I visited to Mandi with dreams in my eyes and unbelievably, my dreams did come true. The land was beautiful and offered me many scenic destinations that I capturted in my camera. Mandi is loacted at a height of 760m, in the centre of Himachal, lying along the left bank of the river Beas in the foot hills of medium sized Shivalik ranges, and entails a rich heritage of culture, of both historical and theoligical significance.

I had no problem in accessing the hill station. The exotic abode is well connected through air, rail and bus. The nearest airport is Bhuntar, 57 km from Mandi, and the nearest railway station is at Joginder nagar, 55 km from Mandi. After reaching the place , Ilooked out for a hotel where I could keep my baggage. Being one of the popular holiday destination in Himachal, Mandi was no short of hotels and resorts.

I contacted a local tour operator who helped me in exploring the land. The first tourist destination that I visited was Rewalsar, that was about 25 km from Mandi, 14 km from Ner Chownk is the Rewalsar lake, famous for its floating islands of reed. It is believed that all seven of them can be moved by prayer or breeze. There are three shrines here, a Buddhist Monastery, where elaborate rituals are performed, a Sikh Gurudwara and a Hindu Temple. It was from this place that the sage Padma Sambhava, a zealous teacher of Buddhism, left as a missionary to preach the doctrine of "the enlightened" in Tibet.

Our next destination was Prashar lake that lies 40 k.m. north of Mandi, with a three storied pagoda like temple dedicated to the sage Prashar.

I also visited Sunder Nagar 26 k.m. from Mandi. This place is famous for its temples. The place is towards Shimla and at a height of 1,174 metres on the raised edge of a fertile valley, the beautiful town of Sundernagar is known for its shady walks amidst towering trees. My guide told me that this place is visited by thousands of devotees every year,especially the Sukhdev Vatika and temple of Mahamaya.

I especially liked the Janjheli that lies 67 k.m. from Mandi. To me Janjehli, appeared to be a paradise for hikers. It offered me an oppurtunity to treks up to a height of 3,300 metres. There is a beautiful and well furnished rest house to stay overnight, from here Janjehli is a scant 20 km away through bridle path.