Manali is a popular tourist destination of northern India. It offers a great combination of scenic landscapes, pleasant weather in most part of the year, spirituality & adventure sports. It has great connectivity from Chandigarh and so visitors from Punjab and Delhi & Haryana come in plentiful numbers. Apart from this it is also a favorite choice of people from rest of the country and among foreigners. Here are six quirky facts about Manali that are lesser known.
List of Contents
#1 Reason behind the name ‘Manali‘
Located at an elevation of 2050 mtr., Manali is named after the Sanatan Hindu religion lawgiver Manu. Initially, it was known as ‘Manu-alaya’ meaning ‘Home of Manu’. It is said that when sage Manu made the ark to protect all living beings, it was here that he got off the ark and recreated the world after the great deluge. Manali earlier was divided into three regions namely Old Manali Village, Vashishtha Village & Dungri. The little variance in culture and flavour of all these three regions can be noticed. In due course of time, the name of this tourist destination took its present form.
#2 One Local = One Apple Tree in Manali
‘Guess that Manali people took the idiom, ‘An Apple a Day…’ quite seriously. Jokes apart but an interesting thing about Manali is that apparently every local person in this ‘Valley of Gods’ owns an apple tree. How cool is that! I can only imagine having an apple tree exclusively for me. Well, did you know that apple tree farming was first introduced by Britishers in Manali? Yes that’s right, Britishers grew the first apple orchard in Patlikuhal village and after this as they say the rest is history.
#3 Shocking did you know what ‘Rohtang’ means?
Coming to Manali, Himachal Pradesh and not visiting Rohtang Pass or Rohtang La should be declared a crime, right! More so after the famous song of Jab We Met was shot here in which the Bollywood Superstar, Kareena Kapoor danced her way crossing the pass with heavy snow on the sides. This pass truly looked so mesmerizing in the song. In real also it looks just the same. However, being one of the high altitude passes in the Pir-Panjal ranges of Himalayas, many times due to heavy snow there have been many incidences of accidents & deaths. You will be surprised to know that ‘Rohtang’ in Ladakhi language actually means ‘pile of bodies’. This point truly had to be one among the six quirky facts about Manali indeed.
#4 Manali has Highest Sky-Bicycle Track in India
Gulaba is the place where many Hindi films including Ranbir Kapoor-Deepika Padukone starrer, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani has been shot. One can see the endless panoramic beauty of Gulaba on taking up the country’s highest Sky Bicycle track. It is built at an altitude of 9000 mtrs. and is a 350 mtr. track with a 450 mtr. zip line. However, owing to COVID we really don’t know if it is open for tourists or not. Just in case any of you awesome readers have any information about it then do let us know in the comment section below.
#5 The Foreign Influence
Manali has always been popular with foreign tourists. So much so that, the European influence can be clearly seen in the number of western inspired restaurants & cafes. Don’t miss out on German Bakery for fancy breakfast. Not only this, foreigners permanently settled here run book stores, pubs, yoga centers for wellness and more. Additionally, Kasol which is located very near to Manali, is also known as Mini-Israel. Here there are many Israeli restaurants and one can also see Jewish Chabad House. Shalom is mostly used in place of Namaste!
Final of the Quirky Facts about Manali: Ghost of Gata Loops
Going from Manali to Leh by road is now quite popular among biker groups and all in general. However, one set of loopy road (Ghat as we call in Hindi) has approximately 20 blind turns. If locals are to be believed there is a here-say that on the 19th turn of this ghat, people sometimes see a ghost of a man who is pleading for water, food and other things. So as many people would also have witnessed the villagers have made a small temple near this place. Most people passing through this road like truck drivers and others offer water bottle and cigarette packets at this temple. No wonder there is always a weird pile of mineral water bottles here along with some other stuff.
Concluding Thoughts
Hope this was an interesting and informative read about Manali. So tell us which all facts you already knew about or which interesting fact about Manali surprised you the most.
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wow..so far, I have always heard about Manali as a tourist destination. But now I know some facts about this beautiful place,.
I had been to manali years ago. your post has remind me those beautiful memories. thanks for sharing many interesting facts about manali. I did not know that manali has Highest Sky-Bicycle Track in India.
Manali is really beautiful, though it tends to get overcrowded these days. We loved Gulaba the best when we were there few years ago. It is a white wonderland with enchanting beauty.
Manali is actually a magnificent place to visit. It’s been on my bucket list for long. These facts are really fascinating especially the ghost abd the rohtang
You were right I didn’t know either of them buddy. Am intrigued to know Rohtang means piles of bodies
Manali is one place I really want to visit someday, you have shared such a great facts about this beautiful place!!
Manali is a beautiful place, I have been to Manali in my childhood and still carry the memories so fresh of this amazing beauty. These are some nice facts to remember of this lovely touristy destination.
Since I am planning to visit Manali during my kids’ winter holidays, this post is of immense help to us. I can’t wait to visit the Rohtang Pass and Sky Bicycle Track. Good to know that you had a great time!
I have been to Manali only once and I have fallen in love with that place. I do hope to go back there again and know more about the place. These are really fascinating facts about Manali. Thanks for sharing these.
Shimla and Manali come at the top priority list of my holiday vacation. I don’t know when I will be able to travel with my family. There is something about these both places 😍😍
These are facts that I have never heard about..how do you find such rarw facts. So interesting to read
Manali is the most attractive tourist spot. It is a backpacker’s go-to destination for good hikes, great food, and a breezy mountain life.