Sangla valley—Sangla means ‘Pass of Light’ in Tibetan language. Because the gods live in the mountains.

I have always seen myself as an ocean person. I love the rhythm of crashing waves, the smell of salt in the sea air, the white foam breaking into froth around my feet, and tugging me along as it leaves.

And then I went to the Lahaul and Spiti valleys and everything changed inside of me. I became a mountain soul. Those who have been there will understand what I mean.

The Lahaul and Spiti district in India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh is one of the most beautiful places I have travelled to. Remote and untouched, its offroad route is accessed through neighbouring Kinnaur district if coming in from the Shimla side. When exiting, it continues to Manali to form a loop. Kinnaur and Lahaul are both verdant and green. Sandwiched between them, Spiti, in stark contrast, is a high mountain barren desert perched on the soaring Himalayan range, wild and windswept.

Starting with today, I will be posting a photo diary trilogy of Kinnaur, Spiti, and Lahaul over the coming three weeks. Care to join me and let your soul fall in love with the mountains too? ❤

Note: Lahaul and Spiti used to be two separate districts and were merged into one in 1960. For the purpose of this trilogy, they are treated separately because of their geographic distinctiveness.

The road from Shimla to Kinnaur winds its way past Padam Palace in Rampur Bushahr. Built in 1919 by His Highness Maharaja Padam Singh Sahib Bahadur, the 122nd king of the Bushahr dynasty who ruled this part of the world, it is in the Indo-Saracenic style.

Part-hotel [Nau Nabh Heritage Hotel] and part-home, I managed to find the guard and asked him to show me around. Which he kindly did, taking me through ornate living areas punctuated with massive oil paintings of past maharajas and stained-glass windows, wax-polished wooden staircases, and some spooky backhouses. At one time this place must have been filled with familial laughter. Now it lay all silent. Still lovely, but a little lonely.

Land of mountains, bathed with waterfalls. Kinnaur’s countless springs and rivers are drinkable. You will see many a local having a hearty sip by their side.

One of Himachal’s most photographed mountain roads. Bucket list. Check.

My first night is at a camp in Rakcham. As soon as the sun set, the power was turned off. It was also freezing cold. Under such circumstances, getting up at the crack of dawn for a walk along the Baspa river, a tributary of the Sutlej river, was a piece of cake. And so rewarding. Maybe they turned off the electricity on purpose to force city-dwellers connect with nature. The thought made me chuckle aloud.

Mountains do that to you. It was slowly dawning on me that they made me smile for no reason at all and for every reason as well.

View around my camp in Rakcham.

Isn’t she beautiful. I asked her how old she was. She said she did not know, but she had been around for a very long time. Natives of Kinnaur, recognizable by their green caps, are known as Kinners and according to mythology are half-god half-human. This lady certainly was one.

Chitkul is the farthest one can travel to without a permit in Kinnaur. From this point on, it is 90 kilometres to the Tibet border; an area controlled by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force. I dropped by to say a thank you to our soldiers for always, 24/7, taking care of us and guarding us. Next on my non-existent agenda was a chai in the shadow of my country’s flag by the gurgling ice-blue Baspa river.

Pride of place in Buddhist Chitkul Village belongs to the non-Buddhist 500-year-old Mathi Devi Temple. A prime example of the region’s syncretic culture. That carving in my hand was part of the goddess’ paraphernalia a local silversmith was lovingly making for the inner sanctum’s refurbishment.

It gets really cold in Chitkul in the winters. High up in the Himalayas at 3,450 metres, its approximately 900 villagers move to the lower slopes when everything starts to freeze—their wooden houses with slate roofs locked till spring. In the centre of the village is the Kagyupa temple, a bright red and yellow Buddhist temple.

Lunch at ‘Hindustan ka Aakhri Dhaba’ aka India’s Last Dhaba in Chitkul. No one, and I mean it no one can make rajma chawal the way the dhabas [roadside eateries] in Himachal do. They have absolutely aced the art.

Kinnaur’s most popular and lucrative produce: its apples. They were everywhere during my travels. Hanging from festooned trees in their millions. Packed in thousands of crates on the curbs. Kinnauri apples are especially in demand for their long shelf life. Nature’s candy.

Before the Bushahr royal family [erstwhile rulers of Shimla and Kinnaur from 1412 to 1948] moved to Padam Palace on the Shimla Hills, they used to live in this fantastical multi-storeyed stone and wood structure called Kamru Fort in Sangla. Their home is now a temple dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya from Assam. Sangla, by the way, means ‘Pass of Light’ in Tibetan language.

On to Kalpa.

‘Suicide Point’ on the left of the above image lies just outside Kalpa. It is a tourist landmark. Now why would someone want to kill themselves when surrounded with so much beauty beats me!

From Suicide Point a road with spectacular views leads to Roghi Village, an authentic Kinnauri village replete with traditional homes and temples, and a Narayana Temple. The temple is reached by very many steps going down the hill. Be warned. Getting back to road level is the tough part.

Travellers describe Kalpa as the crown jewel of Kinnaur. It is not without a reason. High up at 2,960 metres, the small village is navigated through steep angular roads leading to the white-washed 11th Century Hobulangka Gompa. A short walk downhill is the pagoda-styled Narayan Nagin Temple dedicated to goddess Durga with life-sized wooden tigers fiercely guarding the entrance from the wings.

Can you see that little needle-shaped rock on one of the summits in the centre of the above image? That’s Kinner Kailash, a 79-feet-tall Shiva linga sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, and the very essence of Kinnaur. Devotees believe its sighting is auspicious. I guess it abodes well for my journey ahead. 🙂

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Next week, I will be writing about my travels through Spiti. I hope you join me again.

[Note: This blog post is part of a series from my 15-day solo road trip to Kinnaur, Spiti, and Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh. To read more posts on my Himachal Pradesh travels, click here.]