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Mangli: The place you can’t forget

I spent just a day in this remote and pristine village of Himachal Pradesh about two months ago. But the memories are still vivid. Located in the north part of Himachal, it is very close to the Jammu and Kashmir border. We trekked to place and reached in the afternoon and rested on the rooftop of a house which belonged to an ex-serviceman. All of us enjoyed local snacks, sipping a cup of tea. Locals told us that we were the first group to visit the place which was this large and has foreign friends.


One can see the green mountains in August and get lost in the soothing sound of a stream flowing nearby. Water oozing out of the rocks was cold, pure and abundant. One can simply keep an empty bottle and drink this water while trekking. The freshness in the air cannot be described but only felt. Visitors will get to have fresh green apples and thirst quenching cucumbers.
After the sunset, we heard the residents playing some of their traditional instruments which are usually played during mela (fair), weddings and festivals. We were also invited to play the instruments and dance around the bonfire.

The people in the valley are very hospitable and humble. One will encounter random acts of kindness in helping the visitors without any expectations from them. All they need is an understanding behavior. Women, in particular, are the hardest working women I have seen so far. They all live in harmony. One can encounter Muslim sheep herders taking shelter in a Hindu household for the night and being treated like family.
There are a lot of legends related to the place; stories worth listening to. For example how the place is named after one of the three brothers who were the first residents of the village. I will not give details of the legends related to different temples there, the locals have their way to storytelling and it is best left for them to tell.
The remote location has preserved the beauty of the village worth visiting. Below are some more photos.





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