Idol of Dev Shri Pundreek Rishi at the Paddal ground Mandi during the Mahashivratri, Himachal Pradesh.

Mandi, formerly known as Mandav Nagar, also known as Sahor (Tibetan: Zahor), is a major city and a municipal council in Mandi District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated 153 kilometres north of state capital, Shimla. Located in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 1,044 metres, the city of Mandi, experiences pleasant summers and cold winters. Mandi is connected to the Pathankot through NH 20 which is almost 220 km long and to Manali and Chandigarh through NH 21 which is 323 km long. Mandi is approximately 184.6 km from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 440.9 km from New Delhi, the national capital.

According to the 2001 Indian census, Mandi city has a population of 60,387. It is one of the largest cities of Himachal Pradesh with a total area of 23 km2. The city is currently the 2nd largest economy in the state next to Kangra. Mandi is the third-largest by population in state, next to Shimla and Solan. Mandi.

It serves as the headquarters of Mandi District and Zonal Headquarters of central zone including Districts namely Kullu, Bilaspur, and Hamirpur. As a tourist location, Mandi is often referred to as "Varanasi of Hills" or "Choti Kashi" or "Kashi of Himachal". People of Mandi proudly boast that while Benaras (Kashi) has 80 temples, Mandi has 81.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is a premier institute located in the city. This one time capital of the princely state of Mandi is a fast developing city that still retains much of its original charm and character. The city was established in 1527 by Ajbar Sen, as the seat of the Mandi State, a princely state till 1948. Foundation of the city was laid on the establishment of Himachal Pradesh in early 1948. Today, it is widely known for the International Mandi Shivaratri Fair. The city also has the remains of old palaces and notable examples of 'colonial' architecture.

Source: Wikipedia

This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of HD imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of tens of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM / SR 1080i High Definition, Alexa, SR, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at rupindang @ gmail . com and admin@wildfilmsindia.com.