About the Beas
The Beas is one of the five rivers of Punjab (from which the state takes its name — 'Five Rivers') and the easternmost of the six rivers of the Indus system in India. The river originates at Beas Kund above Manali — a sacred lake where the sage Vyas (Vyasa), author of the Mahabharata, is said to have meditated — and flows through the Kullu valley, one of India's most beautiful Himalayan valleys, before entering the Punjab plains. Alexander the Great's eastward advance ended at the Beas in 326 BCE when his troops refused to march further east.
The Kullu Valley section of the Beas — between Manali and Kullu town — is India's premier white-water rafting destination for beginners and intermediate paddlers. The river's crystal-clear water supports exceptional populations of golden mahseer — the 'tiger of rivers' — in its cleaner upper reaches, and fly-fishing on the Beas is considered among the finest trout-fishing experiences in India outside Jammu & Kashmir. The Great Himalayan National Park in the Beas catchment is a UNESCO World Heritage Site protecting some of the finest sub-alpine and alpine ecosystems in the western Himalaya.
Parbati · Uhl · Banganga · Luni