Manikaran Sahib Hot Springs

Manikaran is one of the most sacred hot spring sites in Asia — a place of pilgrimage on the Parvati River in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh where geothermal springs emerge at temperatures approaching 100°C. The springs are so hot that the Sikh community uses them to cook langar (communal food) for pilgrims — the rice and dhal for the free communal meals served at the Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib are cooked directly in the boiling spring water. The site is holy to both Sikhs, who associate it with Guru Nanak's legendary visit in the 16th century, and Hindus, for whom the Shiva Temple at Manikaran is a site of ancient sanctity. The Parvati Valley setting — surrounded by 5,000-metre Himalayan peaks — adds a dimension of dramatic natural grandeur to the spiritual significance.