You know summer is here when your Facebook wall is plastered with pictures of friends and relatives vacationing in Himachal. You can’t blame them for trying to find some respite from the sweltering heat even as the lovely green hills look like they are already crowded to capacity. You wish to get out and about, yearning for the road less travelled. I may just have the perfect destination for you – take a ride to the lesser known Himachal – Lahaul and Spiti.
Lying north of the Pir Panjal ranges, Lahaul and Spiti are bordered on the north-west by Ladakh and on the east by Tibet. I say ‘are’ because Lahaul and Spiti are two different places and quite different in character to each other. While both these valleys receive little rainfall, Lahaul is the greener of the two. Lahaul is a high plateau surrounded by uniform mountains and huge glaciers. Spiti valley is a cold desert composed of austere barren mountains and deep gorges formed by the fierce Spiti River. Consequently, Lahaul is much more developed and has a greater number of mountain villages. The lofty mountains of Lahaul and Spiti are beautiful in an awe-inspiring way.
The Journey to Lahaul & Spiti
Lahaul and Spiti are at a remote corner of the world accessed by traversing the highest mountain passes in the world. From Manali, one has to cross the Rohtang Pass and the tricky Rani Nala before that. From Shimla, the twin valleys are accessed via Kunzum La Pass. Pin Parbati Pass is another access route to this region. The fun and adventure of travelling to Lahaul and Spiti is that there are no proper roads, no vegetation or civilization for miles and desolation all around. It is a test in endurance and resilience.
The drive from Delhi is a long one. While driving from Delhi to Lahaul and Spiti, one has to stop over at Manali or Shimla. The nearest airport is Bhuntar airport in Kullu. Travellers have to take a bus or hire a cab from there to take them to Lahaul and Spiti. Summers in the region are warm and sunny. It is a good idea to carry woollens and snow gear regardless of what time of the year it is as even summer nights can get chilly. Winter temperatures, needless to say, dip well below freezing point. Rohtang Pass and Kunzum La Pass remain closed for winters due to heavy snowfall.
Monasteries, Temples & Festivals
The proximity of Lahaul and Spiti to Tibet means that there is more than a fair bit of Buddhist influence in the region. These are known as gompas in the local language. In Lahaul, there is the 800-year-old Guru Ghantal gompa situated at the confluence of rivers Chandra and Bagha. The Sha-Shur monastery derives its name from the blue pines surrounding it and is famous for the large thangka paintings and invaluable wall paintings of all the 84 Buddhist siddhis. Spiti valley is the most important centre of Buddhism in Himachal and the monasteries here are a favourite with the Dalai Lama himself. Ki Monastery situated next to the Spiti River, could not have been set on a more beautiful location. A thousand year old Tabo gompa is perched on an amazing elevation of 3050 metres and looks like a honeycomb on a hillside. The monasteries of Lahaul and Spiti are rich repositories of ancient murals, thangkas, wood carvings and golden images of Padmasambhava.
Lahaul and Spiti have plenty of their own colourful festivals. Ladarcha Fair marks the beginning of the summer months, hence a time for joy and entertainment. Traders from Tibet as well as various parts of Himachal converge to buy and sell during the fair. The Tribal Festival is another trade fair celebrated around Independence Day. Various religious occasions like Pauri Fair, Tsheshu Fair, Diwali, Fagli Festival and Gochi Festival are also observed throughout the year.
There are some beautiful temples around Lahaul to visit as well. The historic Trilokinath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva stands framed by spectacular hills and is known to be more than a thousand years old. The gleaming white temple set on the edge of a cliff hosts the annual Pauri Fair celebrated enthusiastically by both Hindus and Buddhists in the month of August. Markula Devi Temple is constructed in the typical Himachali style with timber bonded stone. The walls of the temple are ornamented with Kashmiri artwork depicting scenes from Indian mythologies and sacred texts. The main attraction of the temple is the silver idol within.
Trekking & Exploring
Trekking in the region is made popular by the fact that this area receives very little rainfall. The unbroken sunshine assists trekkers in exploring the wilderness of the inner Himalayas. While undertaking a high altitude trek, trekkers go beyond the snowline, crossing high passes and snow fields. Some of the popular treks are Parangla Pass, Pin Parvati Pass, Baba Pass, Hampta Pass. Tents, sleeping bags, snow gear, light cooking equipment, sunscreen and sunglasses are required for undertaking any trek in these hills. Apart from trekking, skiing as an adventure sports activity has gained a lot of momentum in this region in the recent years. Little rainfall, plenty of snow and an absence of throngs of tourists makes it ideal for winter sports. While in Spiti valley, do also take a yak ride. It is fun, adventurous and cannot be done anywhere else in the world!
One of the most beautiful sights on earth, the mesmerizing Chandratal or the moon lake lies on a glacial bowl. The shimmering blue lake is surrounded by snowy hills on all sides and is a must visit to anyone travelling to Lahaul and Spiti. Suraj Tal Lake and Dashir Lake are also worth visiting. The Pin Valley National Park is an alpine meadow that shelters rare Himalayan animals like snow leopard and Tibetan gazelle.
Lahaul and Spiti is nature in its wildest most primitive form. Having remained blissfully untouched by mass tourism, the twin valleys are unsurpassed in their mountainous glory. The rugged spectacle of their rocky escapements or the grandeur of their snow-capped peaks, unchanged with time, are memories that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
(Ordered by Neha Sharma)