If you ever wish to visit a place where spirituality meets serenity, then you must visit Manu Temple in Old Manali. Located in the beautiful and peaceful village of Manali, this sacred place is not only a religious experience but also a chance to get back to the Himalayas. This temple is dedicated to a sage who was believed to be the creator of human civilization in Hindu mythology. From the moment you step inside, you can notice the unparalleled calmness around the temple which feels as if it is taking charge of your senses, encouraging you to find another world filled with spiritualism.

This Temple is full of mythology and is the only temple dedicated to Manu Rishi, the first man on earth and the author of Manusmriti. According to legend, after a great flood that destroyed the Earth, Sage Manu is said to have meditated at this very spot to recreate human civilization.

It is said that Sage Vaivasvata Manu was the first king to rule the earth after saving mankind from the great flood. As per the Matsya Purana, Lord Vishnu Matsya Avatar first appeared as a small fish to King Manu while he was washing his hands in the river after which the small fish asked King Manu to save him. King Manu saved the fish and put it in a water jar but the fish grew too big for the jar and King Manu shifted it to a bigger bowl. The fish kept growing and King Manu had to shift it from the bowl to a well and then to a lake.

The carp fish kept growing bigger and bigger, King Manu had to shift the fish back into the river. Very soon even the river seemed insufficient for the fish as it had grown to gigantic proportions and King Manu had to shift the fish into the ocean. That is when the huge fish transformed into Lord Vishnu and told King Manu of a deadly cloudburst that would soon flood the whole world.

King Manu built a boat big enough to house his family, 9 kinds of seeds and animals and birds to repopulate the earth once the deluge was over. It is believed that after the deluge King Manu stepped on the earth and meditated at the very spot where Manu Rishi Temple is situated.

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It is situated in Old Manali at a distance of 3 km from the city centre and 11 km from the Solang Valley. The road to the temple is quite narrow and hence, it takes time to reach the location. Instead, there are many cab services in Manali to offer trips to Temple for both ways. Keep enough time on your hands to reach Manali as you can face a lot of traffic on the route and you might get stuck for hours. A Trip to Manali is incomplete without visiting here.

It opens early in the morning from 6 AM and is open till 5 PM in the evening for visitors.

There is no entry fee for this temple, you can easily visit here in peak season or off-season as well.