The Government of Himachal Pradesh has commissioned an Eco Park Resort in Kasol which will have hot water pools. Water for these pools shall be diverted from the holy site of Manikaran through a pipeline, which is a major Hindu and Sikh tirtha, which will permanently destroy the hot water springs and significantly disrupt the cultural and religious practices of the Kullu Valley. 

Manikaran is said to be the site where Shiva and Parvati resided for aeons. It is said that Parvati once lost the ruby worn in her ear (hence the name Manikaran) into the pool of the water, and her maidens were unable to find it despite searching for long. An enraged Parvati was about to curse the land and waters when Sheshnag, who resided deep within the pools, let out a hiss, which led to the ruby springing out of the water, and making the waters permanently hot in turn. Manikaran is also considered to be an important Sikh pilgrimage as it is said that Guru Nanak Dev ji visited this tapobhoomi during his udasi phase.

The hot water springs of Manikaran have been utilized for cooking food for the pilgrims to the site for centuries. There is a painting from 1764, currently housed in the collection of the San Diego Museum of Art, of the Pahari style that shows cooking being done using the heat from the pool, underscoring the cultural and religious aspect of the practice that is ongoing to this day at the tirtha.

Another aspect of the tirtha is the fact that many deities of the locals have been brought to Manikaran for bathing in the warm waters during special festivals. This, again, as part of the Dev Samaj culture of the upper Himachal and Tons Valley stretching into Uttarakhand, is a practice that is part of the intangible cultural heritage of the Kullu valley that is very much alive to this day. In 2024, Devta Bijli Mahadev, an extremely important deity of Kullu valley, descended for a shahi snan or royal bath, in an ongoing tradition. Besides Bijli Mahadev, many other deities, Mata Parvati Chonj, Dev Paldi Chhamahu and countless other deities of the Kullu valley have been invoked for this ritual for centuries now.

Destruction of the hot springs and the natural water flow through a pipeline based diversion will disrupt significantly these traditions, and also render the import of the rituals of the locals meaningless. In an era where intangible cultural heritage is being celebrated worldwide, such destruction of traditions cannot be acceptable to anyone.

It is therefore appealed to one and all to kindly sign this petition, which is being put up to the office of the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, to kindly put a halt to the development of this diversion with immediate effect.