The present District Of Mandi was formed with the merger of two princely states Mandi and Suket on 15th April 1948, when the State of Himachal Pradesh came into existence. Ever since the formation of the district, it has not witnessd any changes in it’s jurisdiction.The chiefs of Mandi and Suket are said to be from a common ancestor of the Chandravanshi line of Rajputs of Sena dynasty of Bengal and they claim their descent from the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. The ancestors of the line believed to have ruled for 1,700 years in Indarprastha(Delhi), until one Khemraj was driven out by his Wazir, Bisarp, who then took over the throne. Khemraj, having lost his knogdom, fled eastward and settled in Bengal, where 13 of his successors are said to have ruled for 350 years.
Places of Interest
Kogi Village
Next on your tour is the charming Kogi Village, 2 km down a dirt track from Naldehra. here are traditional himachali houses a temple of Kogi Mata and a chowka (Seat of the elders) Sculpted in wood.
Fair Grounds
If you are here in june, there is the Sipi Fair, a festival of match-making. that’s also about the only time. When you can pick up local handicrafts, mostly woolen shawls,caps and mufflers.
Counts and laats
just before Naldehra falls the village of Baldian. from here, take the motorable old Rickshaw road (Which was used to transport the British here from shimla) and head for the local fire station , 6 km away. for shorter trek take the 3 km approach from Mashobra. Next to badalian is what was originally the summer resort of the Italian Countess of Crainano. in the 1890’s , Craignano was turned into the united service club for the British laat (“lord”) Sahebs. after craignano , head for talli, a tiny meadow flanked by the Mahakali temple and the estate of the erstwhile Maharaja of faridkot. every October, a joton ka mela (a bull-fight test) is held here.
Chabba
Around 18 kms from Naldehra the Chabba river rafting starting point is situated .Between March And June, the powerhouse at chabba on the sutlej river provides the starting point for the 11 km river-rafting stretch to Tattapani. the chalets Naldehra organizes rafting trips.
Shally Peak
For adventure lovers there is an option of trekking and adventure sports, head out to Shally peak early in the morning. The road is motor able, and the scenery passable from Khatnol, which is the base for the steep climb to the peak, it’s roughly 8 km. you can also hire a pony. .
Bhootnath Temple
Practically synonymous with Mandi and located in its very heart this is as old as the town itself and dates back to the 1520s. In March, the festival of Shivratri is a major event and the Bhootnath temple is its focus. For an entire week the town celebrates the arrival of hundreds of local deities on elaborately decorated palanquins.
Rewalsar Lake
About 25 km from Mandi, 14 km from Ner Chownk is the Rewalsar lake, famous for its floating islands of reed. It is believed that all seven of them can be moved by prayer or breeze. There are three shrines here, a Buddhist Monastery, where elaborate rituals are performed, a Sikh Gurudwara and a Hindu Temple. It was from this place that the sage Padma Sambhava, a zealous teacher of Buddhism, left as a missionary to preach the doctrine of “the enlightened” in Tibet.
