Vashisht village is a green patch of steep hill hanging at the base on a
cliff. The village is 6 km from Manali at the banks of the Beas River
opposite Old Manali. Vashisht is reachable from Manali by half an hour
walk or a short drive up a slanting road by Auto Rickshaw for Rs.50.
Most foreign tourists preferred staying here or at the Old Manali than
the downtown Manali. Rich traditions and nice cafes are integral for
backpackers. Vashisht has all that. Like Old Manali, Vashisht is crowded
with tourists during peak seasons.
Streams rise at the base of this
mountain. I walked up from the main road near the Beas River through a small
steep footpath. The road was idyllic. Clear streams cut through the road and a
small bridge suspends over it. The rustic village has a calm soothing effect.
The village still retains the traditional house making style. Every gully
springs up surprise. At one corner there’s this German bakery and at the next
turn we’ve the traditional houses with cows. Foreign tourists who have only
seen cows on the road in India looked overwhelmed like they were seeing a deer
or a Nilgai.
Vashisht was named after Rishi
Vashisht one of the seven sages of Hindu. Legend has it that the saddened Rishi
Vashisht after learning that his children were killed by Vishwamitra tried to
commit suicide. But the river refused to kill him. The river was therefore
named as Vipasha which literally means ‘freedom from bondage’. It was later
shortened to Beas River. He began mediating and vowed to start his life anew.
The Vashisht temple which exists even today is believed to be more than 4000
years. It’s difficult to imagine how a place so old could remain so small.
