Manikaran is located in the Parvati Valley on river Parvati, northeast of Bhuntar in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. It is at an altitude of 1760 m and is located 4 km from Kasol, about 45 km from Kullu, and about 35 km from Bhuntar.

Parvati River which gives the name to Parvati Valley is like a young girl and the perfect word to describe her would be ‘Alhad’. She is impatient, in a hurry, and full of energy. Cutting through the mighty Himalayan mountains, she makes her way. She is unstoppable. A look at her and you know you can not hold her, control her, and bind her abundant energy. You can only sit back and admire and you can only wish well for her.

On the other side are these rocky mountains. The road is like the central lever of a balance. That balances the steady strength of mountains with the flowing strength of the Parvati River’s waters.

This small town attracts tourists visiting Manali and Kullu's hot springs and pilgrim centers. An experimental geothermal energy plant has also been set up here.

Manikaran is a pilgrimage center for Hindus and Sikhs. The Hindus believe that Manu recreated human life in Manikaran after the flood, making it a sacred area. It has many temples and a Gurudwara. There are temples of the Hindu deities Rama, Krishna, and Vishnu. The area is well known for its hot springs and its beautiful landscape.

According to legend, when the Hindu God Shiva and his consort Parvati were walking in the valley, Parvati dropped one of her earrings. Shesha, the serpent deity, seized the jewel and then disappeared into the earth with it. Shesha only surrendered the jewel when Shiva performed the cosmic dance, the Tandava, and shot the jewel up through the water. Apparently, jewels continued to be thrown up in the waters at Manikaran until the 1905 Kangra earthquake.

Sikh belief

According to the Sikhs, during the third Udasi, the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak came to this place in 15 Asu 1574 Bikrami with his disciple Bhai Mardana. Mardana felt hungry and they had no food. Guru Nanak sent Mardana to collect food for the langar (the community kitchen). Many people donated atta (flour) to make roti (bread).

The one problem was that there was no fire to cook the food. Guru Nanak asked Mardana to lift a stone and he complied and a hot spring appeared. As directed by Guru Nanak, Mardana put the rolled chapatis in the spring, but to his despair, the chapatis sank. Guru Nanak then told him to pray to God saying that if his chapatis float back then he would donate one chapati in His name. When he prayed all the chapatis started floating up duly baked. Guru Nanak said that when anyone donates in the name of God, his drowned items float back.

Maharishi Ved Vyasa in Bhavishya Purana predicted the visit of Guru Nanak Dev

Today, there stands a Gurudwara at the very spot. It is on every Sikh devotee’s wishlist to visit Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib at least once in a lifetime.

Hindu belief

The legend of Manikaran says that while walking around, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati once chanced upon a lush green place surrounded by mountains. Enamoured by the beauty of the place, they decided to spend some time there. It is believed that they actually spent eleven hundred years here.

During their stay, Goddess Parvati lost her mani (precious stones) in the waters of a stream. Upset over the loss, she asked Shiva to retrieve it. Lord Shiva commanded his attendant to find the mani for Parvati. However, when they failed, he was extremely angry. He opened his third eye, a tremendously inauspicious event that led to disturbances in the universe. An appeal was made before the serpent god, Sheshnag, to pacify Lord Shiva. Sheshnag hissed, thereby giving rise to a flow of boiling water. The water spread over the entire area, resulting in the emergence of precious stones of the type Goddess Parvati had lost, and Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were happy.

The name Manikaran is derived from this legend. The water is still hot and is considered extremely auspicious. A pilgrimage to this place is thought of as complete. It is also believed that there is no need to pay a visit to Kashi after visiting this place. The water of the spring is also supposed to have curative powers. The water is so hot that rice can be cooked in it.

The temple was constructed by Raja Jagat Singh in the 15th century. It is at an altitude of 1756 m and is located about 35 km from Kullu.

It is claimed that even before 1905, these hot water springs sprang with full force. Making an 11 to 14 feet high fountain. The temperature of different springs at Manikaran is 64 to 80 °C. There is no sulphur in these springs.

Food is cooked in these springs. Bathing here is considered a balm for arthritis.

Garam Kothi

When you walk through a long tunnel-like corridor there is a room called ‘Garam Kothi’. The stones below the feet will feel hot. In the room, it seems impossible to stand, the heat was too much to bear. But many old people can be found sitting on the stone there. They say that the heat here can cure one of many diseases, especially joint pains and related problems. It would take a lot of willpower to sit in that heat. I guess it would be worth it if you can cure yourself without any pills.

There in the courtyard of a Shiva Temple there you could find many well-like openings with boiling water. With River Parvati flowing in the backdrop, it will be impossible to believe that the two waters next to each other is more or less about 100 degrees centigrade apart in temperature. The water of Parvati is ice cold and right next to it the hot water springs had boiling hot water. The water is so hot that there were wooden planks kept for people to move around.

You can boil your own grains in a cotton bag in about 30 mins. One can see many such bags hanging around. You would also see big utensils placed there – this is cooking at the Langar. As you see the temple through the steam emanating from hot water springs, you wonder if we would ever be able to understand the mysteries of this world. Were these mysteries left around us to remind us of how less we know about nature and how much more is still left to be understood?

However, an earthquake in 1905 caused damage to the temple and it was slightly tilted. The importance of Manikaran is also judged by the fact that the devas of Kullu Valley pay regular visits to this place on specified dates.

Parvati Valley mysteries that you probably didn’t know about

Himachal Pradesh is undoubtedly a favorite holiday destination for many, and everyone has a unique reason of their own. Meanwhile, the Parvati Valley is the hotspot of scenic landscape and leisure. Also known as the Amsterdam of India, this valley is definitely worth a visit. Further, the valley is famed for the folklore of Gods visiting and staying back here; stories that most of us might not be aware of.

Here, we have intriguing mysteries of Parvati Valley, mysteries that you probably are not aware of.

Why is it called Parvati Valley?