The most charming and beautiful Kullu Manali valley spreads out its charm on either side of river Beas. Kullu Manali is simply known as the SWITZERLAND OF INDIA. The Kullu Manali valley runs north to south of this river and is 80kms. long and about 2kms. at its broadest. Yet with awe inspiring glens and mossy meadows encircled by the rushing streams and meandering brooks, flung east & west, a fairly wide area is open to the tourists, the trekkers, the mountaineers, the artists and to anyone who wishes to escape the heat & dust of the plains to breathe the exhilarating air of the Himalaya and enjoy the spectacle of the variegated mountain scenery. The Kullu-Manali valley is also famous for its exquisitely woven colourful hand made shawls and kullu caps.
Kullu Manali was once known as Kulanthpitha, which means the end of the habitable world. Beyond rose the forbidding heights of the Greater Himalayas, and by the banks of the shining river Beas, lay the fabled ‘Silver Valley’. Kullu and Manali are perhaps the two most frequentily travelled destinations in Himachal Pradesh. Thousands of pilgrims, trekkers and casual tourists pour into these towns every year. Not just that, Kullu and Manali are certainly very popular with sickeningly love-dovey honeymooners too.
Silver Valley is the core of an intricate web of numerous valleys – each of which is a visual delight and seems more beautiful than the other. The mountain scapes remain spectacular whether in brilliant sunshine or in the haze of the mist. The ‘Silver Valley’ has nature’s treasures that lie carelessly scattered as flowers on the high meadows.
The town of Kullu has long been a centre of faith. In the 17th century, Raja Jagat Singh installed here an idol of Lord Raghunathji, which he brought from Ayodhya. As a mark of his penance, he placed the idol on his throne and it became the presiding deity of the valley.
Kullu, on the western banks of the torrential Beas, occupies the central part of the Kullu Valley. It has the largest settlement in the valley and doubles as the district headquarter. The charming town was made capital by the British who had settled here in the hope of making it big in tea growing. See History of Kullu Valley for more. Today the place is in the happy position of being a well-developed tourist destination without having being ruined by tourists,top on chart of Himachal tourism. Mid-March to mid-April and mid-September to mid-November are the perfect months to visit Kullu-Manali.
