Anjani Mahadev
For me a trip to Solang in Himachal is incomplete without visiting Anjani Mahadev. Whenever I come to Solang, I first visit Anjani Mahadev.
Solang Valley
To reach Solang I take a Volvo from my hometown Dehradun bus terminal at 10 pm which reaches Manali at 9 am, it is about 130 km. Solang valley is about 12 km from Manali which can be reached by local bus or auto. After such a long journey I have to take an auto which costs Rs 500 (INR) at this time. Manali is a very famous place in the state of Himachal, every year a lot of tourists come here from all over the world. But I always like Solang, a small place surrounded by mountains, where there are a few hotels and some small food shops. The main market of Solang is also in Manali, and very limited goods are available here. Villages are based around it which further enhance the beauty of the mountains of Solang.
After reaching Solang, Anjani Mahadev Trek is good to take some rest and acclimatize your body to the height. It is a two kilometer long climb from the main road which is not very difficult. There is a very beautiful environment in between where one can sit and take pictures.
According to Hindu mythology, Hanuman ji's mother Anjani did penance here to get a son and got the darshan of Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva, pleased with Anjali Maa's penance, gave darshan and blessings to Anjani. Religious people, trekkers and locals, all like to come here. Waterfalls and rivers in the mountains make this place even more beautiful. For me, sitting in a meditative chat for a month and occasionally visiting such a beautiful place is worthwhile.
Here a waterfall falls directly on the Shivling from a great height, this sacred sight is worth seeing, which mesmerizes the mind. In winter, a very big Shivling is formed here from snow. While going to the temple, slippers or shoes are removed at one place and after that one has to go barefoot, which I found a bit uncomfortable due to the cold and my feet became numb and there was a strange pain.
Women are not allowed to touch any kind of idol in the temple and boards have been put up here to give information about this. By the way, the Shivling is safe from all sides and no one can go too close to the Shivling. After darshan, my whole focus was to wear my shoes and leave and that is what I did. Leaving my companions in the temple, I quickly came down and wore my shoes.
While coming back two kilometers, there is a place in the middle where paragliding takes place and skiing is also done after snowfall in winter. Then we came to the hotel and immediately ordered tea. By volunteering in running events, it is true that I come to Solang every time, it is a place where I like to come every time, in fact every place in the mountains is such that I like to come every time, and every time the views look new, look colorful.
Now we had to mark more routes, so while traveling we try to keep ourselves safe, so that we do not fall sick or get any kind of injury so that the whole running event can run smoothly.
Disclaimer - I have originally written this post in Hindi and translated it into English with the help of Google translator. All the photos have been taken from my phone OnePlus.
[//]:# (!worldmappin 32.30832 lat 77.14422 long Solang - Anjani Mahadev temple trekking (2500ft) d3scr)