MANALI
Pedestrian shopping strip for shawls, woolens, and dry fruit - prices run 30-50% higher than identical goods in Old Manali or roadside Naggar stalls, and 'Kullu shawls' sold here are frequently machine-made elsewhere. Fine for a browse and a coffee, not for serious shopping.
Mall Road developed during the early-to-mid 20th century as Manali grew from a remote Kullu-valley village into a colonial-era hill retreat, following the broader British Indian pattern of building a central promenade, modeled on London's fashionable 'Mall,' as the commercial heart of hill stations from Shimla to Darjeeling. The corridor it runs along had earlier served as part of the ancient Beas valley trade routes connecting Kullu with Tibet and Central Asia, making it a commercial node long before its formal 'Mall Road' identity emerged. Today the roughly 2 km pedestrian stretch remains Manali's principal shopping and promenade street.
