MANALI
15th-century wood-and-stone castle-turned-heritage-hotel built by Raja Sidh Singh, now partly a museum. Far less crowded than anything in Manali proper - worth the 45-min drive if you want one genuinely quiet heritage stop. Camera/video fees charged separately at the gate.
Built around 1460 CE by Raja Sidh Singh of Kullu, the castle served as the capital and royal seat of the Kullu rulers for centuries before the capital later shifted to Sultanpur (Kullu town). Constructed using the traditional Kath-Kuni technique of alternating timber and stone without mortar, a method well suited to withstanding Himalayan earthquakes, the structure incorporates stone reputedly salvaged from an earlier, abandoned fort. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation took over the castle in 1978 and converted it into a heritage hotel, which it still operates today.
