Kullu is a beautiful district in Himachal Pradesh famous for it’s scenic beauty, fruit orchards and vibrant culture. Manali, Kasol, Kullu town, Parvati valley are some of the major attractions of the district and attract a large number of tourists from all over the world.

Weather and Geography

Kullu district in general has summer season from April till June, Rainy season from July till September and Winter season from October till March. Average precipitation is 800 mm, most of it in monsoon season. The temperature varies between 35 degrees in summer and below zero in winters in different locations. Total land area of Kullu district is 5053 km, a large portion of which is forested.

Altitude varies from 1980 m for Manali, Kullu 1220 m, Jallori Pass 3550 m, Bhuboo Pass 3750 m,  Mantalai Pass 5225 m, Sri Khand Mahadev 5156 m with  Deo Tibba at 6000 m being the highest  point in Kullu district. There are still many villages in the district which don’t have any road connectivity and people need to hike to reach there.

Transport in Kullu

Road: Kullu is connected via Ntional HIghway 21. It is 321 km from Chandigarh and 70 km from Manali. Private buses as well as government run Himachal Pradesh Tourism and Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation buses ply daily on the route.

Air: Air travel is possible via Bhuntar airport which is 10 km from main Kullu town.

Train: Nearest railway station is Joginder Nagar,  120 Km away on Mandi-Pathankot on narrow gauge track. Kiratpur, 200 km away on Kullu-Chandigarh highway is is another railway station.
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Flora and Fauna

Kullu boasts of a large number of species due to it’s varying altitude from sub-tropical to alpine. Several species of medicinal plants like Dactylorhiza Hatageria) Brahma Saussurea Obvallata grow in a number of places along with conifer trees like pine, spruce, fir, deodar. Monal pheasant and Western Tragopan (state bird of Himachal Pradesh) are commonly found.  Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan Tahr and snow leopard are found in forested areas.

People and Culture

Kullu district has a population of 4.37 lakh with 81 % literacy.  Almost 95 % of population is HIndu with Sikhs, Muslims and other making up the rest.

Festivals

There are a lot of big and small local festivals and fairs almost all through the year and the most famous one is the local Dusshera festival. It is different from the festival in other parts of countries and goes on for a week. 200 local dieties from all over Kullu are believed to pay homage to Lord Raghunath making it a festival i which almost whole of district participates.

Other important local festivals are Vasantotsava, Shamshi Virshu on 1st Baisakh (13th April), Mela Bhuntar on 1st Ashad (June-July), Mela Sainj on 21st Baisakh (April- May), Dhoongri Fair on 2nd Jaishth (May-June), Dalash Fair in Bahdon month and numerous other smaller local fairs and festivals which are held in a number of small villages all over the district.

Tourist Places in Kullu

• Manali (1980 m) is the most popular tourist spot of Kullu district which receives visitors almost all through the year. It’s major attractions are Old Manali town, Hidimba Devi Temple, Manu Temple and Vashishtha kund (hot water springs). It is the starting point of an ancient trading route which passes Rohtang and runs via Lahaul to connect with Laddakh. It is believed to be named after Manu, author of Manu Samhita who stepped on earth after a great deluge here. More Details.
• Kullu (1220 m) Kullu is the capital city of the Kullu district and located on the banks of the Beas River. It is a broad open valley formed by the Beas River between Manali and Largi. Kullu valley is famous for its temples, natural beauty and its majestic hills covered with pine and deodar forest and sprawling apple orchards. More Details.
• Rohtang Pass (3978 m) is about 1 km long and is a very old route to Lahaul Spiti valley. Origin of Beas river is from Beas Kund which then flows through some deep gorges downstream. It is a popular spot for tourists. The traffic was so much that authorities have now put extra fees on vehicles visiting Rohtang to limit the harmful effect on eco-system.
• Arjun Gufa is a cave five kms from Manali situated near Prini village. According to legends, Arjun performed tapasya (penance) there to get Pashupati Astra on advice from sage Vyasa.
• Kasol (1640 m) is a small village on bank of Parvati river popular with tourists who just wish to relax in company of nature and is also a starting point for many treks in the region. More Details. 
  

  Kasol

• Malana (2652 m) stayed isolated from rest of the world for a long time and it  only recently opened up for tourists. It has it’s unique lifestyle, social structure and language which is unlike all other languages spoken in region. It is believed to be a mixture of Sanskrit and various Tibetan dialects. Locals practise a form of democracy which has an upper house and lower house system. Malana and Kasol are also ‘famous’ for marijuana cultivation.
• Manikaran (1829 m) has various hot water springs some of which are hot enough to cook rice. A lot of people visit the place for supposed medical benfits. Manikaran Gurudwara and Raghunath temple are popular pilgrimage spots for Hindus and Sikhs.
• Naggar  (2047 m) is most famous for it’s castle built by it’s erstwhile rulers. Other attractions are pagoda shaped temple of Tripura Sundra Devi, Murlidhar Krishna Temple and Chaturbhuj temple of Lord Vishnu.
• Raison Nestling on the right bank of Beas River, at a short distance from Kullu, Raison has vast camping grounds that are maintained by Himachal Tourism. Rasion is an excellent base for exploring other parts of Kullu valley and adventure activities.
• Katrain lies quite in the centre of the Kullu valley along the Beas river and this is the widest point along this stretch. It also has some of the best farmlands in the area. The farm where trout fingerlings are raised is close by, at Patlikuhl.

Government Resources

Following are phone numbers and other contact details of various government departments which may prove useful for locals as well as tourists visiting Shimla.

• Police Assistance  – 01902–222775
• Fire Services – 01902–222345
• Ambulance – 01902–222350
• H.R.T.C. Bus Reservation Counter – 01902-222728
• District Zonal Hospital – 01902-222350
• Medical Superintendent – 01902–276257

Rest Houses and Circuit Houses in Kullu

Rest House/ Circuit House Location	PWD Division/ Booking Office	STD Code	Phone Number	e-Mail ID	Distance from Booking Office	No. of Suites
Circuit House at Kullu	D.C. Kullu	01902	222727	dc-kul-hp@nic.in	00.50	11
Rest House at Kullu	S.E. 6th Circle, Kullu	01902	222530	hp-kul@nic.in	Local	3
Inspection Benglow at Mohal (Kullu)	S.E. 6th Circle, Kullu	01902	222530	hp-kul@nic.in	05.00	6
Rest House at Soja	S.E. 6th Circle, Kullu	01902	222530	hp-kul@nic.in	69.00	2
Rest House at Bajaura	E.E. Kullu Division No-1	01902	222426	ee-kul1-hp@nic.in	14.00	3
Rest House at Banjar	E.E. Kullu Division No-1	01902	222426	ee-kul1-hp@nic.in	56.00	6
Rest House at Larji	E.E. Kullu Division No-1	01902	222426	ee-kul1-hp@nic.in	34.00	7
Rest House at Bahu	E.E. Kullu Division No-1	01902	222426	ee-kul1-hp@nic.in	71.00	2
Rest House at Bathad	E.E. Kullu Division No-1	01902	222426	ee-kul1-hp@nic.in	72.00	2
Rest House at Garagausian	E.E. Kullu Division No-1	01902	222426	ee-kul1-hp@nic.in	79.00	2
Vishram Kutir at Manikarn	E.E. Kullu Division No-1	01902	222426	ee-kul1-hp@nic.in	55.00	2
Circuit House at Manali	D.C. at Kullu	01902	222727	dc-kul-hp@nic.in	41.00	18
Rest House at Camp. Manali	S.E. 6th Circle, Kullu	01902	222530	hp-kul@nic.in	40.00	5
Rest House at Kothi	S.E. 6th Circle, Kullu	01902	222530	hp-kul@nic.in	52.00	4
Inspection Benglow Nagar	S.E. 6th Circle, Kullu	01902	222530	hp-kul@nic.in	22.00	2
Field Hostel Kullu	E.E. Division Kullu-II	01906	222561	ee-kul2-hp@nic.in	01.00	7
Rest House at Madi	E.E. Division Kullu-II	01906	222561	ee-kul2-hp@nic.in	65.00	2
Rest House at Karon	E.E. Division Kullu-II	01906	222561	ee-kul2-hp@nic.in	15.00	2
Rest House at Katrain	S.E. 6th Circle, Kullu	01902	222530	hp-kul@nic.in	21.00	2
Rest House at Nirmand	E.E. Nirmand	01904	255140	ee-nir-hp@nic.in	Local	5
Rest House at Arsu	E.E. Nirmand	01904	255140	ee-nir-hp@nic.in	13.00	3
Rest House at Anni	E.E. Nirmand	01904	255140	ee-nir-hp@nic.in	62.00	4
Rest House at Khanag	E.E. Nirmand	01904	255140	ee-nir-hp@nic.in	85.00	2
Rest House at Dalash	E.E. Nirmand	01904	255140	ee-nir-hp@nic.in	70.00	3
Rest House at Neether	E.E. Nirmand	01904	255140	ee-nir-hp@nic.in	66.00	4