Why Mana Village near India China Border is Famous for Tourism?
Visiting India’s last village is a dream of off-road travelers, isn’t it? Are you all having the same dream? No worries, this article will take you through my experience of India’s last village. After exploring the gorgeous temple of Lord Vishnu it was now time to explore a little tiny village called Mana Village in Uttarakhand. Though it is little, the name has its own importance and this importance was mentioned in the history of India. Mana village is India’s last village in the district of Chamoli, Uttarakhand. This village is located on the border of India and Tibet/China in the Himalayas and this is the pecularity of this village. Mana has everything that a tourist expects. It is located in the range of Himalayan Mountain, it offers a gorgeous view of the river Saraswati along with shimmering waterfalls floating massive amounts of water on its rocky surface. The valley passing through the river looks astonishing. Mana village is situated at a height of 10133 feet from sea level. This is why Mana village near India China border is a famous tourist village.
How can You Reach This Beautiful Mana Village?
Mana village is located at a distance of 3 km from
Badrinath Dham. One needs to reach the Badrinath and then take taxi or local bus to
Mana village.
By Air
Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun is the nearest airport to
reach the Mana village. Once you land at the airport then take the buses going towards
the Badrinath Dham. The distance is close to 320 km from Dehradun.
By Train
Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Dehradun are the nearest railhead
to reach India’s last village. Rishikesh and Hardiwar are much closer to each other. The distance from each railway station is close to 280 km. Once
you get down at the railway station, head towards the bus booking office outside
the station or bus depot to reach the Badrinath. You can also hire private
taxis to reach Mana village. Remember all the buses leaves early in the morning
between 3 am to 7 am to reach Badrinath Dham. If you hire private taxi or share taxi then it will also leave in the morning only. Night driving is dangerous on that roads so all transportation runs in the morning only.
By Road
You can hire private taxis or also own a vehicle to reach the
last village. The road that passes through the Govind Ghat is very scenic and a dream
come true. The journey normally takes 7 to 8 hours to reach the Mana village.
You may find many bikers traveling to Badrinath on a bike.
Why has Mana Village is Been Mentioned in the Mahabharata?
As you start visiting the Mana village then you will come to
know that some of the traces of Mahabharata have some kind of connection with India’s
last village. It is said that Pandavas from Mahabharata crossed Mana village
during their final journey to heaven, sounds interesting right? It is true, the exit to the heaven was from this village. This village
also has a stone bridge, It is also known
as ‘Bhim Pool’, and guess what this stone has put up on the Saraswati river.
This is associated with Bheema, one of the five Pandavas brothers. Apart from
this stone bridge, there are divine caves like Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa. Vyas
Gufa is the place where Ved Vyasa narrated the Mahabharata for the first time
and this challenge was initiated by Lord Ganesha. It feels so good when you
stand at this historical place and imagine what would have been situation in the back century time. This
is one such mystical village located in the Dev Bhoomi of Uttarakhand.
My First Experience of Visiting Last Village of India China Border
I along with my wife and one of my friends was on tour to
explore the mystical Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham. We had been to Kedarnath then
Badrinath and now it was time to explore India’s last village, Mana. Before visiting the Mana village I had went through the social sites to know more about this historical village. This curiosity brought me to know new things to explore in India’s last village. Is it like the normal village? if it is normal village then why this village is been mentioned
in Mahabharata, and where exactly the India China border exist? These questions made me more
curious to visit the Mana village. We had our stay near Badrinath Dham 3 km
before Mana village. This village can also be reached via local bus from
Badrinath but, as we wanted to explore photogenic places surrounding Mana so we
decided to hire a private taxi and explore the corners of Mana village.
As decided we left for Mana village from Badrinath in a private taxi and he charged us 400 INR for a return journey. I was so excited to explore this
village. When we reached the entrance of India’s last village, we asked the
driver to take a halt as I wanted to click the photo with the background stating welcome India's last village. I had seen the people taking the
photos at the entrance of the gate so even I had taken the same photo with same background. The road
that passes parallel with the breathtaking view of the Saraswati River looks
astonishing. You need to park the vehicle at the entrance of the village. You
can explore the village by walking. The road is a little steep with ascending trail at some point. As you enter the
village you see the farming of Cabbage, Kidney beans. People from local village looks so beautiful in their traditional wears. You need to
cross the small market that sells woolen cloths at an economical rate. If you want to buy any woolen clothing for your next snow trip then you should explore this market.
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| Mana village shop lane for shopping of wollen cloths which are handmade cloths |
You can start exploring the Mana from Ganesh caves towards
the right. The first thing you come across is Ganesh Gufa (Ganesh Caves) and Vyas
Gufa (Vyas Caves). The cave has a small temple with the Idol of Lord Ganesha.
The same road continues to the Vyas Gufa, the walk is a little steep. There is a small tea shop just beside the Vyas Gufa and recently this tea shop has got
famous through social sites and guess what? You cannot control yourself from
having Tea, Maggy, and taking photos of the shop along with shop owners. Sounds interesting, isn't it? This is India’s
last tea shop and the name of the shop is 'Bharat ki akhiri chay ki dukan'. We had a Maggy and tea at the last tea shop in India. I never drink
tea but, trust me you will get the best of the tea and Maggy in this shop. There is
no feeling better than having a hot Maggy in 2 degree temperature with the view
of a snow-capped mountain in the surrounding. This 5700-year-old holy cave has so
much importance. The most interesting part of these caves is the small shrine
dedicated to Vyas who wrote the Vedas.
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| This is the place where Mahabharata was narrated by Ved Vyas |
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| Ganesh Gufa with the temple and the idol of Lord Ganesha |
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| Vyas Gufa is located just beside the last tea shop of Mana village |
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| Bharat ki akhiri chay ki dukan(India's last tea shop) |
It feels so proud when you reach place like a border. Once you are done visiting the Vyas Gufa descend towards the Saraswati
River to have a glimpse of gorgeous Bheem Pool. It is said that Bheema
created this bridge with stone for his wife Draupadi to cross the river
Saraswati during his journey to heaven. You can also visit the Mata Murti
temple near Bheem Pool and don’t forget to click amazing pictures of the Saraswati River and its shimmering water. There is China border next to the
village Mana at a distance of 30 km. One can also have a glimpse of
Swargarohini Mountain from here. It was dream come true for me as I got the
opportunity to explore India’s last village, Mana. It was a refreshing journey
for me amidst the Himalayan Mountain. It takes 2 to 3 hours to explore the
village with some photo clickings.
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| Mata Murti temple view from the Bheem Pool |
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| Having a Maggy and Tea at last shop of India has its own fun, isn't it? |
Mana village is one of those villages where there are multiple trekking points. The treks include Satopanth lake trek, Parvati, Nilkantha Peaks, and a Valley of Flowers. if you are in the mood for trekking and if you have a few days in hand then do explore these treks. You will not visit this place again and against so take as many memories as you can. There are few tour operators from Mana village who help to explore this mountain.
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| You can contact on the mentioned number if you need guide for any trek near to Mana village |
Ideal Time to Explore Mana Village
Mana village can be explored only for six months a year
due to heavy snowfall. The ideal time to visit Mana village is from May to
October. Avoid visiting here in heavy monsoon. September to October are the
prime days to visit this beautiful village. The temperature ranges from 2 degrees
to 8 degrees in the daytime and 2 degrees to -8 at night time. Do prepare yourself
while exploring yourself to the minus temperature. You need to carry proper clothing for the winter season. I am sure if you go with proper preplanning then you
will return with lifetime memories.
Where to Eat in Mana Village?
Mana has multiple small restaurants that serve some hot food
but, the variety would be limited. You won’t get many options to eat. There are
so many small huts selling Maggy and tea. you can small snaks in this village. If you want to eat as per your choice
then go near Badrinath temple. There are so many options to eat.
Carry a hot water bottle for drinking as you will not get hot water bottle in the shop. You
can refill it from restaurants.
Shopping at Mana Village
Mana village is famous for its handmade woolen clothing. You
can buy winter clothing and its traditional wear. There are so many
small stalls selling Himalayan Jadi Buti. You should know to bargain while
buying anything here. Don't forget your rights of bargain. Do explore the Mana village.
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