The deep valleys of Himachal’s Lahaul & Spiti district introduce visitors to the splendour and magnificence of the epic Himalayas long before they reach Ladakh. Despite the depredations of succeeding generations and dawn of the new era of mass tourism, these scenic valleys remain largely untouched by civilisation and commercialisation In 1901 Rudyard Kipling’s famous character Kim, who visited the Spiti valley in the foothills of the Himalayas, was moved to exclaim: “Surely the gods live here. This is no place for man.” Much before Kipling, Chinese Buddhist voyager Heuin Tsang, who travelled to the Kullu and Spiti valleys during the seventh century AD, was also astonished by the beauty of the region especially the Chandratal Lake, which he described as the Lohitya Sarovar (‘Red lake’). Fortunately despite the depredations of succeeding generations and dawn of the new era of mass tourism in the 20th century, the valleys of Lahaul & Spiti remain largely untouched by civilisation and commercialisation. This Devbhumi (‘land of Gods’) is as scenic and serene as it was when the first outsiders traversed it. The deep valleys of the Lahaul & Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh are sited between Tibet (China) to the east and Ladakh, a district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, to the north. The region is mostly ignored by tourists who prefer visiting the more publicised Ladakh and monasteries and mountain trails of its administrative capital, Leh. But Lahaul & Spiti introduce the visitor to the splendour and magnificence of the epic Himalayas long before they reach Ladakh. The towering mountains which surround the valleys attract mountaineers, trekkers, bikers, cyclists and travellers from around the world. Lahaul & Spiti constitute the largest district of the northern region of Himachal Pradesh (pop. 6.8 million), and retain a distinct identity. Buddhism is the predominant religion, which explains the landscape scattered with ancient gompas or monasteries, some of them dating back to the 10th century. The Lahaul valley is a vast (13,834 sq. km) green grassland which is covered with eye-soothing alpine flowers (July-August). Vegetation starts becoming sparse as one moves towards Spiti, a mountain desert region bereft of plant life, but with a dramatic setting of snow capped peaks preceded by barren plains. Lahaul The Rohtang La (pass) is the gateway to Lahaul valley situated south of Ladakh district. One of the most awesome experiences is the ascent from Manali to Lahaul via the pass. Travelling higher up to Rohtang, the vegetation becomes dense, melting glaciers transform into waterfalls and the roads splice steep ravines. At the summit of the wind-ravaged Rohtang pass (13,051 ft), there’s no predicting erratic weather conditions. Moreover it’s pertinent to bear in mind that the Rohtang pass is one of the most crowded and popular tourist spots, and might threaten to take away the visitor’s peace as hordes of noisy tourists click away at their cameras. But leave the pass behind and you are sure to be spellbound. Around the bend, on the other side of the…
