Vashisht Hot Springs

Sulphur hot springs in a village above Manali, with ancient Rama and Vashisht temples

Vashisht is a village about three kilometres north of Manali's main bazaar, easily reached by road or on foot along the Beas River. The village has two ancient stone temples — one dedicated to Rama and one to the sage Vashisht — and a set of natural hot sulphur springs that emerge directly in the village, filling public bathing tanks maintained by the local community.

The water is genuinely hot (around 45°C) and has a faint sulphur smell. The public baths are segregated by gender and are used by locals year-round; there is also a separate ghat for ritual bathing. The setting — stone lanes, small guesthouses draped with flowering plants, and cedar forest above — makes Vashisht a more pleasant place to spend an afternoon than busy central Manali. Several good cafes and budget guesthouses have established themselves here, and it is a common place for longer-staying travellers to base themselves.

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A story
Vashisht is named after the sage Vashisht, one of the seven great rishis of Hindu tradition, who is said to have meditated here. The hot springs emerge at around 45°C directly in the village, and public bathing ghats separate men and women. The two ancient stone temples to Rama and to the sage Vashisht himself are among the oldest structures in the Kullu Valley.