in Himachal

A Travel Guide

GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS

Supported by Himachal Tourism

Goodearth Publications Eicher Goodearth Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi A Goodearth Publication CONTENTS

Copyright © 2006 Eicher Goodearth Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi Updated and reprinted in 2009 ISBN 81-87780-33-9 Deserts Green Oases 4 Kinnaur 8 Lahaul-Spiti 10 Editor and Publisher: Swati Mitra Slopes of Ice: Rivers and Lakes 17 The People 25 Designer: Deepankar Bhattacharyya Senior Editor: Parvati Sharma Spread of 30 Editorial Team: Samia Sharma, Vaijyanti Ghose Manali: Gateway to Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur 50

Photographers : Gateway to Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti 58 Arindam Sen Gupta 4, 10-12, 16-18, 21Below, 22-24, 27-28, 29Above & BLeft, 30, 34, 38-39, 48, 64-66, 74-78A, 80-82L, 84B, The Buddhist Trail in Himachal 64 86-90B, 91-95, 103BL, 130, 134B, 140, 141, 146, 148, 150; Guru Ghantal 68 Ashok Thakur 69; Clement Martin 126, 128Centre&B, 129B, 131C; Shashur 70 Janhwij Sharma 8, 45, 68, 97C&B, 98-103A; Kardang 70 Lovina Bhagwanani 55B, 97A, 104, 108-09, 111B-112; Parvati Sharma 116-125; Tayul 71 Sumit Maitra 133, 136; Swati Mitra 6, 20, 21Above, 26, 40, 42-43, 52L, 53B, 57, Mrikula Devi and Trilokinath 73 78B, 83, 84A, 85, 90A, 96, 103BRight, 110, 142, 144; Varsha Rani 37, 47, 115; Vikram Lal 50, 53, 54, 106 Kaza 80 Kye 82 The photographs on the following pages have been used with the kind Tangyud (Komic) 87 permission of Himachal Tourism 14, 29BR, 58, 61, 70-72, 132A, 134A, 135A Tabo 89 Dhankar 92 Main Contributors: M N Rajesh Monasteries of Lahaul-Spiti Lha-Lun 94 Ananda Banerjee LandGOODEARTH of the Grey Ghost PUBLICATIONS Kungri and Mud 95 Cover Photograph: Swati Mitra Nako 98 Pooh 99 Ropa 100 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, Kanum 100 stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or Lanin Monastery (Moorang) 102 otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Ribba 103

Great care has been taken in the compilation, updation and validation Dharamshala 104 of information, and every effort has been made to ensure that all information is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. However, the Publishers are not responsible for Rewalsar 116 errors, if any, and their consequences. Mandi 125 The Publishers would be happy to receive suggestions and corrections for inclu- sion in the next edition. Please write to Executive Publisher, Eicher Goodearth Pvt. Ltd., Land of The Grey Ghost 126 Eicher House, 12 Commercial Complex, Greater Kailash II (Masjid Moth), The Pin Valley 126 New Delhi 110 048 Email: [email protected] Adventure Sports 132

Practical Information 138 Special thanks to Arriving in 138 Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India Arriving in 144 Further Reading 153 This publication has been supported by Himachal Tourism Phrase Book 154

Glossary 155 Printed by Lustra Print Process Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi on behalf of Eicher Goodearth Pvt. Ltd. Index 156 Over centuries, the many visitors who have made the adventurous, often dangerous journey to the coldest and highest parts of Himachal Pradesh have returned searching for words to express the beauty and grandeur COLD DESERTS of these mountains and valleys. Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, to the north and northeast of Himachal Pradesh, have GREEN OASES mountains that range in height from 1,600 m to 7,000 m, and lush green valleys inhabited by a people whose good-natured hospitality has left a mark on all those who have lived amongst them.

Perhaps the charming friendliness of the people here stems from the loneliness of GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONSeveryday existence. Lahaul-Spiti, for instance, is among the most sparsely populated regions in the world. Over 33,000 people live across almost 14,000 sq kms of mountain land, and the district has a population density of only two persons per square kilometre – a far cry from the average of 109 in the state. Thus, a Spiti village might easily have under 100 inhabitants. Perched along a steep mountainside, it would overlook miles of empty terrain, rocky roads and uneven grass. The only sign of other settlements might be a solitary prayer flag fluttering in the vast, desolate emptiness.

The region is altogether huge – both districts together cover about one-third of Himachal Pradesh with beautifully distinct landscapes. Much of Lower and Middle Kinnaur is fertile, especially along its rivers, while the landscape of Lahaul-Spiti comprises the barren mountain ranges of the Greater Dhankar, the Cold Fort, perched on its rocky cliff , Zanskar, Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar and Trans-Himalayas.

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These are amongst the highest mountains in the Himalayas, up to 6,500 m in height. They are also, quite visibly, young ranges, which enhances the drama of river gorges cutting through rough rock, steep, icy peaks rising into the sky and massive boulders hiding patches of bright wild flowers.

At about 4,000 m, forest growth diminishes and gradually ends, as does rainfall. The land begins to acquire an almost magical sheen, and humans who have sought shelter here over generations dot the rugged view, havens of warmth and companionship. One of Spiti’s many ‘temporary’ lakes – formed when glaciers melt in the summer months

6 KINNAUR HISTORY To the northeast of Himachal Pradesh and sharing a border along Kinnaur’s ancient history is shrouded in myth and sparse in the Zanskar mountains with , Kinnaur covers an area of over fact. Between the 6th century BC and the 6th century AD, 6,000 sq kms and has a population density of 12 per sq km, almost the land came under the sway of the Mauryas, Kushanas crowded in comparison with Lahaul-Spiti, but far less than the and Guptas. Local authority, however, often rested with Indian average of 324. indigenous rulers. It was the Thakur of Kamru who founded the Bushahr state in the 7th-8th centuries AD. Though the Its three major valleys, the , Baspa and Ropa, are located along region witnessed many battles for supremacy, the rule of the the Sutlej river and its tributaries. It is in Kinnaur that the Sutlej Bushahr was strong enough to withstand Mughal assaults enters India from Tibet, near Shipki-la (4,500 m), thundering along in medieval times. Of the Bushahr rulers, Raja Kehri Singh at an astonishing rate as it drops about 2,000 m over 100 kms. As the was, reputedly, the most valiant, while Raja Ram Singh Sutlej slows down and enters more hospitable land, villages begin established his capital at Rampur. to appear on its banks. In the early 19th century, Bushahr capitulated to Gurkha The land from Shipki-la to the Ropa Valley is known as Upper invasions; and it was Ranjit Singh and the British in turn Kinnaur. Himachal’s highest peak, Reo Purgyil (6,816 m) is here; who fought off the intruders. The region consequently came as is the district’s highest village, Nako, at an altitude of 3,663 m under the influence of the Sikhs and then the British. Except and populated with just over 100 families. for a revolt in 1857, when Raja Shamsher Singh of Bushahr was part of an alliance of princes against the East India According to travellers, this is ‘true cold desert country… of stark, Company, the region, known as Chini tehsil from the late naked mountains with the occasional village, a green oasis of irrigated 19th century, remained under British suzerainty until 1947. fields, amidst the arid wilderness. The brown and yellow slopes are interspersed with steep, rocky faces,GOODEARTH striated with bands in myriad PUBLICATIONSWith Independence, the tehsil became part of Mahasu hues, black, white, grey, green, pink and ochre’. district, until 1 May 1960, when a reorganisation of borders created what is presently . Far more accessible are the Baspa and Ropa valleys in Middle Kinnaur, described as ‘rugged on a grand scale’. One of its largest tributaries, the Baspa river meets the Sutlej near Karcham, by the Kinner Kailash massif. One of the several sacred Kailash peaks in India, the Kinner Kailash (6,437 m) is a pilgrimage site for both CLIMATE Hindus and Buddhists. The topographical variation between Upper and Lower Kinnaur means that the district’s two extremities do not always share the From Karcham to the border of Shimla district is Lower Kinnaur. Its same climate – the upper regions experience harsher winters and friendly landscape and soothing meadows and forests are delightful shorter summers. A good thumb rule is to calculate on the basis that to every sense and accessible to every kind of traveller. in mountainous regions, the mean temperature dips by 1°C every

A village street, Chini, Kinnaur 270 m. At altitudes higher than 1,500 m, however, the fall is more rapid.

March-May Minimum temperatures sub-zero June-September Temperatures range from 8-25°C, rainfall likely October-November Temperatures fall with possible snowfall, though maximum temperatures remain about 20°C December-February Temperatures sub-zero and heavy snowfall, especially in Upper and Middle Kinnaur.

9 LAHAUL-SPITI Though they are one administrative unit with a combined area of about 14,000 sq kms, Lahaul and Spiti are, in fact, separate geographical units, divided by the Greater Himalayan range. A district with one of the lowest population densities in India, Lahaul-Spiti is as forbidding to the timid as it is irresistible to the intrepid.

The mountain ranges here are so high they block the monsoon clouds, creating an arid climate that resembles that of and Tibet. Devoid of vegetation, the district’s craggy mountains harbour geological remains instead; and delighted geologists have found deposits here from almost every era between the Pre-Cambrian and the Recent.

Spiti has come to be known as the ‘fossil park of the world’. Most fascinating are the marine fossils found in largeGOODEARTH numbers PUBLICATIONS near Kaza, and Kye. The village of Langza, a little beyond Kaza, is a fossil hunter’s delight and even casual visitors are likely to find fossils of marine organisms An example of the many intriguing rock formations in Spiti about 250 million years old on either side of the Kang-yu and Paapen-yu nullahs near the village. Many millions of years ago, this land was hidden deep under the Tethys Sea. Over time, Asia and the ancient continent of Gondwana inched towards each other CLIMATE – a movement that ended with a massive Both Lahaul and Spiti are cold, dry lands, with brief summer collision that pushed up the Himalayas. months and long winters of sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall. Today the land is predominantly dry, except for the Spiti river and its tributaries. In March-June Cold, snowfall may occur summer, as glaciers melt, the rivers and even in June streams ‘swollen ten-fold or more… run July-August Pleasant during the day, grey and brown in colour, flushed by but nights chilly the run off of the winter snow…. On September-November Cold, snowfall from the hillsides the thawing ice… rushes in October onwards flash floods through sedimentary rock December-April Heavy snowfall, rivers freeze and alkaline soil’. This movement has and daytime temperatures are as created veritable rock sculptures across low as -15°C the landscape. 10 11 HISTORY

In its long history Lahaul-Spiti has been torn between religious tranquillity and political strife. Invaded and conquered time and again by the Rajas of Kullu and Chamba, it was primarily in the reign of the Tibetan rulers of Ladakh that Spiti acquired its distinctly Buddhist identity. Lahaul, on the other hand, saw an intermingling of Hindu and Buddhist influences as it changed hands between the Tibetan dynasty ruling from Leh and the Rajas and Thakurs of neighbouring Kullu and Chamba.

The Kangra District Gazetteer of 1917 traces Lahaul’s recorded history to its first mention by Hiuen Tsang in 635 AD as Lo-hu-lo, a corruption of the Tibetan term Lho-yul (southern country).

Both Lahaul and Spiti came under the influence of Tibet during the 9th and 10th centuries. With the disintegration of the Ladakh dynasty in the second half of the 17th century, Lahaul passed into the hands of the Kullu Rajas. In the 18th century, Lahaul was split into two parts – upper Lahaul under the Rajas of Kullu and lower Lahaul under the Chamba Rajas.

GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONSIn 1840, the Sikhs under Maharaja Ranjit Singh took over Lahaul along with Kullu, but Spiti remained inaccessible. After the Anglo- Sikh war in 1846, the British took over Lahaul. Due to the importance of the shawl and wool trade with Tibet, the route of which lay through Lahaul, they ensured that they administered this area directly along with Kullu. The Thakurs of Kolong were made the administrative heads of Lahaul, with the title of ‘Wazir’.

Technically, Spiti remained a part of Ladakh until 1846, when it fell into British hands. Administratively, the British made Spiti a part of Kangra district in order to secure a road to the wool producing areas of Chang and Thang. In autumn of the same year, they fixed the boundary between Spiti and Ladakh and eastern Tibet. The mountainous and uninhabited territory to the east of the Baralacha-la and north of the Parang-la was attached to Spiti. The Kyuling Nono was appointed hereditary Wazir of Spiti, and was the representative of the British Government in India.

In 1941, Lahaul-Spiti was constituted into a separate sub-tehsil of the Kullu sub-division of Kangra District. In 1960, Lahaul-Spiti was made a separate district with its headquarters in Keylong. On 1 November 1966, with the reorganisation of Punjab state, the district finally became a part of Himachal Pradesh.

left : The Spiti river as it cuts its way through the mountains

12 Lahaul is connected to Ladakh and other parts of Himachal by high mountain passes, each an adventure to surmount. Situated south of Ladakh, its name is derived from ‘Lho- yul’ or southern country. Upper Lahaul, which includes the Chandra and Bhaga, and the Chandrabhaga Valley, is much greener and more inviting than Lower Lahaul. In fact, Upper Lahaul has been cultivated with fields of very high quality potatoes and peas.

On the west, Lahaul borders the Pangi Valley of Chamba district, across the Kayun pass (4,828 m), and further south up to the Kalicho and Kugti passes.

The staple diet of the inhabitants of Lahaul-Spiti includes breads made of kathu (buckwheat), barley and wheat, as well as rice. Salted, butteredGOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS tea, called cha, is the ubiquitous beverage across the region, while chhang and arak, two varieties of locally distilled liquor, are also commonly available.

In Kinnaur, cereals such as wheat, ogla and barley form the staple food. Cha is very popular, and is usually consumed with sattu, parched barley  our. Goat and ram meat are considered particular delicacies, and often washed down with homemade brews of grapes, apples and pears.

The grand Dhankar monastery overlooks terraced fields

14 15 SLOPES OF ICE : RIVERS AND LAKES

The rivers of the western Himalayas are stunning in their strength and beauty, cutting through seemingly impenetrable rock with dramatic ease. The region’s lakes, in contrast, are havens of quiet, resplendent beauty, matching the deep colours of their surroundings in their meditative waters.

The Chandrabhaga and Beas rivers, along with the Sutlej that flows in from Tibet, are the most important of the Indus river system. Together they water the lands of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur.

In low-altitude areas, there is some vegetation (and thus habitation) around these rivers and their valleys; but as altitudes increase, the landscape becomes increasingly barren and desert-like.

GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONSThe Sutlej comes to Kinnaur from Tibet across a stunning gorge near Shipki-la, and traverses Kinnaur’s three most important mountain ranges – the Zanskar, Great Himalayas and Dhauladhar. The river’s valleys become gentle and green as it descends, and hospitable to village life. Its major tributary, the Baspa, starts near the Indo-Tibetan border and flows for 70 kms, forming a beautifully wide, wooded and arable valley before merging with the Sutlej.

At 3,663 m, Kinnaur has the Nako Lake, near a village of the same name and surrounded by willow and poplar trees.

Lahaul’s Chandra river begins in the Himalayan glaciers and includes a beautiful glacial lake, the Chandratal, at 4,300 m, whose deep blue waters are associated with an ancient myth. It is said in the Mahabharata that god Indra and the eldest Pandava brother, Yudhishthira, left for heaven from its shores.

Below high mountains, the Spiti river meanders its way towards the Sutlej 16 17 GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS

The lang or temple at Langza perched high above the village

As it flows through these icy slopes, falling at a rate of about twelve Surrounded by high peaks of over 6,000 m, including Papsura, metres per kilometre, the area around the Chandra changes, until at Dharmasura and Shigri Parbat, the Bara Shigri glacier (or big Tandi the Chandra merges with the Bhaga to form the state’s largest glacier in the local dialect) swelled up and flowed into the Chandra river – the Chandrabhaga or Chenab. The Bhaga itself originates in 1936. The glacier, the longest in Himachal Pradesh, is 25 kms in the Surajtal lake. Situated at 4,950 m, just below the summit of long and about 3 kms wide. It is known for its valuable antimony Baralacha-la, Surajtal is a favourite attraction for trekkers. deposits. The magnificent glacier can be seen on the right as one drives towards Batal from Chhatru. 18 19 The Spiti river originates near the (4,590 m high, and the main entrance to Lahaul from Spiti with a crest marked by several stone chortens) and forms the rocky, steep , which resembles the barren lands of western Tibet. It is fed by rivers from Tibet. One of these, the Parechu, has gained a certain notoriety since 2004, when it first threatened to flood. In the summer of 2005 it actually did so, rising a steep 15 m (50 ft) in 48 hours and flowing via the Spiti into the Sutlej in Kinnaur. Here the Sutlej’s waters inundated parts of the National Highway 22, broke several bridges and required at least 4,000 people to be evacuated. Kinnaur became virtually inaccessible.

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top : Wild pink roses add colour to the barren landscape in summer above : Early morning fires warm the hearths of village left : The magnificent Bara Shigri glacier 20 21 GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS

Another important river of the region, the Beas originates in the below the and flows for over 250 kms through the state. It is said that in ancient times the inhabitants of Lahaul believed the Pir Panjal marked the end of the world until, according to legend, the god Shiva broke open a pass through the mountains. The strong winds that blow through the Rohtang Pass today are believed to be the spirit of Lord Shiva himself.

Over the last decade, several flash floods have caused varying degrees of destruction in Himachal Pradesh, and tourists are advised to keep the rains in mind when planning their trips.

22 left : Kibber, the highest inhabited village in the world 23 THE BUDDHIST TRAIL IN HIMACHAL

Piles of small stones stacked near the great passes that open into the Himalayan ranges proclaim the entrance to the remote valleys of Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur. In the desolate barrennessGOODEARTH of this PUBLICATIONS fierce landscape, only stones serve as offerings to Buddha and the other powerful deities of the Mahayana pantheon.

A roadside chorten – commonplace sights in western Himachal

64 65 THE BUDDHIST TRAIL IN HIMACHAL

There is a trail of Buddhist monasteries in these districts, which visitors can begin following either from Shimla or Manali. Wherever one may begin, the trail leads its follower through indomitable passes to another cultural world. Here, lungtas (prayer flags) and piles of prayer stones indicate the presence of small settlements, each of which is dwarfed by a nearby or monastery, some of them a thousand years old – yet still the focus of communal life. Today, Lahaul and Spiti are two subdivisions of the district by the same name, with the administrative capital in Keylong.

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Prayer flags draped across snow-peaks

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GURU GHANTAL Lahaul’s pre-eminent gompa is the Guru Ghantal, The monastery is particularly interesting for its black 8 kms from Keylong, located on a precipice above stone image of the Hindu goddess Kali, locally known as the village of Tandi, where the Chandra and Vajreshwari Devi, assimilated into the Buddhist pantheon Bhaga rivers join to form the Chandrabhaga. under ’s tutelage. A peculiar feature of Sixteen kilometres Guru Ghantal is a double-storeyed structure from Keylong is Gondla, the gompa is the existence of wooden idols as opposed made of wood, with pyramidal roofs and a big du- known for its eight- to clay idols found in other monasteries. The gompa is storeyed stone and khang (assembly hall), of the kind characteristic timber fort built in the surrounded by a large number of rock caves and locals of monasteries in the Lahaul valley. early 18th century. claim that Guru Padmasambhava had meditated in one inset : stucco image of these before leaving for Tibet. The monastery was in Gondla Fort extensively renovated in 1959.

The monastery’s annual festival, held on the full moon in June, sees pilgrims perform the 29-kms parikrama around Drilburi, a sacred peak.

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Kolong, along the Bhaga valley, was once the seat of Lahaul’s principle Thakur family. Their Khangsar ‘Khar’, or castle, with 108 rooms and set against dramatic peaks and glaciers, is now a museum. Amongst its exhibits is Jetsun Mela, a centuries- old Buddha figure whose hair is believed to grow.

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SHASHUR Shashur monastery, located on the Macchu slope about 3 kms from Keylong, was founded in the 16th century and named after the blue pine trees in its vicinity. Shashur’s khenpo (chief abbot) is preeminent amongst Lahaul’s .

This Dugpa monastery has gigantic tangkhas, some over 4.5 m tall, and numerous wall paintings, including that of the 84 siddhas of Buddhism. The stucco images of deities in the du-khang have been kept in a glass enclosure in order to check thefts. On the first floor, Shashur’s walls are covered with very well-preserved murals, while even the columns and beams are decorated with floral and other motifs.

Shashur’s Tseshe festival, held between June and Terraced fields and July, is the most popular in Lahaul and consists of icy rivers in Lahaul chham dancing and ritual plays by lamas dressed TAYUL in traditional costumes and elaborateGOODEARTH masks. PUBLICATIONSTayul gompa in Satingiri village derives its name from the Tibetan for ‘chosen place’. Located 6 kms from Keylong, it is famous for its 4 m tall statue of Padmasambhava. The prayer wheel at this gompa is reputed to have the divine power KARDANG of ‘self turning’. According to resident lamas, this The 900 year old last happened in 1986. is located on the banks of the Bhaga, above the village of Kardang, once the capital of Lahaul. It was renovated by Norbu in 1912. The multi-storeyed structure has four temples, including one that contains a silver-coated chorten ompa or monastery, as defined in with the ashes of Lama Norbu. G classical Tibetan texts, means a solitary place, somewhat removed from social settlements. Kardang’s library is well-stocked with Most early were built on flat ground volumes of and Tangyur texts; and laid out like a mandala – representing the and its walls are decorated with tantric cosmos in miniature, with a sacred centre and paintings. It also has a collection of cardinal points at the four directions. Later musical instruments, beautiful tangkhas gompas, especially those in Spiti, were built at and ancient weapons. greater heights due to fear of invasions.

The yellow roof of a gompa near Keylong 70 71 THE BUDDHIST TRAIL IN HIMACHAL

MRIKULA DEVI AND TRILOKINATH Lahaul also has two temples that are sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. Of these, Mrikula Devi, dedicated to the goddess Kali, is in Udaipur village. This imposing wooden temple was built in the 11th century, though its priests claim that it was built overnight, from a single block of wood, when the Pandava brothers sought shelter here.

Within, it is embellished with exquisite wooden panels. One particularly fascinating panel shows the Assault of Mara, in which Buddha engages in battle with Mara the Tempter, flanked by Rama warring with the demon Ravana.

The 8th century Trilokinath temple is about 9 kms from Udaipur, across the Chandrabhaga. It has a six-armed deity that is said to have been installed by Padmasambhava himself, and is worshipped as Shiva by Hindus and Avalokiteshwara by Buddhists.

Officiating monks claim that those who pass through the narrow passage between the temple’s wall and the two pillars that stand at the entrance to the GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS main shrine, wash off all the sins of all their previous births. The temple was extensively renovated in the 1980s.

The Trilokinath complex, in its lofty setting Inset : Mrikula Devi temple 72 73 THE BUDDHIST TRAIL IN HIMACHAL

Chorten, Tibetan for , is a Buddhist reliquary structure that commemorates an auspicious occasion or ceremony, or is a repository of the relics of important monks and saints. Each part of a chorten has a special symbolism, representing the elements of earth, fire, water, air and space. Often chortens on high GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS passes and pilgrimage routes are simple conical heaps of stones, with prayer flags and offering scarves. From time to time, travellers add a stone to the pile, making their own contribution to the ‘construction’ of the chorten.

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Ten centuries of labour and faith have given Spiti’s architecture its acclaimed beauty. These structures of mud brick were built with the simplest technology and have been part of the Spitian landscape for nearly a thousand years. They contain a many-layered history that, when unravelled, holds visitors spellbound.

Spiti’s early monasteries were built in a period of relative peace. With the invasion of the Mongols in the 17th century, this peace was shattered and warfare began to affect the architecture of later gompas. Most noticeable is the fact that gompas of this period are built on elevated ground, usually on hill peaks, unlike their predecessors on the plains, and thus gained the appellation ‘fort monasteries’. One of the most well-known examples of such construction is Kye, which was shifted from lower ground at Rangrik to higher ground.

Architecturally, these gompas resemble lay settlements – rows of box-like buildings made of sun-dried mud bricks and stacked one on top of the other. GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS

Langza village, nestled amid magnificent mountains

76 77 THE BUDDHIST TRAIL IN HIMACHAL The highest building in the gompa is assigned to the khenpo or chief abbot. The most sacred spaces in a gompa are the lha- khang (sacred shrine) and the du-khang (assembly hall). A typical The gon-khang gompa (chamber of includes an protective assortment deities) of buildings and z’alma and quarters, (chamber such as a of picture courtyard, treasures) are temples, also of great residential significance. cells, a library, GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS an assembly Lower down in hall and monasteries kitchens. are the monks’ cells. These tend to expand The verandahs of the du-khang are most extensively over time, as decorated, because it is the site of all organised activity more and more in a monastery. In addition, a monastery’s courtyard, the cells are added site of all monastic festivals, is integral to its construction. by the laity to Every courtyard has a lungta (prayer flag) around which accommodate monks perform the annual chham dance. celibate monks.

This and other festivities require a large, open space, an The courtyard of Komic monastery architectural hurdle in gompas of the later period. At Kye, Inset : the entrance for example, the courtyard has been improvised above to its main shrine the du-khang, on a vacant space above the rooms.

In most monasteries, the inside walls, windows and doors are painted in vivid colours like black and red, in contrast to the white exterior. These sharp, alternating colours are a feature of Tibetan architecture, and derive their philosophical basis from , which emphasises the union of opposites. 78 79 THE BUDDHIST TRAIL IN HIMACHAL

METHOD OF KAZA CONSTRUCTION Kaza, headquarter of the Spiti subdivision, has a newly built Sakyapa monastery with fine Given the topography contemporary woodwork and wall paintings. of their land, the local The monastery is being renovated and enlarged architects had only one in anticipation of the Kalachakra festival to be material for construction held here in 2008. available to them – mud. Of this they made bricks. Kaza serves as the starting point for trips to the The process was gompas of Kye and Komic. Foreign tourists can painstaking, and involved collect Inner-line Permits here. kneading mud like dough, Kaza, under blue skies compressing it to eliminate air bubbles, shaping the bricks and then drying them for a fortnight in the sun. The gompas have massive and wide walls as their base, strong enough to take the load of successive storeys, which tend to become thin, GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS higher up, and have window- like openings.

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