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Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh : |
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| The sub-divisions of Lahaul and Spiti
combine to make this trans Himalayan district of the Indian state
of Himachal Pradesh. The district headquarters are at Keylong in
Lahaul, and the administrative seat of Spiti is at Kaza. Spiti is
connected to Lahaul by the Kunzum Pass ( 4,590 metres ) and to the
state capital, Shimla, through the district of Kinnaur. Spiti means
the -middle country- a name obviously given as a result of its ties
with both India and Tibet.Fed by several fast flowing sub-streams,
the river Spiti flows through the area and joins with the other mighty
river of the region, the Satluj, at Khab. With freckels of green
over a dry, weather-beaten face, Spiti is a cold desert where the
monsoon rain never comes. It is characterised by stark beauty, narrow
valleys and high mountains. A century ago, Rudyard Kipling in Kim
called Spiti “a world within a world and a place where the
gods live” - a description that holds true to the present day.
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Kaza and Kunjum Pass : |
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| Kaza :- (3,660 meters) It is sub-divisional
headquarters of Spiti valley. It is situated at the foot of the steep
ridges on the left bank of Spiti river. Once it was the headquarters
of the 'Nano' the chief of Spiti. It is 425 kms. from Shimla. |
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| Kunzum Pass :- (4,590
meters) provides chief access to Lahaul valley by the great Kumzum
range. The lofty Bara Shigri glacier is seen in front in all its
grandeur. The crest of the pass has been marked by a chorten of stones
erected ages ago. |
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Important Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh : |
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Ki Monastery :- is the oldest
and the biggest monastery of Spity dominating Ki-Village. About
300 lamas are receiving
their religious training in its monastery, which houses rare paintings
and beautiful scriptures of Buddha and other gods and goddesses.
It is serving western population of Spity. It is regarded as the
largest in the sub-division. It is a collection of rooms and a
labyrinth of corridors that do not follow any defined plan, but
seem to have
grown over the years. No definite data can be ascribed to the construction
of the gompa - that acted both as a monastery and as a fort.
Ki Monastery
:- 4,116 metres above mean sea level and 12 km. from Kaza by
road.
In the 18th century, Ki was subjected to several attacks - first
during the wars between the princely states of Kullu and Ladakh in
1820 AD, and then it was sacked by the armies of Jammu and Kashmir
under the generals Gulam Khan and Rahim Khan in 1841 AD. - and the
same year saw it pass under the destructive hands of Punjab's soldiers.
These repeated attacks have given the Ki of today its loosely strung
collection of rooms that were repeatedly rebuit as well as its defensive
character. In the architectural definitions given to various monasteries,
Ki falls in the 'Pasada' style which is characterised by more stories
than one and often plays the role of a fort-monastery.
Ki is the repository of the rare 'Thangka' paintings and several ancient musical
instruments - trumpets, cymbals and drums. Its lybrary holds the manuscripts
of the sacred Tangyur texts. Apart from the cells pccupied by the monks, the
monastery has a large 'Du-Khang', assembly chamber lined by religious paintings
and other chambers of the incarnate abbot, the zim-chung is the highest point
in the building. The village of Ki is just short of the monastery. |
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Important Distances and Heights : |
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| Important Road Distances |
in Km. |
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Important Heights |
in Km. |
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Delhi to Shimla
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380 km.
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Kaza
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3,660 metres
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Shimla to Rampur
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131 km.
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Ki
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4,116 metres
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Shimla to Sangla
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219 km.
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Tabo
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3,050 metres
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Shimla to Recong Peo
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221 km.
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Dhankar
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3,370 metres
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Recong Peo to Kaza
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190 km.
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Kibber
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4,205 metres
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Kaza to Ki Monastery
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12 km.
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Rohtang Pass
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3,980 metres
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Kaza to Keylong
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188 km.
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Kunzum Pass
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4,590 metres
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Keylong to Manali
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122 km.
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Manali to Delhi
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570 km.
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Getting to Ki Monastery : |
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From Shimla :- Arrive in Shimla by air, rail or
road. Drive to Kaza ( 12 km. from Ki ) in the following stages.
Day 01 = Shimla to Rampur or Sarahan. Day 02 = Drive to Sangla or Recong Peo,
Day 03 = Drive to Tabo or Kaza.
From Manali :- Arrive in Manali by air or road.
Day 01 = Drive to Keylong over the Rohtang Pass, Day 02 = Drive to Kaza over
the Kunzum Pass. |
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Important Information for Tourists ( for Inner Line
Area |
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| As per Government of India's Notification No. Home-B (F) 3-17/86-Vol.1
dated 13-12-91, that the Government of India has authorised Himachal
Government to issue inner line Permits to visit part of Kinnaur and
Spiti regions to a group of 4 or more foreign tourists, sponsored
by the recognised Travel Agent with pre-drawn itinerary. However
Indian Nationals require no permission to visit any of Kinnaur and
Spiti, but it has been decided that the Inner area would run from
Jangi to Tabo., and the principal city of Spiti 'Kaza' has been kept
outside of the Inner Line area. Foreign tourists may obtain Inner
Line Permit from District Magistrate at Shimla, Recong Peo, Kullu
and Keylong - Sub-Divisional Magistrate at Shimla, Rampur, Nichar,
Kalpa, Udaipur and Kaza are also authorised to issue Inner Line Permit
to foreign tourists. However foreign tourists would not be allowed
overnight stay between Moorang and Kaza. |
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