Wednesday, March 18, 2009
LAHAUL AND SPITI
Best season : June to October.
Clothing : Heavy woolens.
Access : By road from Manali.
Airport : Kulu.
After leaving behind the lash green meadows and orchard of the Kulu valley, the change in the landscape is dramatic and the road is one of the highest highways in the world – descends from the Rotang Pass {3980 Mtr} into a landscape of bare hills, steep ridges, cliffs of bare rock, deep ravines and villages.strewn with the moraine left behind by residing glaciers. Little villages with their patchwork of green fields, located near gushing streams, provide colour and relief to this rather forbidding landscape.
Lahul with it’s curious mix of Buddhism and Hinduism has find gompas and temples. Gomphas of Lahul’s reach store of Buddhist art and culture and focus of social activity and festivity of the region.
Spiti – High altitude cold desert – land of fairy tales and fantasy. Stark range that seem painted in shades of russets, purple and pink, eroded mountain – strewn stream with bolders, deep gorges curved out by swift flowing snow-fed and streams. Small villages with box – like house in the river valleys that stand a mid lash fields and groves of juniper, poppler and willow during summer and blanketed with snow during the rest of the year. It has 30 monestries with rich Buddhist culture.
Place of visit at Lahul
Gomphu – 67 Km from Manali from where a branch of road went to
Koksar {3140 Mtr}- North of Gomphu, coldest place in Lahul.
Tandi – 94 Km from Manali. Confluence of Chandra and Bhaga river.Guru Ghantal monestry is located high above Tandi.
Keylong {3350 Mtr}- A rough cut emerald in bronze and silver setting. The green of it’s fields, with willows popler planted along water courses, make a patch of brillian colour against the bare hills. A number of important Gumphas are located here.{Kharding Monestry – 35 Km.}. Kelong is 102 Km from Manali.
Please visit Triloknath and Udipur while in Keylong. Also visit the
Place of visit at Spiti
Kaza – A little of deeper along the valley is Kaza, noted for it’s historic Kyi Gompha.- located 11 Km from Kaza{4160 Mtr}. Splendid monestry – a cluster of white flat roofed structure high up on a hill very much like a fort. 14th century breathes taking murals and a valuable collection of KANGYUR – ancient Buddhist text.
Losar – 60 Km from Kaza. Confluence of Losar and Peeno streams.
Attergu – Access to the Pin valley. Kungri Goompha is located here, On the left Lingti valley.
Shchichuling – 50 Km ahead Sumdo. Famous Dhankar Monestry – rich in interesting murals and stuccos is located here.
Tabo – 3050 Mtr. On the lft bank of river Spiti, surrounded by high mountains. 1000 years old Tabo gumpha is located here, established by the legendry Rinchen Tsangpo – next of Tholing Gumpha in
Sumdo – Entry point of Spiti from Kinnaur.
Tour Packages : Add extra 3 days for Lahul and 3 days for Spiti.
