Parvati Valley
Pine-framed vistas up the racing Parvati River towards razor-sharp, snow-speckled peaks are at their light-suffused best around two hours before sunset…
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Parvati Valley
This ethereally beautiful valley stretches up through touristy, forest-ringed Kasol and the busy if grubby little pilgrim hot-springs town of Manikaran to a collection of villages around Barshani with glorious views of 5000m Himalayan peaks. Places like Pulga and Kalga here are key stops on the pre-Goa 'hummus trail' for young Israeli travellers, while Kasol and Tosh increasingly draw young Indian travellers and weekenders. The valley has plenty of hippie/backpacker hang-outs, with cheap accommodation, international food and nonstop music. The well-deserved reputation for charas (hashish) is most noted at the very odd village of Malana. Police sometimes make spot checks for drugs.
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Must-see attractions for your itinerary
Parvati Valley
The village's central open space is somewhat scrappy but its northern corner retains an age-blackened wooden pavilion with delicately carved columns plus…
Parvati Valley
The 1940 Sri Guru Nanak Ji Gurdwara looms over the north bank of the Parvati River. It's entered either by a dark, semi-underground passage from the…
Parvati Valley
Next door to the large gurdwara is a Shiva temple where devotees whisper prayers into the ears of an elegant Nandi bull (Shiva's vehicle).
Parvati Valley
In the heart of the village this double-barrelled temple is most intriguing for the hunting trophies and long loops of bangles that decorate its southern…
Parvati Valley
This ornate if relatively new wood-and-stone temple is dedicated to one of the main characters in the Manikaran legend.
Parvati Valley
Recently restored in concrete but with a wooden porch, this sikhara-type temple stands on the esplanade east of the gurdwara.
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