4. Manikaran, (Himachal Pradesh)
Manikaran is a pilgrimage centre for Hindus.
Manu created human life in Manikaran after the flood, making it a sacred place.
It has various temples of deities Rama, Krishna, Vishnu.
The area is known for its hot water springs.
The legend of Manikaran states that while roaming around, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, once chanced upon a place that was surrounded by mountains and was lush green.
Enamoured by the beauty of the place, they decided to spend some time there.
It is believed that they actually spent eleven hundred years here.
During their stay here, Goddess Parvati lost her mani in the waters of a stream.
Upset over the loss, she asked Shiva to retrieve it.
Lord Shiva commanded his attendant to find out the mani for Parvati, however, when they failed, he was extremely angry.
He opened his third eye, a tremendously inauspicious event which led to disturbances in the universe.
An appeal was made before the serpent god, Sheshnag, to pacify Lord Shiva.
Sheshnag hissed thereby giving rise to a flow of boiling water.
The water spread over the entire area resulting in the emergence of precious stones of the type Goddess Parvati had lost.
The water of Manikran is so hot that rice can be cooked in it, it also has curative properties.
5. Panamik, (Ladakh)
Situated in the Nubra valley, around 9 km from the beginning of the Siachen glacier, Panamik in Ladakh is another unique hot springs of India.
Panamik hot spring water is also rich in sulfur.
This spring is very hot and water bubbles are visible so you cannot get near or touch it.
The rocks around the hot spring are also very slippery because of the sulphur coating of the water and presence of green algae.
