Mandi is a temple town first and a hill town second. The eighty-one stone temples scattered across the old town are the main draw: most are small, single-cell shrines from the 16th–17th centuries, carved in the sikhara style with figures from the Ramayana and Mahabharata on the outer walls. The five essential stops are Bhootnath, the riverside Shiva temple at the heart of the bazaar; Trilokinath, the carved 1520 temple on the south bank; Panchvaktra, a five-faced Shiva temple at the confluence of the rivers; Mata Kuan Rani, the small "Princess of the Well" temple by the river; and Tarna Devi, the goddess temple on the hill that gives the best view in town.
Beyond the temples, the old Indira Market square below the Bhootnath is the social heart of the town, with carved wooden balconies overhanging the narrow lanes. The colonial-era Victoria Bridge and the ruined Raj Mahal Palace sit a short walk apart on the river. Allow a full day for the temples; the day trips out to Rewalsar and Prashar Lake deserve another.