Manimahesh Yatra of

Kailash in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh

The Yatra and a famous Pilgrimes trek The Manimahesh Kailash is one of the well-known holy places in Chamba, India. The sacred place belongs to the Hindu deity, particularly God Shiva, and you can reach Manimahesh by hiking and formidable climbing due to its high-altitude location of around 4,100 meters. According to Hinduism storytellers, the pilgrimages, and the local shepherd (Gaddis), the God Shiv created this place himself after marrying the deity Goddess Parvati Mata, who was worshiped in the same way as Girija Mata. All spiritual believers of God Shiva indeed visit this holy place yearly to see the beauty and magic as well as for the blessings of God Shiva in the Valley of Kailash from the mesmerizing Dal Lake Manimahesh. Every Sadhu Sanit and locals people usually trek up to the Dal Lake, and in most cases, they try to summit, but clearly, no one has ever summited the Kailash Top till now. Some trek experts may have tried to summit but mostly failed or lost their lives; consequently, the local committee and Yatra organisers won’t allow anyone to try further summit and hike towards Manimahesh Kailash Peak furthermore to the top.

Manimahesh Kailash Yatra — Manimahesh Kailash Mahadev

There are five main Kailash Yatra of Hindus (Panch Kailash), and Manimahesh Kailash is one of them. The other four Kailash are as follows:

1. Shrikhand Mahadev Kailash

2. Kinnaur Kailash

3. Adi Kailash

4. Kailash Mansarovar

5. Manimahesh Kailash

Contents

1 Where is Manimahesh Kailash?
- 1.1 How do I reach Manimahesh Kailash?
  - 1.1.1 What are the best options to reach Manimahesh Kailash?
    - 1.1.1.1 What is the best time to visit Manimahesh?

Where is Manimahesh Kailash?

It’s in the Pir Panjal Range of Chamba subdivision Bharmour, Himachal Pradesh.

City: Bharmour

District: Chamba

State: Himachal Pradesh

Country: India

Continent: Asia

Currency: Rupees

Languages: Pahari, Hindi, Punjabi, English

Bus Station: Bharmour(15km)

Railway Station: Pathankot (185km)

Airport: Gaggal Airport (190km)

Ambulances: 108

Police: 100

How do I reach Manimahesh Kailash?

By Flight/Air: Reach International Delhi Airport, then take a flight to Gaggal Airport in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, which takes around 1hr 30 minutes to reach Gaggal Airport. Kindly check your flight options 1 or 2 months early so you don’t have to face booking issues due to limited flights on the hills. Now, from Gaggal Airport, you have to take cabs/taxis for your further journey of 190km toward Bharmour.

By Train: From Delhi Airport, you can take the metro train as well as a cab/taxi to reach Delhi Train Station and travel up to Pathankot Station in Punjab. Now the further journey of 185km will be traveled by road by Bus or Cab/Taxi because of non further trains services in the area.

By Road: Reach Delhi/Chandigarh Airport by Flight. Following book your cab by Indrive -City-to-City transfer to reach your Hotel.

Now you can travel on ordinary buses similarly, you can hire a Taxi/cab and head towards Chamba Station and then head up to Bharmour city to start your trek towards Manimahesh Kailash.

Distance covered from Delhi to Chamba: 598km via NH 44

Chandigarh to Chamba 356km via NH 154A

Chamba to Bharmour 60km via NH 154A

After reaching Bharmour, on the Whole, every pilgrim especially goes to Bharmani Devi Temple to seek blessings as well as well-being in the Yatra and life and then starts the Trek Yatra towards Manimahesh Kailash.

What are the best options to reach Manimahesh Kailash?

Now, you have to choose your most convenient way to reach Manimahesh Kailash, We have three main routes from Bharmour to Manimahesh.

Helicopter route
Parikrama route
Pilgrimage route

1. By Helicopter: This service is mainly available on govt. authorized yatra dates only, and you can board the helicopter in Bharmour. It will take you to Gauri Kund, where you can stay for the night. Only women can take a holy water bath at Gauri Kund; thereafter, you have to take the pilgrimage route of 30 minutes to reach Manimahesh Kailash. Once you complete the pilgrimage, you can head back toward Gauri Kund to board the helicopter to Bharmour.

2. By Parikrama Route: The best route filled with natural beauty and scenic views for trekkers and nature lovers. The trek is almost 45-50km long and filled with difficulties like rocky and glacier terrains and high-altitude passes (Jotnu Pass), so choose this route wisely and according to your trekking experience.

Bharmour to Kugti – Now, your trek starts from Kugti Village, so you have to travel by road from Bharmour to Hadsar and Kugti by cab/taxi or any local transport. Now, from Kugti main road to Kugti Village, you have to hike for 2kms to set up your camp for the night stay. You will hardly find any camp or homestay in this village. If you ask some locals for a night’s stay, they will help you if you want to camp nearby. then choose a nice place and get permission from locals to set up camp near the village.

Kugti to Alyas – The day starts with a small trek up to Dhalotu where you can find some camps and shepherds, as the journey progresses you can be misled by the different routes so you need some local guidance and a partner well-known of this route so to reach Alyas you have to trek full day and reach Hanuman Shill, Saffron red colored big rock which indicates your next destination Alyas where you can find some camps for your night stay in Yatra dates or you can pitch your tent.

Alyas to Manimahesh – Now you have to cross the Jotnu Pass, so start your trek early morning so you can reach there in pleasant weather, and the best time, you will see small water bodies and lakes, and one of them is known as Ganesh Kund. Now, once you reach the top of Jotnu Pass, you will see Manimahesh Kailash Lake and a trail route toward the Lake. Now your next task is to descend the peak to reach Kamal Kund Lake, and thereafter you have to hike for another 50 minutes towards Manimahesh Kailash Lake for the night stay.

Early morning, you will see the Magic Valley, and if you are lucky enough, you will see God Shiva’s Presence in the form of Blue Mani Shine at the top of Mount Manimahesh Kailash. There are no words to describe such an unnatural event; you can only feel that by going there. Saints and Sadhu will tell you much more about that fascinating view. They usually stay there for a very long time. Now, to complete the Parikrama, you will trek down towards Dhancho, the main Pilgrimage Yatra route.

3. By Pilgrimage Route: The Yatra trek starts from Hadsar, so you have to reach Hadsar by road by sharing cabs or buses. After that, start your trek toward your 1st destination and the best stoppage for camping in the valley, Dhancho. If you travel on Yatra dates, you will find many Langars(shelter & food) for travelers and pilgrimages, and you can pitch your tent for a night stay. If you reach early Dhancho, then you can trek further to Gauri Kund via Shiv Ghat, and you will find many camps for tea and overnight stays up to Gauri Kund. There are many restrictions for men in Gauri Kund. You can not go near and look at Gauri Kund, and on the other hand, women can take holy baths in Gauri Kund. There are many campsites for a night’s stay.

Gauri Kund to Manimahesh Kailash – Now you have to hike for 1 km to reach Dal Lake or Manimahesh Kailash Lake to complete the pilgrimage and mesmerize your soul with the beauty and good vibes of the Kailash.

What is the best time to visit Manimahesh?

The best time to visit Manimahesh Kailash for the trek and nature lovers is May to September, and they must avoid July or check for weather reports to avoid monsoons. The pilgrimage organized by the local Authorities and the Government of India is between August and September.

Do you need a guide to Trek?

If you want to join the Pilgrimage route then you can trek on your own with the help of trek route markings and Shepherd’s trails, but if you want to properly trek the parikrama route then you must hire a local or guide for your best experience safety and route knowledge because there are so many trails on that route which can mislead any treker who is not well known of that trek.