Mandi

Also known as Mandy, Mandav Nagar, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh

historic city in the Himalayas, India

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Place details

Locality: Mandi
Region: Himachal Pradesh
Country: India
Population: 28,217
Timezone: Asia/Kolkata

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Wikidata facts

Population: 26422
Elevation: 756
Image: Mandi HImachal.jpg
Dialing code: 1905

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Commons category: Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
postal code: 175001

Sources (1)

wikidata.org

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Travel guide

Understand

Mandi has around 300 temples, with 81 stone temples known for their intricate carvings. Most of these temples are built for Shiva and Kali. Some of the temples to visit are Panchvaktra Temple, Ardhnareshwar Temple and Triloknath Temple, all declared as protected monuments by the Archaeological Survey of India. Also visit the anceint Bhootnath Temple, dating back to the 1520s.

Get in

The only way to get Mandi is by road.

Get around

This historic town is built along the banks of the Beas river. Sage Mandvya is said to have meditated here, hence the name. The town is known for its old stone temples and the fine carvings and is called the Varanasi of the Hills.

See

Otherwise mostly temples, as mentioned: * Mata Kuan Rani Temple, (the 'Princess of the Well Temple) near the banks of Beas River. The site of the well where the 8th-century princess and dakini Mandarava was imprisoned by her father, King Vihardhara, for abandoning her royal duties and becoming a wandering mendicant in the Buddhist tradition. She escaped and became a consort of Guru Rinpoche.

Do

Stroll around in the Sunken Garden an its shops, and have a chai.

Eat

There are lots of local delicacies with urad dal as one of the main ingredient. Even the food is served on plates made of leaves. The complete meal is the combination of different type of dishes "sweet, sour and salty".

Sleep

Few hotels have an online presence and even less are listed on major booking websites so the best bet is to show up and inquire on foot. Accommodation can fill up on weekends or when road become impassable due to landslides. Low budget options seldomly have WiFi.

Go next

Rewalsar – 24 km from Mandi, Rewalsar is equally sacred to Hindus, Sikhs & Buddhists. It was from this place that Padam Sambhava, a zealous teacher & Buddhist missionary left for Tibet to preach his new doctrine of Buddhism. The Hindus believe that it was here that Rishi Lomas did his penance in devotion to Lord Shiva. Rewalsar is important to the Sikhs who have a Gurudwara built in commemoration of Guru Gobind Singh's visit to this place. It is a very sacred place for the Bhutanese, who are following this doctrine of religion as their State Religion. So there is a temple, gompa and gurudwara, besides the holy lake with floating islands. Barot – 40 km by road and 12 km by Haulage Trolley from Jogindernagar. Barot packs an enormous range of out door activities. The reservoir of the Joginder Nagar Hydel Power Project is located here. A trout breeding centre, makes it a wonderful place for angling. Across the river Uhl is the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary-home to the Ghoral, Himalayan black bear and a variety of pheasants. A trek route through thick forests links Barot to Kullu. Prashar Lake – 50 km from Mandi at an altitude of 2,730 m. The deep blue water at this beautiful lake is held sacred to the sage Prashar. Experience the serenity and breathtaking views of Dhauladhar mountains. There is a motorable road till the lake but vehicles do not play in winter when its snows there. A 7.5-km moderate difficult trek amid the forest can be taken by adventure enthusiasts. It is here that t…

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)