Kullu

        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 sense of  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 reveals the changing beauty of the heavenly region. This is Kullu   Valley;  travellers  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 filial 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  7   3 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.

How to Reach

By Road Kullu is well connected to major parts of the country by a network of roads. The distance from Delhi is 522km approximately. Ambala, Chandigarh, Ropar, Kiratpur, Bilaspur and Mandi are the main stations on the way. By Air Indian Airlines and Jagson Airlines operate flights from Delhi to Kullu & back and Shimla to Kullu & back round the year. During monsoon the flights are uncertain because of bad weather. It takes 90 minutes to reach Kullu from Delhi. Only an 18 seater (Dornier) aircraft is able to land in Kullu Manali Airport at Bhuntar, which is at a distance of 10 km from Kullu town. By Train The railway stations close to Kullu are Jogindernagar (125 km from Kullu), Pathankot (285km from Kullu), Simla (270km from Kullu), Chandigarh (267km from Kullu) and Kalka. Chandigarh is the most convenient rail- head as regular bus service is available from Chandigarh to Kullu. Various private agencies in Kullu provide booking facilities for railways.