Parvati Valley is situated in the northern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

. From the confluence of the Parvati River with the

River Beas The Beas River (Sanskrit: ; Hyphasis in Ancient Greek) is a river in north India. The river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for some to the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab. Its total length is ...

, the Parvati Valley runs eastwards, through a steep-sided valley from the town of

Bhuntar Bhuntar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Kullu district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is just 11 km from Kullu town, and lies along National Highway 3. The Kullu Airport is located in Bhuntar. Bhuntar is located on the right b ...

, in the

Kullu Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about north of the airport at Bh ...

district of

in Northern India.

Overview

The Scenic Himalayas from the Nakthan Village, Himachal Pradesh

The precipitous valley road climbs past a side valley leading to the village of Malana near the famous tourist spot

Kasol Kasol is a hamlet in the Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated in Parvati Valley, on the banks of the Parvati River, Between Bhuntar and Manikaran, it is located from Bhuntar and from Kullu town, the distric ...

. From here, the road passes through the

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

and

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

pilgrimage town of

Manikaran 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 ahead of Kasol and about 45 km from Kullu and about 35 km from Bhu ...

and terminates at Pulga, where the construction of the

Parvati Hydel Project Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

, a

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

, dominates the landscape. From Pulga, the footpath climbs to a temple and small

dhaba A dhaba is a roadside restaurant in the Indian subcontinent, primarily across Pakistan and India. They are on highways, generally serve local cuisine, and also serve as truck stops. They are most commonly found next to petrol stations, and mo ...

at Rudra-Nag waterfall, apparently after its resemblance of a water snake. Beyond Rudra-Nag waterfall, the trail ascends further through thick pine forests to the spiritual site of Kheerganga where

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

is said to have meditated for 3000 years. The hot springs at Kheerganga are extremely important for

and

pilgrims as well as many others who believe the waters have sacred healing properties. From Kheerganga to the site of

Tunda Bhuj The Tunda ( es, La Tunda) is a myth of the Pacific coastal region of Colombia and Ecuador, and particularly in the Afro-Colombian community of the Chocó department, about a shapeshifting entity, resembling a human female, that lures people into ...

village (3285m) the Parvati Valley cuts a steep-sided gorge through the mountains and as the altitude increases, the thick, coniferous forest gradually makes way for patches of meadowland scattered with boulders. Several tributaries join the main Parvati River and numerous waterfalls cascade down the steep valley sides. Beyond Tunda Bhuj, the conifers continue only as far as the

Basuki Nal Basuki is a personal name meaning "the safe person" in Javanese. Basuki may refer to: * Basuki (comedian) * Basuki Abdullah, artist and painter * Basuki Rahmat Basuki Rahmat (4 November 1921 – 8 January 1969) was an Indonesian general, Na ...

tributary but groves of silver birch continue to line the valley, quickly becoming sparse as the altitude increases. At

Thakur Kuan Thakur may refer to: * Thakur (title), a feudal title and surname used by erstwhile nobility of India * Thakar (tribe), an Adivasi tribe of Maharashtra, India * Thakur village, a residential locality in Mumbai, India * Thakur Anoop Singh (born 19 ...

village (3560m), the Parvati Valley meets the valley of Dibibokri Nal river which is a tributary of Parvati River, which climbs towards the Northeast to the Dibibokri Glacier and Dibibokri Pyramid mountain peak (6400m). The area is characterised by abundant alpine flowers and rocky outcrops glittering with

mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...

. Beyond

village, the Parvati Valley ascends gradually to Pandupul village (Pandu Pul) where two natural, rock bridges cross the Parvati River and a southern tributary. According to legend, these bridges were created by the massive strength of the

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...

brothers. From Pandupul, the wide valley of the upper Parvati valley climbs gradually through the wide, high-altitude meadowland of

Odi Thatch ODI may refer to: * Object Design, Incorporated, a defunct database software company * One Day International, cricket match * Open Data Institute, a UK not-for-profit company promoting open data * Open Data-Link Interface, an implementation of ...

to the sacred site of Mantalai Lake (4100m), the source of the Parvati River. Continuing east from Mantalai lake, it is possible to cross the

Pin Parvati Pass The Pin Parbati Pass (also written Pin Parvati Pass) is a mountain pass in Himachal Pradesh, India, at . It was first crossed in August 1884 by Sir Louis Dane in search of an alternate route to the Spiti valley. This pass connects the fertile an ...

(5319m) into the

Pin Valley National Park Pin Valley National Park is a National park of India located in the Spiti Valley in the Lahaul and Spiti district, in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located in far northern India. It is part of Cold Desert (biosphere reserve). History S ...

and on to the Mudh village in the

Lahul and Spiti The Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahaul () and Spiti (; or ). The present administrative centre is Kyelang in Lahaul. Before the two districts were merged, ...

district of

Gallery

File:Upper Parvati Valley.jpg.JPG, The upper Parvati Valley File:The Majestically beautiful Parvati Valley, Himachal Pradesh.jpg, A view of Parvati River from the Kasol Town with the Mighty Himalayas in the vicinity File:South Parvati Peak.jpg.JPG, The South Parvati Peak from the base camp of the Pin-Parvati Pass File:Water stream in Kasol Parvati Valley.jpg, Parvati valley at Kasol File:Parvati Valley.jpg, View of Parvati Valley File:Human vs nature.jpg, Wheat cultivation at Pulga village File:The Fast Flowing Parvati River on the banks of Kasol, Himachal Pradesh.jpg, The waters can be freezing even during the early summer and only near a hot spring do the locals take baths File:Kasol village.jpg, View of Parvati Valley Kheer Ganga.jpg, Forests of Kheer Ganga

References

* (second edition) *

External links

{{commons category Geography of Kullu district Valleys of Himachal Pradesh