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Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh : |
| 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 :- (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 : |
| 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. |
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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 : |
| Important Road Distances |
in Km. |
|
Important Heights |
in Km. |
| Delhi
to Shimla |
380 km. |
|
Kaza |
3,660
metres |
|
Shimla
to Rampur |
131
km. |
Ki |
4,116
metres |
| Shimla
to Sangla |
219 km. |
Tabo |
3,050
metres |
|
Shimla
to Recong Peo |
221
km. |
Dhankar |
3,370
metres |
| Recong
Peo to Kaza |
190 km. |
Kibber |
4,205
metres |
|
Kaza
to Ki Monastery |
12
km. |
Rohtang
Pass |
3,980
metres |
| Kaza
to Keylong |
188 km. |
Kunzum
Pass |
4,590
metres |
|
Keylong
to Manali |
122
km. |
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| Manali
to Delhi |
570 km. |
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Getting to Ki Monastery :- |
| 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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