Spending An Enchanting Time In The Valley Of Gods

If you’re living in the national capital region, you’ll get several opportunities to explore the various hill stations in Uttranchal and Himachal Pradesh. Delhi’s proximity to the famous and offbeat destinations in the hills appears as boon for avid travelers. Kullu, is one such major destination in the hills attracting a heavy foot fall each year. Here’s a look at the enchanting life in the cool slopes of Kullu.

Touted as the ‘Valley of Gods’, Kullu appears like an array of splendid valleys in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Situated at an altitude of more than 1200 meters and amongst the majestic mountains of Himalayas and the river Beas, Kullu along with Manali offers an enchanting holiday in the hill station, especially to the newlyweds. The scenic valleys, snow-clad mountain tops, colossal lines of the coniferous trees, meandering white waters of the river and the lush apple orchards attracts tourists and filmmakers from different parts of the country. If you’re keeping the national capital as the base, there are several Delhi to Kullu flight that can boarded regularly.

Kullu is considered as a haven for adventure sports aficionados. Trekking, mountaineering, paragliding, hiking and camping are some of the activities Kullu has to offer. If you haven’t tried fishing in your life, angling is another popular activity in the region that is enjoyed by tourists and locals alike. The Beas Kund, Hanuman and Deo Tibba are major starting points for mountaineering activities.

The majority of the trekking trails starts from the Rohtang Pass and into the valleys of Spiti, Lahaul, Zanskar and even Ladakh. You can take help of private companies organizing the expeditions, which lasts for about fifteen days. There are few hot springs as well at Manikaran and Kheerganga, which are a few hours trip from the city centre, are also worth exploring.

Kullu was earlier known as Kulant Pith meaning the end of the inhabitable world, and was mentioned even in the epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vishnu Purana. As legend goes, famous Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang’s diary mentioned Kullu as a beautiful region surrounded by mountains. It is also believed that the great King Asoka had ordered to built a tall iron pillar at the heart of the city, eventually that was later moved to Delhi by the incoming Mughal rulers. Kullu is also home to several Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples, the majority of them being dedicated to the lord of the mountains, Shiva. Archeologists have also claimed to find rich minerals like copper, crystals and even silver and gold.

The local culture of the hill station is quite laid back, with a slow pace of life. There are few remote resorts and cottages which can be taken on rent to enjoy the calm surroundings of the mountain. Theseresorts are laden with great facilities like sauna bath, massage rooms, internet and TV facilities. Other budgeted options are located along the foothills, which ranges something from 1000-3000 INR. Though there’s not much to explore food wise, as most of the restaurants offer north Indian cuisine.