Tourism at Kullu-HP

Enclosed by the last snow range of the Himalayas, the Dhaula Dhar, and Pir Panjal, running parallel to the south of it, is a valley that leaves the spectator awe-struck at the breath-taking grandeur of its mountains, its torrents and its vast expanses of snow in its upper regions. Fascinating, calm, placid and gorgeous, this is the Valley of the Gods, who in turn can be benign, angry and capricious.
It is fascinating when the gold of the morning sun flatter the snow-capped mountain tops, it is calm and placid when the gentle breezes move the wispy clouds over the blue vault, making the pines whisper secrets that the gods alone know and it is gorgeous when the breath-taking beauty of the Fall (Autumn) colours, gold, red and scarlet turn the valley into a veritable paradise. When the gods are benign, they bathe the valley with the kindly Sun gently giving energy and sustenance below when they are angry they pour down torrents of rain which brings down whole mountain sides making access to the valley impossible & when they are capricious, they are dangerous - the rivers rise and carry away bridges, houses, sheep and even the men who propitiate them in every hemlet, every village and every town. The very approach fills the traveller with a senseof the majesty of God, as he proceeds along a narrow and winding road that runs along the Beas through a gorge, where the rocky walls tower perpendicularly above over a thousand feet high, and the raging torrent is barely a few feet below. Blasted through solid rock the road runs for 40 km (25 miles) through the Mandi-Larji gorge till finally it opens out and every mile up the river treveals the changing beauty of the heavenly region. This is Kullu Valleytravellers have rhapsodied over the unique character of the journey up-the region, not more than a mile wide, in most parts, and 31 km [50 miles] in length.
Literally the valley of hundred temples and a thousand derties, it offers peace, a mysterious, spiritual peace which pervades every nook, every corner, and a peace breathed into the mountains, trees, stars and streams by countless sages and `rishis' who came here to contemplate. Here came Rishi Vyas, the author of the Mahabharata giving the river Vipasha his name, here came Vashisht, the hot sulphur springs are sacred to his memory, and here came the omniscient Brighu to sojourn at the lovely lake, near Manali, and 4,267 metres (14,000 ft) above sea level.
Finally, here, too, wandered the Pandvas in their years of exile and cultivated rice at Pandva-ka-Ropa, 3,658 metres (12,000 ft) above, from where the snow-covered ranges and glaciers reveal themselves in a magnificent panorama. Bhim, one of the Pandva brother, fell a victim to the charms of Hidamba, and had to engage in mortal combat with her maneating gaint brother, Hidamb. She overcame her filil love and with her help, Bhim killed the brother and married the sister. The Pandvas resided in Manali for a year and in due course, Hadimba presented Bhim with a son, the valiant Ghatotkatch, who died a hero's death in the battle of kurukshehtra. The women of the valley are famed for their beauty. The Kullu valley begins at Aut on the northern end of the gorge in the Dhaula Dhar, cut by the river Beas at Larji, above Mandi.
This is the second portion of Kangra, and the Beas here flows amidst broad cultivated terraces, about 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) above sea level. Above Vashisht, the valley is glaciated snow-truncated spurs and is U-Shaped. There is rock cliff below Kothi, which has been cut into a narrow I-shaped gorge, hardly 10 metres (33 ft) wide and 30 metres (984 ft) deep. It is a major rock step. Further the valley is again an open U, here, the road 73 climbs in a zig-zag manner to the Rohtang Pass across the Pir Panjal, where the river Beas rises. Falling rapidly at first, it tumbles headlong at the Rahalla Falls. Crystal spray against sheer rock, it falls into the alpine valley. At the top of the pass the air seems to glitter against the snow as one looks down over herring-bonned ridges in the Lahaul Valley.