MANALI
Natural sulfur springs (110-123°F) piped into segregated men's and women's bathing areas next to the temple. Water can smell strongly of sulfur - bring your own soap/towel, none provided. Gets packed with tour groups by mid-morning; go before 8 AM.
The temple and springs are named for the sage Vashisht, one of the Saptarishi (seven great sages) of Hindu tradition and family guru to Lord Rama, who according to local legend settled here after a failed suicide attempt in the Beas River convinced him the waters wanted him to live. The stone image of the sage inside the wood-and-stone Kath-Kuni shrine is estimated by local tradition to be several thousand years old. The adjoining sulphur hot springs, fed by geothermal activity beneath the Beas valley, have long been regarded as having medicinal properties and are used for ritual bathing before temple visits.
