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Located in the dizzying heights of the Himalayas, with passes that remain closed for six months linking them with the rest of the world, Kinnaur, Spiti & Lahaul were till now a forbidden land. Only a chosen few were granted permission to visit this secret world, officials, Moravian missionaries who settled here in 1853 and a few mountaineers. Now this area has been opened for the daring and adventurous to discover what had been hidden from the world for centuries. From the riotous green of the Sangla Valley filled with orchards of apricots, peaches, chilgozas and apples to the magnificent desolation of the Hangrang Valley, Mother Nature's portrait is an ever changing one in Kinnaur.

This land lying on the ancient trade route between India and Tibet, ringed by the majestic mountain of the Himalayan and Dhauladhar range is the land of plenty. The gushing rivers of Kinnaur abound in Trout-the angler's prize catch, their waters have over the centuries chiseled beautiful gorges across this picturesque land and nurtured one of the most unique societies on there banks. In the lush land live the descendants of the Kinners-the demi gods of the Hindu pantheon, whose deeds have been immortalized in epics and the poems of ancient Sanskrit poets.

RECONG PEO (2670m): Located 260 km from Shimla, Recong Peo is the district Headquarter having a panoramic view of Kinner Kailash. It has many hotels and rest houses

KALPA (2759m): Beyond Recong Peo (14 kms. from Powari) on the link road, is the main village of the District - Kalpa. Across the river, facing Kalpa is the majesty of the Kinner Kailash range. This is a spectacluar sight early in the morning as the rising sun touches the snowy peaks with crimson and gold light.

SANGLA VALLEY: This valley starts 57 kms. short of Kalpa which has been named after a beautiful & populous village Sangla. Sangla is situated on the right bank of Baspa river 17 kms. from Karcham. Journey from Karcham onwards is enjoyable and adventurous throughout the valley. The natural scenery all around and the eternal snow view are picturesque and charming. It is also known as Baspa Valley since Baspa river flows through this area. This is the most charming valley in the entire District of Kinnaur. A temple dedicated to Nages god is worth a visit & other places are Sapni, Rackchham, Kilba, Kamru Fort which can also be visited. There are post offices, banks, rest houses for the convenience of the visitors.

CHITKUL (3450m): This is the last and highest village in the Baspa valley. It is situated on the right bank of Baspa river. There is a road along the left bank from Karcham. There are 3 temples of local goddess Mathi, the main ones are said to have been constructed about 500 years ago.

NICHAR (2150m): This village is situated between Taranda & Wangtu on the left bank of Satluj about 5 kms. above Wangtu. The scenery is enchanting. Ghoral , antelopes, black & red bears are seen sometimes in higher ranges. KOTHI: Kothi is also called Koshtampi. It is little below Kalpa, and is overshadowed by the Kinner Kailash peak. The village with its attractive temple, gracious willows green fields, fruit trees makes an altogether lovely landscape. Goddess Shuwang Chandika temple is in the village.

PUH: Locally pronounced Spuwa, is the tehsil hqrs. 71 kms. from Recong Peo. It is situated above the national highway-22 having all modern amenities as well as green fields, vineyards, apricot, almond and grape orchards enhance its beauty. The local god is called Dabla, who neither has any dwelling nor possesses an ark. The only manifestation of the deity is a pole with a small idol set on its upper portion and adorned with Yak tail hair and long pieces of colored cloth. The whole being called Fobrang, it is occasion brought to the Santhang.

RAKCHHAM (2900m): Rakchham is situated on the right bank of river Baspa. Its name has been derived from "Rak" a stone and "Chham" a bridge. The location of the village is striking. RIBBA (2745m): Ribba or Rirang is another large populous village at a distance of 14 kms. from Morang, the tehsil hqrs. Situated between the villages of Purbani & Rispa. In the local dialect ri stands for Chilgoza and rang means a peak of a mountain. A hut is available for stay. Another village Rispa is known for grapes.

LEO: About 105 kms. from Recong Peo perched on a small rocky eminence, on the right bank of the Spiti river, is the hqrs. of sub-tehsil Hangrang in Puh subdivision. The a temple of Jamato is worth visiting.

LIPPA (2438m): Situated near the left bank of Taiti stream. The village can be approached from Kalpa by the old Hindustan Tibet road to Jangi-Lippa-14 kms. Ibex are said to be found near the forest. The three Budhist monasteries here are dedicated to Galdang, Chhoiker Dunguir and Kangyar.

MORANG (2591): This village is situated 39 kms. away from Kalpa on the left bank of river Satluj. The location is very beautiful and approach to this picturesque village is through apricot orchards. The local deity is Urmig and there are three structures dedicated to the deity each existing in Thwaring, Garmang and Shilling. Generally these are empty as the ark of the deity remains in the fort. On a sacred day the ark is taken to the above named places. The ark has got 18 'mukh', made of silver, gold and brass. The 18 mukh represents the 18 days of the great epic Mahabharat.

CHANGO (3058m): At a distance of 122 kms. from Kalpa,is a collection of 4 hamlets in Pargna Shuwa, sub-tehsil, Hangrang on the left bank of river Spiti. It is encircled on every side by high hills which is a witness to the presence of a former lake. Buddhism is generally practised here but there are some local Hindu deities too namely Gyalbo, Dabla and Yalsa.

NAKO (3662m): Situated about 2 kms. above the Hangrang valley road and is 103 kms. from Kalpa on the western direction of the huge mountain of Pargial. This is the highest village in the valley and the existence of lake formed out of the masses of the ice and snow above adds beauty to the village. Local village deity is Deodum and another Lagang temple with several idols exist here. There is a staying hut for visitors.

SUMDO/KAURIK: On the border of Spiti at a distance of 104 kms. and 124 kms. respectively from Kalpa, are the entry points to Spiti valley. There is a Police Check Post to assist and help the visitors.

KINNER KAILASH CIRCUIT (PARIKRAMA): One can undertake this holy parikrama from Morang and return to Kalpa / Karcham in 7- 8 days.

This district of Himachal Pradesh is situated in the northeastern corner of the state. It has the Chamba district on its west and the borders of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Kinnaur districts on its south. In the north is Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh while on its east is Tibet.

The district is made up of two large valleys of Lahaul and Spiti. ‘Kyelang’ is the district headquarters. Lahaul is on the western side of the district and has the rivers Chandra and Bhaga (which later merge to become the Chenab) flow through it. Both rivers originate near ‘Bara Lacha’ in the north of the district. The area hardly gets any rains in the monsoons and is best described as a barren landscape with sparse vegetation. The Lahaul plateau is very dry and cold surrounded by high mountains on all sides. It has a vast number of glaciers among which the biggest is the ‘Bara Shingri’. Bleak and wind swept, this land is also described as having a moon-like landscape while some call it the land of the Lamas. Buddhism is the main religion of the district. Spiti, with its headquarters at Kaza is also called ‘Little Tibet’.

The summers in the valleys can be very pleasant. The fields of crops, grasses and alpine flowers make it a very charming place to visit. The people of Lahaul and Spiti are simple, hardworking and honest folks. Most of them follow Buddhism and are very religious in their attitude towards life. You can find a fascinating array of Buddhist art and culture. A large number of monasteries, some quite ancient, are also found in the district. They are all worth a visit and will leave you spellbound with their ancient 'thangkas', murals, woodcarvings and gold statues of the Buddhist pantheon of Gods and Gurus. The people here are hospitable, charming and friendly and gather together at every little occasion to sing and dance on traditional styles and times and to exchange folk tales and ancient legends. You can see their love for their culture, tradition and home, in their songs, dances and way of life. They love to dress up and enjoy and when they do, you would be enthralled by the richness of their culture and clothes. They love to wear silks and brocades. Exquisitely done embroidery is another of their favorites. A traditional devil dance is a must at all occasion. They wear masks while performing this dance depicting the victory of good over evil. You can enter the district through ‘Rohtang Pass’ which connects the Kullu district with Lahaul and Spiti. Some of the places, which can be visited, are Kyelong, Tandi, Udaypur, Triloknath, Spiti, Losar, Kaza, Khoksar, Gondla, Parvati valley, Pin river valley, Dungkar, Hansi and Kausik valleys. These beautiful valleys, with their isolated and unique cultures, make for very pleasant treks. Tourists need a special permit to enter the Spiti valley, which is well known for its ‘Pashmina’ wool. .

History

In the 10th century, upper Lahaul was united with Spiti and Zanskar as a part of Lahaul-west Tibet kingdom, referred as 'Guge'. Due to political influence, Ladakh was defected by the Mongol-Tibetan armies in the 18th century. This led to Lahaul being split into 2 parts – the upper Lahaul that was under Kullu Raja and lower Lahaul came under the influence to the courts of Chamba. Spiti was more isolated than Lahaul. It paid tribute to Ladakh until the Dogra army attacked and Zarawar Singh became the Governor between 1834-1839. The Sikhs extended their power north across Lahaul after the annexation of Kullu in 1841. The entire region came under the influence of Ranjit Singh. A small army made an invasion, but the region remained a part of Ladakh until 1846. Kullu and Lahaul came under the British when the Kangra State was divided in 1847. Spiti along with Ladakh became a part of the Maharaja’s state of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1849, it came under the Kangra State after being exchanged for other territories. The area was upgraded, bridges were constructed and the trading activities flourished under the British. The Nonos, rulers of Spiti confined their trading activities to the Tibetans and Thakurs of Lahaul. Today, one can find these Thakurs as far south as the Kullu Valley. Most of the people in Lahaul & Spiti are Buddhist and some are Hindus. The people are charming, friendly and hospitable with their own traditional culture, dances and legends. Anyone wanting to go to Spiti requires an inner line permit. Lahaul & Spiti is the only region in India where hops are grown, mainly for the manufacture of beer, as well as coffee and chocolates.

Places to see

Dankar Gompa

Dankar Gompa was once the site of the ancient capital of Spiti. The Gompa has over 150 monks, some fascinating ‘thangka’ sculptures and a statue of the 'Dhyan Buddha'. Some of the Gompas were destroyed during a particularly harsh winter in 1989. There is a small lake about 3km to the back of the Dankar village.

Keylong

Keylong is located on a fertile plain and is a place to break the journey from Leh to Manali. Keylong is the capital of Lahaul & Spiti. Keylong is very famous for its Gompas. The most beautiful & fascinating among theGompas are:

Khardong Gompa: 900 year old Gompa which is 4km from Keylong.

Shaspur Gompa: 3km from Keylong, dedicated to Zanskari Lama.

Temperatures:	Temperature drops down to –30o c. It is warm during summers.
Clothing:	Heavy woolens during winters and light during summers.