06-May-2015 – DAY 4

Well laid out plans now and then run in to troubled waters. We were all excited and looking forward to the awe-inspiring view of Rohtang pass but our driver had other ideas. Throughout the trip the morose fellow was fishing for trouble. Customer service was farthest from his mind. Several times he would deliberately stop at rundown places for lunch even if we pass good restaurants on the way. On the way to Manali, he stopped at the outskirts and insisted that we buy blankets and other woollen clothing from this shop… the reason…he was obliged to this fellow as he had helped the driver several times in the past! When we refused he said he is going to stop here anyways and wasted an hour of our time. The proverbial last straw moment came when we were on our way to Rohtang pass. The day was not cold and we had the right winter gear with us to make the trip to Rohtang pass. Despite favourable weather he stopped at a shop and insisted that we rent the entire snow gear including snow boots! When I refused he said he will not go further. I decided to end his farce and asked him to take me to the office of Himalayan Holidayers. Though the office team manager threw the fellow out, we could get an alternate vehicle only after lunch and wasted our morning.

We did last minute changes to our plan and decided to go for local sightseeing.

We had our first halt at Vashisht temple. It is located on a narrow inclined road lined with shops on both sides. The temple is believed to be thousands of years old. As with other architecture in Manali, even this temple is built in traditional style with intricate wooden carvings. Legend has it that Lakshmana to help Sage Vashisht shot an arrow into the ground and a hot spring emerged.

Adjacent to this temple is the Shri Ram temple. All these temples have been given a wooden facelift.

We spent an hour in the market before heading out to Hidimba temple.

Hidimba temple is located in Dhoongri forest. The temple is surrounded by tall deodar trees and is quiet and peaceful. . The temple is dedicated to Hidimba devi wife of Bhima, one of the five Pandavas. It is believed that Hidimba meditated at this very spot. Inside the temple there is a huge rock and part of it is covered with brass image representing goddess Hidimba devi.

At a short distance from here, there is another temple dedicated to Ghatotkacha, son of Bhima and Hidimba.

We were asked to visit Manali club house which is nearby. The structure of the club has old British style architecture but is not maintained properly by HP tourism Development Corporation. The shopping area was bereft of any goods and so was the play area. The chaat vehicle in the club premises was a face saver … it at least served good local chaat items. The river crossing activity by ropeway was functional. I will not recommend the Manali club house to tourists.

Our next stop was a Himalaya Nyingmapa Buddhist temple on Gompa road. It is difficult to get there because of traffic and small lanes but it is good to have it in your itinerary. There are numerous huge prayer wheels in the temple precinct.

We proceeded to Manali Mall Road from here. Thankfully, vehicles are barred from plying on the Mall road and it is a pleasure to just walk and do window shopping.

What to shop at Manali: Manali is popular for woolen apparels and Tibetan artefacts and souvenirs. One can also pick up knick-knacks which offers interesting peek in to Tibetan culture. You can pick up small items from various tourist spots around Manali. For more expensive items like rugs, shawls or hand woven carpets Mall road will be a better option. If you explore the by-lanes of Mall road you can get local handicrafts, prayer wheels, Buddhist painting scrolls, bamboo souvenirs and bronze idols.

Tomorrow we have planned to visit Kullu. Some interesting places to explore…