Trip to Mana – Chamoli – Uttarakhand
Mana is a small pilgrim village that is located in the state of Uttarakhand. The village is present near the religious site of Badrinath. The village has the distinction of being the last settlement on the road to the country of Tibet. It is situated at a height of around 3219 meters. The village is on the banks of the River Saraswati. The entire region is surrounded by hills and one can see many small streams nearby as well.
This is a perfect place for trekking and there are many trekking spots that are located here. The village of Mana can be visited as day trip from Badrinath. There is a waterfall called the Vasundara Falls that is located nearby and this is also a good place to see while travelling to the village of Mana.
There is small passage called the Bhim Pul that is located here and the River Sarawasti plunges headlong into the path and this is a sight to behold. The local population of the village lives in small cottages that are decorated and carved exquisitely.
One can visit the temple of Mata Murti that is located near the town and the temple holds an annual fair, visiting which can be an interesting experience.
A 10 minute drive on a well-kempt tarmac road from Badrinath led us to Mana. Sight of the well-bred mountain dogs running towards us, the noise of the gushing Saraswati, rows of army camps on either side of the road and that one massive village gate that read ‘The Last Indian Village’, everything around us seemed like an intimation about how far away we had come.
This village at an altitude of 3115 metres in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand introduced us to divinity in a rather peculiar way. The kids of the village narrated the stories from Mahabharata as they guided us from the gate through the congested village street all the way up to Vyas Gufa, the cave where Ved Vyas compiled the four Vedas and narrated Mahabharata for the first time.
Visiting Mana village is in itself a very awesome and satisfying experience. This term, “India’s last village” overcomes both your mind as well as your heart, and giving that adventurous spark in you, with a sense of accomplishment too. The moment you step foot on its ground, the vividness of nature as it is surrounded by the Himalayas and is on the banks of the river Saraswati grasps your attention.
