Mana — the village beyond Badrinath, with Bheem Pul and Vyas Gufa
What it is
Mana is the village about 3 km beyond Badrinath, at about 3,200 m, the last place on the road before the Mana Pass and about 26 km from the border with Tibet. It was long called India's last village and is now called its first. Its 1,214 people, by the 2011 census, are of the Marchha, Jad and Bhotia clans, and in winter the whole village moves down to lower places while snow covers the houses. Wikipedia gives the distance from Badrinath as 3 km in Mana's own article and 4 km in Badrinath's.
Photos: Billjones94 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Geet Arts (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Getting there
From Badrinath it is about 7 minutes by road, and cars stop at the edge of the village. Everything below is a short walk up through the lanes from there: the caves, the bridge and the river. Go slowly; the village is higher than the town and the lanes climb.
Bheem Pul, the caves and the temple
Bheem Pul is a huge rock lying across the Saraswati as the river drops through a gorge. Legend says Bhima, the strongest of the Pandavas, threw it there so that Draupadi could cross on the way to heaven, and the Pandavas are said to have passed through Mana on that last journey. Vyas Gufa is the cave where, by tradition, the sage Vyasa lived while composing the Vedas, and Badrinath's own article says it is where he wrote the Mahabharata; its rock roof is said to look like the pages of his books. Ganesh Gufa is close by. Back near the road, the Mata Murti Temple honours the mother of Nar and Narayan, who by legend asked Vishnu to be born as her son; a fair is held there each August.
When to go
Only while the Badrinath Temple is open, from late April or May to early November, when the village is lived in. The path to Vasudhara Falls starts near Bheem Pul if you have the rest of the day.
Around it
The one-day plan joins Mana to the Badrinath Temple, and the Vasudhara walk starts here. For the wider valley, read things to do in Badrinath.
Plans that include this
All 3 plans that stop here →
Nearby places
All of Badrinath →
Nearby destinations
All destinations →
Questions people ask
How far is Mana from Badrinath?
About 3 km and 7 minutes by road on our routing; Wikipedia gives 3 km in one article and 4 km in another. Cars stop at the edge of the village, and Bheem Pul, Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa are a short walk up through the lanes from there.
Why is Mana called India's first village?
It is the last village on the road before the Mana Pass and about 26 km from the border with Tibet, so it was long called India's last village. It is now called the first village instead. Its families are of the Marchha, Jad and Bhotia clans, and they move down to lower villages in winter.
What is Bheem Pul?
A huge rock lying across the Saraswati as it pours through a gorge at Mana, forming a natural bridge. Legend says Bhima, the strongest of the Pandavas, threw it across so that Draupadi could cross on their way to heaven. The path to Vasudhara Falls starts near it.