Hidden places near Kullu and Manali — 10 beyond the usual list
How this list is built
These are places that sit off the usual Kullu–Manali circuit of Hadimba, Mall Road and Rohtang, each with a page of its own on this site. "Hidden" here only means off the first-timer list; none of them is secret, and every one is reached by a public road or path. The minutes are our own road routing from Kullu, and where a walk is involved the walk is listed separately. Sorted by how far they are from Kullu.
Photos: Amohan41 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ms Sarah Welch (CC0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Close to Kullu
1. Raison
A village on the Beas where the river runs wide over gravel and camps stand on the bank, 20 minutes from Kullu. Raison.
2. Basheshar Mahadev Temple, Bajaura
A stone temple to Shiva in a walled courtyard, 21 minutes from Kullu, dated to the 8th–9th century and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. In a valley that builds in deodar, stone is the first thing you notice. Basheshar Mahadev.
3. Bijli Mahadev
A Shiva temple at about 2,460 m on the ridge between the Beas and the Parvati, known for the tall staff above it. Drive to the road-end at Chansari, 28 minutes from Kullu, then climb for about 96 minutes. Bijli Mahadev.
4. Jagannathi Devi Temple, Bhekhli
A deodar-and-stone temple on the hill directly above Kullu, 31 minutes by a single-track side road, with the town and the river laid out below. Jagannathi Devi Temple.
On the Naggar side
5. Gauri Shankar Temple, Naggar
A carved stone shikhara temple at the foot of Naggar village, 36 minutes from Kullu and older than the timber pagodas above it, usually empty. Gauri Shankar Temple.
6. Tripura Sundari Temple, Naggar
Naggar's own timber pagoda of stacked roofs on a stone base, 36 minutes from Kullu and a few minutes below the castle. Tripura Sundari Temple.
7. Jana Falls
A waterfall above the village of Jana, 46 minutes from Kullu, known as much for the dhabas on the way as for the water. Jana Falls.
Towards Manali
8. Kothi
The last village before the climb to Rohtang, 68 minutes from Kullu, where the Beas cuts a deep gorge. Kothi.
9. Anjani Mahadev
A Shiva shrine under a rock face above Solang, 70 minutes from Kullu plus a walk, where a waterfall freezes into a natural lingam in winter. Anjani Mahadev.
Down the highway
10. The ropeway at Pandoh
Open since December 2024, this is the one thing to do on the Mandi–Kullu highway, 83 minutes from Kullu. Pandoh and the ropeway.
Putting it together
The one-day Kullu plan takes the town's own places; the Naggar and Jana plan covers stops 5 to 7, and the Bijli Mahadev day is a full day on the ridge. For the wider valley, see the Kullu guide and how to reach Kullu.
Questions people ask
What are the hidden places near Kullu and Manali?
Ten that we have written up: Basheshar Mahadev at Bajaura, Bijli Mahadev, Jagannathi Devi at Bhekhli, the Gauri Shankar and Tripura Sundari temples at Naggar, Jana Falls, Kothi, Anjani Mahadev, Raison and the Baglamukhi ropeway at Pandoh. Each has its own page with measured times.
Which of these can you do in one day from Kullu?
Bajaura, Bhekhli and the two Naggar temples fit one relaxed day, because the longest drive among them is about 36 minutes from Kullu. Bijli Mahadev needs the best part of a day on its own, since the climb from the road-end is about 96 minutes each way.
Do you need a car for these places?
Mostly yes. Buses serve the highway towns, but the side roads to Bhekhli, Jana and the Bijli Mahadev road-end are short taxi rides. Allow more than the routed minutes on hill roads, and ask the driver to wait at the walk-in stops.