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A raft on the Beas near Pirdi
Day planSlow travelTemples & heritagebalanced

Kullu from Manali — the district town, its temples and the river, in a day

A day in Kullu from Manali, 40 km down the valley: the Raghunath temple above the bazaar, the Dhalpur ground, the shawl weavers, the stone temple at Bajaura.
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Photo: B Balaji from Chennai, India · CC BY 2.0

Kullu is the district town Manali's visitors drive through on the way up and rarely stop in, and it deserves a day. The temple of Raghunath above the bazaar, the deity every village in the valley comes to at Dussehra. The Dhalpur ground where that festival happens. A bazaar and the shawl co-operatives where the valley's own weave is bought at the weavers' price. And, below the town at Bajaura, one of the finest carved stone temples in the hills, standing beside the highway with nobody at it.

It is 40 km and about 49 min down the valley — an easy bus or a half-day taxi — and it pairs with the rafting on the Beas at Pirdi, which is on the same road. A day for anyone who has done the meadow and the tunnel and wants the valley's older, working side.

Photos: B Balaji from Chennai, India (CC BY 2.0) · Kondephy (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Madhrakangri (CC BY 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Who this is for

Anyone interested in the valley's own culture rather than its snow; couples and older travellers who like temples and bazaars; anyone here in October, when Dussehra turns this day into the week of the year. Not for a first visit with only two days, and not with small children, for whom the rafting counters at Pirdi are the better Kullu.

Day by day

Day 1

Down the valley to the old capital's successor

Kullu is 40 km and about 49 min down the valley by bus or taxi; the day is the town, one old stone temple and the river.

  1. 09:30
    Shri Raghunath Mandir
    temple · 49 min from Manali · about 45 min there
    The temple of Raghunath, the presiding deity of the old Kullu kingdom, above the bazaar; the god the valley's village deities come to at Dussehra.
  2. ↓ 26 min by road · 11 km
    11:00
    Kullu
    town · 1 h 13 min from Manali · about 1 h 30 min there
    The district town: the Dhalpur ground, the bazaar, the shawl weavers' co-operatives where the Kullu shawl is bought honestly, lunch in the town.
  3. ↓ 45 min by road · 25 km
    14:00
    Basheshar Mahadev Temple, Bajaura
    temple · 1 h 11 min from Manali · about 45 min there
    The carved stone temple at Bajaura below Kullu, a shikhara in the plains' style beside the highway — the valley's finest stone carving, and empty.

Getting there

Buses leave the Manali bus stand for Kullu every few minutes through the day and take about an hour; a taxi does it in about 49 min and can go on to Bajaura and back for a half-day rate. On the return, the left-bank road through Naggar is the slower, prettier way up. The rafting counters at Pirdi below Kullu are on the highway; the rafting guide has the stretches.

Where to stay

This is a day trip; sleep in Manali. In Dussehra week the town's few rooms are taken by the valley's own people, and Manali is the base anyway — the Dussehra article has the shape of that week. Our stays page shows Manali and Naggar, the two ends of the road.

Know before you go

  • The Kullu shawl on the Manali Mall is sold at a markup; the weavers' co-operatives in Kullu town sell the same weave at the weavers' price. Check the wool and the border.
  • Shoes off and a covered shoulder at Raghunath; ask before photographing and put the phone away if the answer is no.
  • Bajaura's temple is beside the highway a short way below Kullu; a taxi will stop, a bus will not. It is empty, which is its charm.
  • Cash for the bazaar and the temple lanes; the machines work in the town and drop with the power.
  • In Dussehra week, take the bus down and back rather than a car; the town's roads are full of palanquins and drummers.
  • Pair the day with rafting at Pirdi in the morning and the town after lunch, if the river is in season.

If plans change

If the river is the point: rafting at Pirdi in the morning and the town for lunch — the same road, the same bus.

If you want the left bank instead: the Naggar two-day plan is the old capital before Kullu, half an hour from Manali.

In October: this day becomes the Kullu Dussehra day, and the temple is the procession's start.

Places on this route

Raghunath Temple, Kullu
temple · 49 min from Manali

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Questions people ask

Is Kullu worth visiting from Manali?

For a day, yes, if the valley's own culture interests you: the Raghunath temple, the bazaar and its shawl co-operatives, and the carved stone temple at Bajaura are the working valley that Manali's visitors drive past. It is 40 km and about 49 min down the highway, an easy bus, and pairs with the rafting at Pirdi.

What is there to see in Kullu town?

The temple of Raghunath above the bazaar, the presiding deity of the old kingdom and the god the valley's village deities come to at Dussehra. The Dhalpur ground where the festival happens. The bazaar and the shawl weavers' co-operatives. And, a short way below the town at Bajaura, one of the finest carved stone temples in the hills.

How do I get from Manali to Kullu?

By bus from the Manali bus stand, every few minutes through the day, about an hour; or by taxi, about 49 min, with the option of going on to Bajaura and back for a half-day rate. The highway on the right bank is the fast road; the left-bank road through Naggar is the slower, prettier way back up.

Where do I buy a genuine Kullu shawl?

From the weavers themselves — the co-operatives in Kullu town and the shops that weave, rather than the stalls on the Manali Mall, which sell the same weave and a good deal of mill-made cloth at a markup. Ask to see the loom side, check the wool and the border, and expect handloom to cost more and to last.