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Lahaul and Spiti are two remote
Himalayan Valleys of H.P. lying on the Indo-Tibet border. Strange,
exciting, primitive, these valleys are unsurpassed in mountain
scape, in the rugged beauty of their rocky escapements and the
splendor of their snow covered peaks.
Lahaul is marked by a central mass
of uniformly high mountains and massive glaciers. The two rivers,
Chandra and Bhaga which rise on either side of the Baralacha La,
flow through the narrow Chandra and Bhaga valleys. Lahaul is a
land of fascinating Buddhist art and culture. The monasteries of
Lahaul-Spiti are rich repositories of ancient murals, thankas,
wood carving and golden images of Padmasambhava. The valley lies
at a height of 2745 metres above sea level. Summer in this valley
is cool and pleasant with green grass and alpine flowers. There
are little monsoon in both these valleys and this enables climbers
& trekkers to enjoy a long and unbroken season in perpetual
sunshine to explore the wilderness and grandeur of the inner
Himalaya. This unique feature makes Lahul-Spiti as an ideal
destination for tourists and trekkers in the month of July, August
and September. Keylong is 115 kms. from Manali and is the District
Headquarters of Lahul-Spiti District.
PLACES OF INTEREST
GONDLA (3160 m): It is 18 kms.
from Keylong on the right bank of Chandra river. The location of
royal houses of the village is interesting. In the month of July a
fair is held when Lamas dance & enjoy. The Gompa of this village
has historical significance and the fair attracts a large number
of visitors. The residence of the Thakur of Gondla is an eight
storey building of its own kind in the entire Lahaul valley. It is
worth a visit. This is called Gondla castle or fort and was built
in 1700 A.D.
TANDI: Tandi is 8 kms. short
of Keylong and is situated at the confluence of Chandra & Bhaga
rivers. A legend says that there were two lovers, Chandra being
the daughter of the Moon and Bhaga the son of the Sun god. To
perform there eternal marriage, they decided to climb to the
Baralacha La & from there they ran in opposite directions. Chandra
being active and smart easily found her way & reached Tandi after
covering the distance of 115 kms. Soon Bhaga was found coming with
great struggle through the narrow gorges to Tandi where
consequently both met and the celestial marriage was performed.
Bhaga covered about 60 kms. distance which was very difficult.
GURU GHANTAL MONASTERY (3020 m):
This is on the right bank of Chandra river about 4 kms. above
Tandi and is believed to be the oldest Gompa of Lahaul having
wooden structure with pyramidal roofs, wood carving and preserving
the idols of Padmasambhava & Brajeshwari Devi. On the full moon
night in mid-June a festival called "GHANTAL" is celebrated by
Lamas & Thakurs together.
KEYLONG (3340 m): Keylong is
the district Headquarters of Lahaul Spiti on the main road to Leh
over Rohtang. It is an oasis of green fields and willow trees,
water streams surrounded with brown hills and snow capped peaks.
KARDANG MONASTERY (3500 m):
It is about 5 kms trek from Keylong across Bhaga river. It is
believed to be built in 12th century. The Monastery has
a large library of Kangyur and Tangyur volumes of Budhist
scriptures in Bhoti. Kardang village was once the capital of
Lahaul.
SHASHUR MONASTERY: Situated
on a hill about 3 kms. far from Keylong towards north on the same
slope. During June/July this monastery attracts lot of visitors
when Lamas perform devil dance. It was founded in the 17th
century A.D. It belongs to red hat sect and is located among the
blue pines. The paintings are represent the history of 84
Buddha's.
TAYUL GOMPA (3900 m): Tayul
Gompa is 6 kms. from Keylong and is one of the oldest monasteries
of the valley having a big statue of Guru Padmasamhava about 5 m
high and houses library of Kangyur having 101 volumes. In Tibetan
language Ta-Yul means the chosen place. There is an interesting
story behind this.
SISSU (3120 m): It is on
Keylong-Koksar road over 30 kms. from Keylong. There is a big
waterfall here. This is the seat of God Geypan, who is worshipped
in the entire valley.
GEMUR: It is 18 kms. from
Keylong in Bhaga valley where devil dance is held during July in
the Local Gompa. The place is situated on Manali-Leh highway.
DARCHA (3360 m): It is 24 kms.
from Keylong on Leh road where a camping ground is available. From
Darcha trekkers start their trek to Padum, via Shingola as well as
Baralacha/ Phirtse La. There is a police check-post for
assistance. Beyond this point there are hardly any trees. Yotche
and Zanskar Nallahs meet Bhaga river here from different
directions.
BARALACHA LA (4883 m): It is
about 73 kms. from Keylong on Manali Leh road. The name means pass
with cross roads on summit (roads from Ladakh, Spiti and Lahaul
join at the top). There is no road yet from Spiti. Only a path
exists. This is also the point of origin of Chandra, Bhaga and,
Yunam rivers. They flow to three different directions through the
Chandra, Bhaga and Lingti valleys.
SARCHU: It is the last border
point between Himachal and Ladakh, where Himalayan Saga put up a
tented colony for the convenience of the tourists during summer
season. It is situated at a distance of 107 kms. from Keylong.
SHANSHA: This is on the right
bank of river Chandra-Bhaga (Chenab) at a distance of 27 kms. from
Keylong on Udaipur road. The Geypan, a powerful deity of Lahaul is
believed to be born here. A shrine dedicated to the deity has also
been built in this village.
TRILOKINATH TEMPLE:
Trilokinath means the Shiva. A Temple is situated in the village
which is about 4 kms. short of Udaipur on the left bank of Chenab
river. Devotees from far off places come to pay their respects at
this unique temple. This Shiva temple was given a look of Budhist
shrine by Guru Padmasambhava by installing the 6 armed image of
Avalokiteshvar. It is now sacred both to Hindus and Bhudhists
alike and attracts many pilgrims from both these communities. In
August, a big festival named Pauri is held for three days when
people including the sadhus and followers of various religious
sects gather to receive the blessings of Lord Trilokinath.
UDAIPUR (2743 m): In olden
times this village was known as Markul and so the name of local
goddess is Markula Devi. The temple here is unique and famous for
its wooden carving on its roof and ceiling. Its name was changed
by Raja Udai Singh of Chamba. This place is situated near the
confluence of Chenab and Mayar Nallah. This place is therefore a
starting point for Mayar valley and further on to Zanskar and
other peaks. This is a green area rather the whole Chenab valley
is greener than the Lahaul valley. It has a rest house and some
hotels and is a good resting place.
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