Monday, March 23, 2009

Naggar - a delightful hamlet

Perhaps it was because we happened to visit the place on a Monday. One of the attractions, an art gallery, is closed Mondays. So it seemed to us that we had the whole hillside village to ourselves.
At 17 km from Manali, Naggar is just a short drive away, and the Himachal Pradesh tourism department includes it in its regular circuits.
The Naggar palace (castle), with a very interesting history from pre-colonial and colonial times. The palace is now a heritage hotel with a restaurant, an outlet for woollen things, a museum and the Jagatipatt (Shiva) temple within the palace.
(The courtyard was the venue of a popular number of the likeable Hindi film 'Jab We Met').

The Shiva temple within the palace. The wooden pieces that hang ornately make the most soothingly delightful sounds when there is a breeze around.
An ancient Vishnu temple adjacent to the palace.



An even older Gauri Sankar temple a short walk away.
(If you wish to see and buy purses, caps, shawls and coatees made of rabbit wool, just visit the second shop from the palace gates. We were very impressed with the presentable young owner, who was evidently proud of his produce).

See more visions from around the world in My World Tuesday
More posts on Manali
Seeing is believing - hot springs of Manali
Interesting local items
Yak's hair
Manali snow in February
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26 comments:

  1. kjpwebMarch 23, 2009 at 12:12 PM

    Excellent! That's what MyWorld is about - traveling abroad with a click of the mouse! :)
    Thank you for sharing!
    Cheers, Klaus

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  2. LouiseMarch 23, 2009 at 12:16 PM

    Love this post! The Shiva temple is SOOOOO charming!! Thanks for sharing this!

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  3. CarverMarch 23, 2009 at 12:19 PM

    Great post and shots. The palace and temple are so beautiful.

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  4. Photo CacheMarch 23, 2009 at 12:21 PM

    that is the advantage of going to a place when it's closed, like visiting a theme park during the winter months, you have it all to yourself. i love the village, so charming so full of history and so much personality. thanks for sharing.

    my entry is at http://ewok1993.wordpress.com

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  5. EG CameraGirlMarch 23, 2009 at 12:23 PM

    How nice you got to see all this without crowds of people all around. Everything is so well photographed.

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  6. Sylvia KMarch 23, 2009 at 12:29 PM

    What a delightful post! I love it and the Shiva temple! How lovely to be able to learn and see so much of India and your world through your eyes. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  7. DeniseinVAMarch 23, 2009 at 12:57 PM

    I enjoyed seeing your part of the world very much. Thank you! Great photography!

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  8. Susan at Stony RiverMarch 23, 2009 at 1:04 PM

    What an amazing temple, and beautiful photos. Thank you for the trip!

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  9. NadiaMarch 23, 2009 at 1:27 PM

    Great series of pictures. The place is so beautiful! I'd definitely want to visit this place on my next trip to India :)

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  10. Sujatha BagalMarch 23, 2009 at 1:36 PM

    Loved the pics of the doorway and the one above it. So much to look at!

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  11. SandyCarlsonMarch 23, 2009 at 1:43 PM

    That's a really incredible place.

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  12. ArijaMarch 23, 2009 at 2:05 PM

    A charming village with much historical interest. Beautiful photos too.

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  13. Esther GarviMarch 23, 2009 at 2:16 PM

    I love history! How cool to have such a place turned into a hotel. The surroundings look very tempting!! So much nature always makes me smile!

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  14. Jane Hards PhotographyMarch 23, 2009 at 5:29 PM

    It is a fabulous virtual tour around such an interesting area.

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  15. GaelynMarch 24, 2009 at 12:06 AM

    These structures are amazing, sturdy with such delicate detail. I'll bet it sounds mellow when the wood hanging decorations knock in the breeze. Great post and captures. Thanks for taking us along.

    Someday India.

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  16. This Is My Blog - fishing guyMarch 24, 2009 at 1:24 AM

    Swarna: Thanks for sharing your visit with MW. What a neat set of buildings to share.

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  17. NiinaMarch 24, 2009 at 1:31 AM

    What a post, interesting! It was great to travel with you as a guide! Thank you!

    You can find my "My world" at:
    http://niinuska.wordpress.com/

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  18. Latane BartonMarch 24, 2009 at 6:29 AM

    Enchanting....

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  19. The Good Life in VirginiaMarch 24, 2009 at 6:33 AM

    Vishnu temple is a very interesting shape...and i like the details.

    thank you for the most interesting post and pictures.

    have a wonderful day.

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  20. chanphengMarch 24, 2009 at 6:54 AM

    Beautiful photos - enjoyed the travel with you.

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  21. ClaraMarch 24, 2009 at 8:04 AM

    I love the temple and castle. The intricate carvings and ornamentation on the buildings is beautiful. Thanks for taking us to visit it.

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  22. LakshmiMarch 24, 2009 at 9:20 PM

    I love this series...thats the beauty of small Indian hamlets..

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  23. OmanMarch 24, 2009 at 11:04 PM

    that is one excellent place to wander around. i cud only imagine myself going there. great shots.

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  24. HuzharMarch 26, 2009 at 8:02 AM

    Beautiful temple, nice to know the history and thanks for sharing..

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  25. RajeshApril 10, 2009 at 12:26 AM

    Lovely,
    I liked the details and snaps. Being there on a holiday, helped you to capture good pics without lot of people moving around.

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  26. A Random TravelerMay 23, 2009 at 1:42 AM

    Cool Post. I think this was the king who sold the kingdom for a gun from the british empire?? Or was it a bluff.

    [Blog hopped from Indiblogger]

    ReplyDelete

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