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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. |
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Attractions
REWALSAR: About 25 km from
Mandi, 14 km from Ner Chownk is the Rewalsar lake, famous for its
floating islands of reed. It is believed that all seven of them
can be moved by prayer or breeze. There are three shrines here, a
Buddhist Monastery, where elaborate rituals are performed, a Sikh
Gurudwara and a Hindu Temple. It was from this place that the sage
Padma Sambhava, a zealous teacher of Buddhism, left as a
missionary to preach the doctrine of "the enlightened" in Tibet.
Lying in a mountain hollow, the lake is held sacred to all three
communities, boating facilities are available.
PRASHAR:
This lake lies 40 k.m. north of Mandi, with a three storied pagoda
like temple dedicated to the sage Prashar.
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