One of the most popular hill stations in India, Kullu Manali trip is a amidst the mountain slopes, with spell-binding views, charming streams, fairy-tale-like fog surrounding little hidden cottages and a lingering scent of pines and freshness. The heavy influx of tourists has led to the exploitation of Manali as a tourist destination, though the surrounding areas are still relatively untouched. Nevertheless, this is one place that should definitely be on your bucket list.
Kullu Manali trip, in Himachal Pradesh is one of the trips everybody should plan. Kullu Manali is one of the important towns to be visited in Himachal Pradesh Tour Packages ,One of the oldest principalities of Himachal and the Punjab hills, Kullu was originally known as Kuluta, founded in the 1st century or the Christan era, by Behangamani Pal whose forefathers had migrated to Mayapuri from Tripura. At the time the people were suffering from a repressive rule under the Thakurs of Spiti. The first revolution was sparked off at Jagatsukh. His efforts were crowned with success after he pleaded the Goddess Hadimba to give him, her blessings. Hadimba is the grandmother and patron deity of the Rajas of Kullu and one of the best kullu tourist places. The Pal ruled, continued there for 1400 years till the capital was shifted to Nag-gar, where idol of Raghunath was installed by Raja Jagat Singh. At this historic turn, the rajas, who worshipped Shiva and Shakti, adopted the Vaishnava Dharma. At the same time the Raja also gave away his whole kingdom by placing the idol on the ‘gaddi’ and adopting, for himself, the vice-regentship.
No other valley under the sun has been sanctified by kullu attractions such a number of gods who have been given a human character and personality, with their place in the community. Thus they exercise a day-today influence in the lives of the people. It is truly the Land-Divine–but the gods in Kullu are unique in the world, these are the only gods that are ‘human to the core’. Far from sitting in their ivory tower, aloof and beyond reach of the people, they continue to remain a part and parcel of the entire community and village. Like human beings they have their own brothers, sisters, and feel happy when propitiated and show unmistakable signs of anger if ignored. Accompanied by their devotees they visit other villages along with their whole paraphernalia.
Respectfully worshipped as benign, benevolent benefactors, they can occasionally be taken to task by the villagers if they feel that some calamity has fallen on the village due to the god’s negligence. In such cases the defaulting god is taken to the powerful goddess Hadimba who sits in judgement on him in Dhoongri. The god can be punished by imprisonment in the cells of the temple and starvation or both–or he may just be acquitted.
Step up Himalaya 