Manali Rivers

Manali rivers criss-cross the verdant mountain valleys as the city lies cocooned by the Lahul, Spiti and Kullu valleys in an angle between the Manalsu and Beas rivers. Located in the northern end of the enchanting Kullu valley,the landscape of Manali is captivating with a wide panorama of snowcapped peaks and forested mountain slopes. The gorgeous Beas river in Manali gushes through the rolling meadows and cut its way through the mountains.

The Beas river has its source in the Rohtang pass, 51 km north of the hill resort of Manali, located at an altitude of 4,350 meters or 13,050 feet. The monsoon rains feed the river Beas with an abundance of water and makes it amazingly torrent. On its journey the water of numerous tributaries joins the River Beas making it more of a raving beauty. The main tributaries are the Manalsu, the Solang, the Parbati, the Pin and the Hansa.

Originally known as the Bhrigu Tung, the Rohtang pass gives rise to river Beas in Beas Rishi and to the south of this source lies another outlet known as Beas Kund. The streams flow simultaneously till Palachan village, near Manali and then flow onwards continuing through Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and even Pakistan. The city of Manali lies on the right banks of the river Beas.

Lord Shiva is believed to have cut the Bhrigu Tung mountain to make the Rohtang pass with his mighty trishul. Legends also associate the river Beas to the mythological sages Narad, Vashisht, Vyas, Prashar, Vishwamitra, Kanav and Parshuram. In fact, Manali rivers are all bestowed with numerous folklores giving them an ethereal character.