Mana is a tiny village in Uttarakhand located 4 kms to the north of the holy pilgrim Badrinath, on the steep slopes of the Alaknanda at the convergence of the two Rivers. It is perched at a height of 3,219 meters on the banks of the River Saraswati, a tributary of the river Alaknanda. It rises near the Mana pass, 48 km to the north and finally joins the sacred Ganges and Yamuna River at Allahabad. Mani Bhadrashram or Mana is the last Indian village on the border of India and Tibet.
In the celestial era, when Gods roamed on the Earth, it was known as the Manibhadra Ashram. From Mana village, one track leads to the Kailas, residence of Lord Shiva, now which is populated by the Himalayan semi-nomads that form a small group. The inhabitants of the village Mana are closely related to the activities of the Badrinath temple. On the closing day of the temple, they present a choli to the deity to save it from the cold and chilling winter. The `choli` is woven by the inhabitants of the village Mana.
Mana is even supposed to have witnessed the passage of the Pandavas, the five main characters of the Mahabharata, on their way to Heaven, after they renounced their kingdom.
(Last Updated on : 23/01/2010)
