The historic town of Mandi (800 m) is built along the banks of the river Beas. It has long been an important commercial centre and the sage Mandva is said to have meditated here. This one time capital of the princely state of Mandi is a fast developing town that still retains much of its original charm and character. Today, it is a district headquarters. Mandi is renowned for its 81 old stone temples and their enormous range of fine carving, it is often called the 'Varanasi of the Hills'. The town has remains of old palaces and notable examples of 'colonial' architecture. The temples of Bhutnath, Trilokinath, Panchvaktra and Shyamakali are among the more famous ones. The week long international Shivratri fair in Mandi is the major attraction of the area every year. In the year 2013 the fair was celebrated in March. In the fair the activities like cultural programmes in the evenings, exhibitions, sports etc. attracts the tourists as well as locals.
Places for INTERSECT
Prashar Lake
This lake lies 45 km north of Mandi, with a three storied pagoda like temple dedicated to the sage Prashar. The Lake is located at an height of 2730 m above sea level. With deep blue waters, the Lake is held sacred to the sage Prashar and he is regarded to have meditated here. Framed by snow-capped peaks and looking down on fast flowing river Beas, the Lake can be approached via Drang. Every year in the month of June, famous traditional fair is held here. Several camping sites are also located here and it is the base for numerous easy & hard treks.
Rewalsar
About 25 km from Mandi, 14 km from Ner Chowk is the Rewalsar lake, famous for its floating islands of reed.
It is believed that all of them can be moved by prayer or breeze. The place is held sacred by Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhist alike. Legend
has it that the great teacher and "tantric", Padmasambhava used his enormous powers to take flight to Tibet from Rewalsar. Also known
as Guru Rimpoche, the precious Master, it was under Padmasambhava's influence that Mahayana Buddhism took root in Tibet and at Rewalsar
waters, his spirit is said to reside in the tiny island of floating reed that drift over the waters. There are three Buddhist
monasteries at Rewalsar.
Commemorating the month-long stay of Guru Gobind Singh in 1738, Rewalsar has a Gurudwara that was built in
1930 by Raja Joginder Sen of Mandi. Rewalsar has three Hindu temple which are dedicated to Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva and sage Lomas. The
Lake of Kunt Bhayo (1750 m above sea level) lies above Rewalsar, which is also visitable and there are also six other lakes of legend.
These are associated with the escape of the Pandava's from the burning palace od waxan episode from the epic Mahabharata.
Tibetan Monasteries
At a distance of 85 km from Mandi, Janjehli is one of the virgin tourist place, where tourists find serene beauty of nature. It is also a paradise for hikers, offering treks up to a height of 3,300 metres. After covering 32 km by a motorable road up to Gohar and rest of the journey is on foot. In the midest of thick forest, forests (15 km from Gohar) is Bajahi.There is a beautiful and well furnished rest house to stay overnight, from here Janjehli is a scant 20 km away through bridle path. The famous unique temple of Shikari Devi is about 15 km from Janjehli. In this valley tourists can also visit Kamrunag temple and sacred lake there.
Janjehli
At a distance of 85 km from Mandi, Janjehli is one of the virgin tourist place, where tourists find serene beauty of nature. It is also a paradise for hikers, offering treks up to a height of 3,300 metres. After covering 32 km by a motorable road up to Gohar and rest of the journey is on foot. In the midest of thick forest, forests (15 km from Gohar) is Bajahi.There is a beautiful and well furnished rest house to stay overnight, from here Janjehli is a scant 20 km away through bridle path. The famous unique temple of Shikari Devi is about 15 km from Janjehli. In this valley tourists can also visit Kamrunag temple and sacred lake there.
Karsog Valley
Karsog valley in the Mandi district is famous for apple orchards and dense forests. In the Karsog area Kamaksha Devi and Mahunag are the famous temples. Karsog is situated at a distance of 125 km from Mandi and is also accessible from Shimla (100 km) via Tattapani. The place Tattapani is famous for hot water springs on the side of Satluj river.