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| Kinnaur is located in the North-Eastern part of Himachal
Pradesh. Kinnaur shares its Eastern boundary with Tibet. The Zanskar
mountains form the international frontier between Kinnaur and Tibet.
Kinnaur is a tribal area of Himachal Pradesh in true style. The breathtaking
Sangla valley offers the visitors the breathtaking view of captivating
lush green orchards in the lap of majestic mountains covered with
pure and dazzling white snow. The district has a number of valleys
varying in altitude from 1000 metres to 4000 metres. The main of them
are - The Satluj valley, The Hangrang or Spiti valley, The Ropa or
Shiasu valley, The Baspa or Sangla valley and the Tidong valley. Among
these, the Satluj valley is the largest river valley of the district
and traverses for about 140 km. in the region. |
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| Kinnaur has some very important rivers
as - the Satluj, which divides Kinnaur almost in two equal parts.
The Spiti is the second major river of the district. The Baspa river
rises on the North-Eastern declivity of the Dhauladhar range. The
Yolong also joins the Spiti. The Ropa river rises on the declivity
of the range that divides the district Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti and
merges with Satluj near Shiasu. 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. It is no wonder that a local tradition maintains that
Kinnaur with all its beauty fell from the clouds as a gift from the
gods. |
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Kinnaur : General Information |
| Altitude :- |
varies from 2,550 metres to
6,791 meters. |
| Headquarter :- |
Recong Peo ( altitude 2,760
meters ) - former HQ. was Kalpa ( altitude 2,770 meters ) |
| Location :- |
Kinnaur is situated 77°45'
and 79°00'35'' East Longitudes and between 31°55'50'' and
32°05'15'' North Latitudes. Kinnaur shares its Eastern boundary
with Tibet. On the South and South Eastern sides, it has Uttar Kashi
district of Uttar Pradesh. On the Western side lies the Shimla district
and on the North and North-West is situated Lahaul and Spiti. |
| Access by Air :- |
Nearest airport is Jubbar Hatti ( from
Shimla to Kalpa ) 244 km. |
| Access by Rail :- |
The nearest narrow gauge railway station
is at Shimla 250 km. ( approx.) |
| Access by Road :- |
Almost each and every part of the state
is linked by roads. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation is running
its buses covering the whole state. There is huge network of HRTC
to cater the needs of the people. |
| Distance :- |
One can travel in a taxi or jeep on National
Highway 22 for the entire journey from Kalka to Kinnaur. Some of the
parts of journey can be done by long route buses run by HRTC. Distance
from Shimla to Kalpa is 244 km. |
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Famous Places around Kinnaur :- |
| Sangla :- ( 2,680 metres ) It is an important
village of the Baspa valley situated on the right bank of Baspa river
is built on a slope with houses rising one above other with gigantic
'Kinner Kailash' peak ( 6,500 meters ) towering from behind is also
famous for 'Kamru Fort'. This fort was the place where so many Rajas
of Kinnaur were crowned. The entire place is adorned by soothing saffon
fields and alpine meadows. |
| Rakchham :- ( 2,900 metres ) Its name has been
derived from 'Rak' a stone and 'Chham' a bridge. The location of the
village is striking. It is located on the right bank of the Baspa
river. |
| Kalpa :- ( 2,670 metres ) It is one of the main
villages of the district connected by link road 14 km. from Powari
beyond Rekong Peo. Looming in front of Kalpa is an imressive view
of 'Kinner Kailash' directly across the Satluj river. This mountain
changes colors several times a day with a change of weather conditions
or may be as destined by Lord Shiva his eternal abode. 'Parvati Kund'
is located on the top of Kinner Kailash. The ancient villages of Pangi,
Moorang and Kanum are situated close to Kalpa. |
| Recong Peo :- ( 2,760 metres ) It is the headquarter
of the district Kinnaur. |
| Kothi :- It is also called Koshtampi. It is little
below Kalpa proper and it is overshadowed by Kinner Kailash peak.
Goddess 'Shuwang Chandika' temple is a famous one in the village.
The village with its attractive temple, gracious willows, green fields,
fruit trees makes an altogether a beautiful landscape. |
| Pooh :- ( 2,830 metres ) It is also
known as 'Spuwa' and it is a tehsil headquarters located on National
Highway-22. The place is famous for vineyards, apricot, almond and
grapes orchard. It is 58 km. from Powari along the National Highway.
It has modern facilities for comfortable stay. 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. |
| Nako :- ( 3,662 meters ) It is the
highest village in the valley and the existence of lake formed out
of the masses of ice and snow above adds to beauty of the village.
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.
Local village deity is Deodum and another Lagang temple with several
idols exist here. There is a staying hut for visitors. |
| Ribba :- ( 2,745 meters) It is also
called 'Rirang'. It is another popular village at a distance of 14
kms. from Morang, the tehsil headquarters and situated between the
village of 'Purbani' and 'Rispa' is known for grapes, orchards and
the alcohol distilled from grapes (angoori). |
| Leo :- Located on the right bank
of the Spiti river. It is the headquarters of sub tehsil Hangrang
in Pooh sub-division. There is temple of 'Jamato' worth visiting. |
| Chitkul :- (3,450 meters) This is
the last and highest village in the Baspa valley in district Kinnaur.
It is situated on the right bank of Baspa river. |
| Lippa :- (2,745 meters) It is in Kinnaur,
situated near the left bank of Taiti stream. Three Buddhist monasteries
are there, which are dedicated to Galdang, Chhoiker Dunguir and Kangyar.
The place is also famous for Ibex found in the nearby forest. |
| Chango :- (3,058 meters) It is in
Kinnaur district and is a collection of four hamlets in pargana 'Shuwa'
sub-tehsil Hangrang, on the left bank of Spiti river. It is encircled
on every side by high hills which is a witness to the presence of
a former lake. This village is under the influence of Buddhism, but
there are some local Hindu deities too namely 'Gyalba' - 'Dabla' and
'Yalsa'. |
| Karchham :- ( 1,900 metres ) The confluence of
Satluj and Baspa rivers marks the location of Karchham on Hindustan-Tibet
road. |
| Nichar :- ( 2,150 metres ) 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. |
| Morang :- ( 2,591 metres ) 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. |
| Kinner Kailash Circuit ( Parikrama ) :- One can
undertake this holy parikrama from Morang and return to Kalpa / Karcham
in 7- 8 days. |
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