Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa

Getting there

• By air

  Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun is the nearest airport listed for the caves.

• By train

  Rishikesh Railway Station is the nearest railway station listed, about 301 km from Badrinath.

• By road

  Mana is on the northern terminus of National Highway 7, about 3 km from Badrinath.

Why devotees come here

Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa are two caves in Mana village, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. Mana is the last inhabited village before the Indo-China border. The caves are linked to sage Ved Vyas and to Ganesha.

Ganesh Gufa is dedicated to Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity. Vyas Gufa has shrines to the sage Ved Vyas. Legend says he composed the Mahabharata within these walls. Devotees also believe he lived in the cave while composing the four Vedas.

Mana is the first village before the Mana Pass, 26 km from the border of India and Tibet. A small shrine inside the cave is said to be 5000 years old. The cave roof is said to look like the pages of Vyas's holy books.

Mana is on the northern terminus of National Highway 7. The village is culturally connected with Badrinath, the Hindu pilgrimage about 3 km away. Adi Shankara set up Badrinath as a pilgrimage site in the ninth century. Badrinath itself is described as the mythical land of the gods.

Festivals

• JuneBadri Kedar festival

  Held at Badrinath temple, about 3 km away, not at the caves. It lasts eight days.

Tips for your visit

• Vasudhara Falls, about 9 km from Badrinath temple, is one of the places listed near Mana.
• Satopanth Lake, Bhim Pul and Saraswati Temple are also listed as places near Mana.
• Badrinath temple, a few km away, opens 4:30 AM to 1 PM and 4:30 PM to 9 PM, May to October.

Questions people ask