees, plums and pears are grown by local residents for sale.

Tourism in Manali grew after the hostilities in Kashmir in the 1980s. More recently, a quiet village has become a large city with a large number of hotels and restaurants .

Manali is well connected by roads: to Delhi there are NH-21 and NH 1 , through a network of roads you can reach Leh, the capital of Ladakh. If you go from Delhi to Manali, the cities of Panipat and Ambala in Haryana , Chandigarh ( Union Territory ), Ropar in Punjab and Bilaspur , Sundernagar and Mandi in Himachal come across on the road.

By rail, Manali is difficult to access. The nearest wide gauge railway is at Chandigarh (315 km), Pathankot (325 km) and Kalka (310 km). The nearest narrow gauge railway is at Jogindernagar (135 km).

The nearest airport is Bhuntar , 50 km from Manali. Kingfisher Red currently operates flights from Delhi every day, Air India operates twice a week, and MDLR Airlines flies to Delhi six days a week.

Manali is popular in Himalayan tourism and is visited by almost a quarter of tourists staying in Himachal Pradesh. In Manali, the air is cold, which creates comfortable conditions during the hot Indian winter.

Manali is visited by people who enjoy outdoor activities such as skiing , hiking over rough terrain and mountains, mountain climbing , paragliding , rafting , kayaking and mountain biking . In Manali, a completely new type of skiing ( en: Yak skiing ) even appeared - the use of yak and rope as a lifting device for a skier in the mountains ^[4] . Time magazine named Manali "Best in Asia" for this "Extreme Yak Sports" ^[4] . Manali also has hot springs, religious shrines, and Tibetan Buddhist temples.

Over the past few years, Manali has become a popular destination for honeymooners spending their honeymoon . According to statistics, in the holiday season (May — June and December — January) 550 couples are visiting Manali daily and 350 couples a day are here the rest of the time. .

Manali is also famous for gompa - Tibetan monasteries . With a high concentration of refugees from Tibet in the Kullu Valley, which is famous for the Gandhan Thexhokling Gompa, built in 1969. The monastery is maintained mainly by local communities of believers, and also receives income from the manufacture of handmade carpets and other products of the monastery workshops. The smaller and more modern gompa of the Nyingmapa tradition was built near the bazaar in a garden with sunflowers .

Attractions

• Naggar Fort . Located south of Manali, as a reminder of the Empire of Pal . Composed of large and medium stones, decorated with carved wood, this is an example of the rich and elegant art of Himachal. Now the fort has been rebuilt into a hotel for tourists.
• Khidimba Devi . Built in 1553, it is dedicated to the local goddess Khidimba , the wife of the prince-pandava Bhima . The temple is notable for the pagoda and carved wooden decorations.
• Rakhla waterfall . Beautiful waterfall 27 km from Manali at the beginning of the ascent to Rohtang La , at an altitude of 2501 meters.
• Solang , also known as “Snow Point”, is 13 km northwest of Manali.
• Manikaran . Located 45 km from Kullu on the way to Manali. Famous hot spring in the Parvati river valley.
• Rohtang La . The famous pass 40 km from Manali, in winter impassable due to snowfalls, height 3978 meters.

• Verma V. Gaddis of Dhauladhar: A Transhumant Tribe of the Himalayas. - Indus Publishing Co. - New Delhi, 1996.
• Handa, OC Buddhist Monasteries in Himachel Pradesh. - New Delhi: Indus Publishing Co, 1987 .-- ISBN 81-85182-03-5 .

•   The Manali Guide at Wikiguide