Badrinath
Just 3 kilometres from Badrinath, Mana is officially the last village on the Indian side of the Indo-China border — a fact announced proudly on a signboard at its entrance. The village is the winter home of the Bhotiya people and contains sites directly connected to the Mahabharata: the cave where Vyas dictated the epic to Ganesha, the Bhim Pul (a natural rock bridge thrown by Bhima), and the Saraswati river emerging from a crack in the mountain.
The altitude at Mana is 3,200 metres — walk slowly and do not overexert. The village sells exceptional Tibetan carpets, shawls, and brass ware. The Vyas Gufa (cave) is a short but interesting historical site.