Manali

Why this icon The pagoda-roofed Hadimba temple in the deodar forest. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Zostel

The story

A winter morning after fresh snow: a traveller walks the stone path through the tall deodars of the Dhungri forest to the Hadimba temple, snow lying along its three timber roofs and its cone, rising as high as the trees.

Why this picture

The Hadimba Devi temple (1553) stands in the Dhungri cedar forest above Manali: a 24 m pagoda of three square timber-tiled roofs crowned by a fourth small cone, on a whitewashed stone base with a carved wooden doorway. Manali sits at 2,050 m at the head of the Kullu valley, where snow falls from December to early March and lies along the temple's eaves; snow peaks close the valley above.

The sky wears Gond scales, from Madhya Pradesh.

The motion

The sun's rays turn; three blue birds cross the sky; the deodars sway; points of light glint on the snow; the traveller walks. A 16-second loop.

Colour

Orchid #AA5EA5

Valley Blue #4F87C7

Blush #F6ADCD

Manali takes Orchid #AA5EA5, one of the three Valleys colours — with its icon in white on it.

Another moment in Manali

A second scene: another true moment at Manali, drawn in the graphic vocabulary with the animals and city symbols that belong there. Wide for screens, tall for a phone held upright.

The story

An April afternoon in Old Manali: apple trees blossom round an old house of deodar and stone, a Kullu shawl hangs out to air in its yard, and a traveller on the lane stops to photograph it; a Himalayan monal forages at the forest's edge, and above the village the Hadimba temple's roofs stand among the deodars under the snow.

Why this moment

Old Manali is the old village above the town, its houses built the kath-kuni way in deodar beams and dry stone with wooden galleries, among apple orchards that blossom white and pink in spring (March to May). Kullu shawls are woven on the valley's handlooms; the Hadimba temple stands in the Dhungri deodar forest nearby, and the Manali sanctuary's forests above the village are home to the Himalayan monal.

The sky wears Kullu shawl, from Himachal Pradesh.

The motion

Clouds cross the sky; the sun's rays turn; blossom petals fall from the near apple tree (in the wide); the deodars and apple trees sway. A 16-second loop.

In the picture

Its files

wide: wide second scene, SVG wide second scene, Animated SVG wide second scene, PNG
tall: tall second scene, SVG tall second scene, Animated SVG tall second scene, PNG

Also in the kit's zip, in its own folder.

The sound of Manali

A reed across the valley, a guitar on the porch

Zostel calls, and Manali answers on the shehnai, over the tabla and a fingerpicked guitar. Its track is Manali's own music with the place's air under it, a 30-second loop. Nothing plays until you tap.

shehnai
tabla
guitar

The lead is its second choice: no festival's or procession's instrument leads a place's sound (DV, 9 October).

Manali's own music, from the research behind it: Nati (dance) (Wikipedia), Karnal (instrument) (Wikipedia).

What you hear in Manali

The loom
A wooden handloom weaving wool: the shuttle thrown, the beater knocking twice, the treadles creaking. The valley's shawl, being made.
Its own sound · 4 s
Cedar forest
A deodar forest above a fast mountain river: water over boulders, wind in the tall cedars, a cattle bell far off, a small bird.
Its air · 15 s
Snow morning
A still morning after snowfall: snow sliding off a wooden roof, a magpie chattering, a stove crackling, footsteps in fresh snow.
Its air · 12 s
Village night
Night in the old village of wood and stone: a cold stream below, wind in the pines, one dog far off, a stove close by.
Its air · 12 s
Wind and bell
A gust of mountain wind, ending in one clear clank of a cattle bell.
Sting · 3 s

Manali in symbols

Beside its icon, the things that are Manali, drawn in the Brand Manual's city language: a monument in the city grey with its openings cut, the things of the place in flat landscape colours. Each comes in colour and in the city grey. Every place's symbols

A Kullu shawlOf the place
The Kullu shawl: woven on the valley's handlooms in sheep's wool, yak wool or pashmina, plain in its field with bright geometric patterns across both ends, up to eight colours in a design — the craft of the Kullu valley and Manali's market.
SVG Grey SVG PNG
An old Manali houseMonument
An old Manali house in the kath-kuni way: walls of deodar beams and dry stone laid in alternate courses, the beam ends standing proud at the corners; a wooden gallery cantilevered over the walls to catch the sun; a steep pent-and-gable roof of frost-proof slate. Cattle below, stores, then the home above.
SVG Grey SVG PNG

Also drawn for Manali 6

Detailed icons from the library that name Manali among their places: one drawing, on the page of every place it belongs to. Those drawn for Manali alone come first. Every detailed icon

Say hello to Manali's Zobus

Zobu in Manali's own dress, on the palette. Hover or tap one and it waves. Each comes still and alive — idle, hello and hop — for stickers, stories and the app.

Every destination's Zobus →

Female
Still Idle Hello Hop Face Wave
Male
Still Idle Hello Hop Face Wave

Their faces, poses and moves 26

Manali's Zobus from the rig: a face for a profile picture, a pose for a story, a move as a still; each opens its file. Every Zobu in motion

The animals of Manali

Animals and birds the research behind Manali's picture names, drawn in the Brand Manual's animal style, in colour and in the city grey. All the animals of India

Himalayan monalLophophorus impejanus
SVG Grey SVG PNG

The kit

Everything Manali needs: its profile, its cover, wide and tall, its icon, tile, display picture and lockup, its loop and the symbol becoming it, its second scene, its city map, its city symbols and its Zobus — every file ready to download.

47 files in one zip, the cover, its second scene, its symbols, its Zobus and its city map included

Profile

Manali’s page as a story, 1080 × 1920: its cover, its tile, its name, its line and its verbs — for stories, status and a phone’s lock screen.

SVGOther formats

Cover, wide

1600 × 900, for screens: a page’s top, a slide, a share card. The still is the loop’s first frame. The animated SVG loops in 16 s; where it shouldn’t move, use the still.

SVG Animated SVG PNG

Cover, tall

900 × 1600, composed for a phone held upright: stories, reels, a lock screen. The animated SVG loops in 16 s; where it shouldn’t move, use the still.

SVG Animated SVG PNG

Tile

The icon in one colour on Manali’s own — for a grid, a story, a sticker.

SVG PNG

Icon

A monument: city grey, its detail cut out. Transparent; the mono takes any one colour.

SVG PNG Mono SVG

Loop

Points twinkle behind the peak, or clouds drift past. 7.2 s, seamless.

Animated SVG Lottie JSON

Motion

The symbol becomes Manali and turns back — a Lottie loop for stories, the app and the web.

Lottie JSON

Display picture

Circle-safe: the colour, the icon and the name — for chats, socials and the app.

SVG PNG

Lockup

The horizontal lockup, with Manali under the wordmark — for signage, email and merch.

SVG

City symbols

Manali’s symbols, each in colour and in the city grey, as SVG and PNG — in the zip’s symbols folder.

See them with their files

Zobus

Manali’s Zobu pair, still and alive (idle, hello, hop), waving still and as a face (a profile picture) — in the zip’s zobus folder.

Female SVG Male SVG

Also made for Manali 5

The rest of what the library holds for Manali: the pattern of its region, the card its links share, each opening its own file or gallery.

The map we made for Manali

42 things to do around our four Zostels, two walks and 17 quests, on one A2 sheet that folds to A6 — a map made for travellers. Print it, fold it, go.

Download for print (PDF)Download the map (PNG)Download the guide (PNG)

A2, both sides, folds to A6. For print: double-sided, flipping on the long edge; at a print shop, the PDF at actual size.

ClickTap the sheet to zoom in

The mapClick to zoom in

The guideClick to zoom in

Its pieces on the map 55

Every spot on the Manali sheet, by what you go there for, each drawn with a drawing of the library. A piece opens its drawing with its files; the line under it names the other places that drawing belongs to.