Himachal trip 2021 (2)

We were unaware that in Manali we will be receiving another spell of snowfall. All the mountains, roads, cars everything was covered in white. We visited 4000 years old Vashisht temple - 3.5 KM from Manali dedicated to Sage Vashisht and hot springs. We spent some time there to explore this place and majestic views of the Himalayas which have just received fresh snowfall early this morning. One interesting place just behind Vashisht temple is Jogini waterfall. We wanted to visit but due to snowfall, the road was all covered under snow and it was not possible for us to go there.
Later we went to Hadimba devi temple - an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hadimba Devi, wife of Bhima, a figure in the Mahabharata and ghatotkach temple in Manali. These temples are surrounded by cedar forest called Dhungiri Van Vihar at the foot of the Himalayas. Later in evening, we visited Mall road Manali and Tibetan Buddhist Monastery - nice place to visit.

P.S. Don't buy Kesar (saffron) in Manali !!

#vashisht#manali#joginifalls#snow#whiteblanket

**This is continuation of my Himachal trip. I'm unable to update there.

Hampta Pass -
We didn't go to Solang valley as snow had started to melt instead went to hampta Pass which lies on the Himalayan range, Pir Panjal. Our crazy road trip had just started, the sunshine was just highlighting the snowcapped mountains. The air was getting colder, the wind was getting stronger and the views were getting better and better. The clouds were getting closer to us as we slowly and steadily crossed every turn and witnessed the might of the mountains. After a journey of a lifetime with ups and downs we finally reached to the top of this beautiful landscapes and views you can never forget. Perched at an altitude nearly to 14,000ft surrounded by the mighty Himalayas, glaciers, rivulets, jagged mountains and meadows, Hampta Pass is an elusive beauty that not many are aware of. It is a different world altogether and trekker's paradise. We did skiing and spent some time there and enjoyed ourselves.

#manali#hamptapass#himalayas#snow#winter

I got chills due to minus temperatures in Manali so I couldn't enjoy the previous evening. The following day, we visited Mini Vaishnav Devi temple and Manikaran Sahib Gurudwara. We had langar at both places. Later, on the way to Dharamshala we had to take long route as normal route received snowfall and was closed. We enjoyed the detour as we were crossing high passes and mountains and we stopped at multiple intriguing places to click pictures and admire the mesmerizing views.

#shimla2021

Dharamshala -

The temperature of this hill station is not as cold as Manali/Shimla. We visited picturesque stadium of India - HPCA. Behind the pavilion, one can see the Himalayas covered in white all the seasons. Later we had our lunch and left for Dalhousie.

#dharamshala#stadium#HPCA#wintertrip#hills#mountains#passes
#shimla2021