Himachal Tourist Guide

Scared & Adventurous Manimahesh

The Holy place is situated in the Bharmaur Tribal valley in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. Here the sacred Manimahesh Lake is situated at the base of Mount Kailash at the height of 13,500 feet. It is believed that this mountain possesses divine powers and would remain unconquered. This pilgrimage centre gains importance on two religious occasions - Janamashtami and on Radhashtami. En-route this holy place, nature offers pilgrims a plethora of experiences.

There is a belief that Manimahesh Yatra (Pilgrims procession) is considered equivalent to the Amarnath Yatra. The Holy bath (Nahon) has also related significance with Bada Nahon and Chhota or Yog Nahon. Bada Nahon comes after the 15^th day of Yog Nahon (Chhota Nahon) and it falls on the Durbashtami or Radhashtami in the month of Bhadon. Yog Nahon falls on Krishna Janmashtami.

Pilgrimage to Manimahesh is considered incomplete unless visited Bharmani Goddess before the sacred journey to Manimahesh. Legend goes that Lord Shiva decided to reside in Lamha Dal before making his seat at Manimahesh Kailash.

Located at a height of 13,500 feet, this sacred and highest tiny lake is accessible with some easy and some not so easy treks. The lake is 35 kilometer from Bharmaur. This is an important pilgrimage centre of North India. The annual state level fair is held at Manimahesh in the month of August-September, when a Chhari yatra (Pilgrims procession) is held by the devotees to pay their homage by taking a dip in the holy lake of Lord Shiva. The bath in the lake is believed to cleanse the sins of a lifetime. The water to this sacred Dal (lake) is flowing from the glacier.

The journey to the Manimahesh is performed in two stages. The first stage is Hadsar village and the second is Dhanchoo. After Dhanchoo there is Gauri  Kund, just before Manimahesh. The road is a constantly ascending gradient.

Manimahesh denotes - The jewel of Lord Shiva. On the day of ritual annual dip, one can see dazzling light of the dawn coming through the tip of pyramidal Peak of Manimahesh, as a huge brilliant cut diamond sparks in the sunlight, provided you are fortunate to have a clear sky. It is forbidden to scale the tip of the peak due to mythical beliefs. It is believed that Lord Shiva's abode is prohibited for mortals. One can easily identify the stoned figure of one shepherd, snake and crow who dared to scale the Peak. The holy Peak is said to be unconquered.

Chamba is the starting point for the Manimahesh. Visitors can reach Bharmaur, 65 km from Chamba through bus or taxi. Then from Bharmaur, the distance of 13 kilometers to reach Hadsar, can be covered by State Transport bus or by taxi. But majority of the pilgrims prefer to cover the distance on foot with many of them taking off their shoes at Bharmaur.

The next destination is Dhanchoo 11 kilometers from Hadsar, where pilgrims spend night. It can be spotted with a beautiful water fall. Between Dhanchoo and Manimahesh Lake, there are minor place of pilgrimage known as Bandar Ghati, Gauri Kund, Shiv Kalotri, Ganesh Ghati.

Gauri Kund and Shiv Kalotri are two different places, where according to legend, the Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati, bathed, respectively, on the Radhastami day. The pilgrims follow the tradition.

After spending night near the sacred Manimahesh Lake, pilgrims take the holy dip in the early hours of the next morning on the 15^th day of the Janamashtami. Thereafter, pilgrims offer prayers to Mount Kailash and make floral offerings at the image of Lord Shiva established on one side of the lake.

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