Lahaul & Spiti – Memories from the Mountain Country

Also see: our photography tour to Lahaul and Spiti in July/August every year. 

Chatting with a very dominating Mangal Singh in a chai-shop in Manali, we were quickly convinced to let go of our plans of Ladakh and traverse the highlands of Lahaul & Spiti instead. Those were the days much before the famed movie ‘three idiots’ came out. Ladakh was not a rage as it now is, and people would ask you ‘where is it’ when you said ‘Ladakh’. But frequent travellers who pushed the limits of comfort knew much about its glorious landscapes and endless lakes. One summer, we decided it was time we traversed the Manali-Leh highway and experience what the heavens looked like. Until Mangal Singh came along and changed our plans. Thankfully so.

Lahaul & Spiti

Chandar River is our constant companion for a good part of our journey into Lahaul & Spiti. I would call it grandest of all rivers. Not because it’s big or it’s fast, but it has chosen to flow in a valley of unparallelled beauty.

A good friend from Delhi had connected me with the genial driver Mangal who made a living driving a Tata Sumo in the mountains. We sat with him on a pleasant summer morning at an un-touristed dhaba in Manali and excitedly explained our plans for Ladakh: “we will go here, do that, see this and blah!’ And Mangal, in his ever-smiling and gently pushy manner, shook his head. You shall not do so! That day, he was going to call shots, not his customers. He slowly explained, delivering a series of logical reasons about why we should drop our plan to Ladakh and go to Spiti instead. “Ladakh is too expensive; it is very tiring; it is monotonous after sometime; Spiti is far more beautiful; far more rugged; has a greater variety..” We were sold.

It turned out, as we discovered over the next few days, that Mangal knew how to talk to anyone and have his word accepted unquestioned. And it also turned out that everything he said about Spiti was true. For the next seven days we were at the able hands of Mangal, negotiating some of the remotest roads in Lahaul & Spiti and always ending our days happy.

Lahaul & Spiti

An unlikely summer snowfall had us elated on our journey to Lahaul. It also held us back and made us wait for the roads to be cleared and waiting was a pleasure in this land of extraordinary landscapes.

Mangal was not the kind of person who would give up on anything; it was not just about convincing his clients to travel to where he preferred, but also in ensuring that we see the best of what the region had to offer. “The road to Chandratal is closed,” a driver who was travelling in the opposite direction told us. After sweet-talking him and sending him off, Mangal scoffed at those words and said, “he did not want to drive to Chadratal and is now lying to us, with his clients sitting behind him.” And sure enough, the road was open and we were led there comfortably, under the guidance of the able and focused Mangal.

But we had trouble waiting for us on the way back from Chandratal. A sleek-looking Ford Endevor was punctured and blocked the single-lane road that connected the lake with rest of the world. A passenger from the car was frantically waving at us, asking us to wait till the tyre is replaced. But there is no stopping Mangal. He drove right ahead and parked in front of the broken car; inspected it and figured out that the city-slickers will take ages to finish changing the tyres. He immediately assigned himself to the job. In the ten minutes that we spent admiring the valleys and the mountains by the road, the Ford was on its way to the lake and we were on our way ahead.

Lahaul & Spiti

It is useless to make an attempt to describe Chandratal in words. A picture helps, to some extent. A good way to understand its beauty is to be there and see it. The best way is to camp there and see it as the sun goes down, under the stars and as the sun comes up. Nothing can beat it.

This journey to Lahaul & Spiti, under our commanding officer Mangal was so memorable that Mangal became our hero. We would cherish those days of being in Spiti, each time remembering Mangal for having made this happen. This was in the year 2006, when regular travel and photography was just unfolding as a popular pastime and a serious hobby.

 

I was back in Spiti again in 2011, guiding a bunch of photography enthusiasts who had seen my images from the last tour (more about this tour – Lahaul & Spiti, Heart of the Himalayas). We did not have Mangal this time, for the only reason that we opted for more modern and comfortable vehicles that came into existence since our last tour. This time, we had a local – Lara – who was simply ‘the man’ to rely on for anything that goes wrong during the tour. You have difficulty in fording a stream? No problem. Lara will lift you on his shoulders (really, he did it) and get you across. Your baggage is misplaced? No problem. Lara knows everyone in town and he has a clear idea on where to find it. The road to Pin Valley is closed? No problem. Lara knows a better place – ‘come to Langza and you will not want to go anywhere else’. And indeed we could not have asked for a better place than Langza to visit.

Lahaul & Spiti

Sweet Pea fields, traditional houses, friendly people, snowy mountains and amazing views. Composition of a tiny village in Spiti Valley

Lara was the Mr.TroubleShooter who was always there for us, and mysteriously enough, he always seemed to be there to help everyone in the whole of Spiti. There wasn’t problem that he would not be able to solve. There was no person in Spiti whom he did not know. We got to witness this during the annual government-sponsored festival that coincided out visit to Spiti. At the festival ground, where everyone in the valley had turned up, it was impossible for Lara to take a step without someone greeting him and stopping him for a chat. And mysteriously enough, he had time for everyone.

Lahaul & Spiti

Our guide at Spiti, Lara, is perhaps the most cheerful and easygoing person I have ever met. He was also probably the most resourceful person in all of Spiti Valley, and was needed by everyone all the time. Yet, he was always there whenever we needed his assistance. 

On one of the days of our tour last year, Lara invited us to his village. He described his village as the ‘Switzerland of Spiti’ – a metaphor that is usually a suspect. I haven’t been to Switzerland, but the beauty of Lara’s Village did not need any supporting metaphors. The village surrounded by tall snowy mountains, grassy slopes and a sweet pea fields is a place we never felt like leaving.

 

People like Lara and Mangal made our visits memorable. There were many such people along the way who assisted us selflesly all through the tour. At a remote place where we were stranded due to landslides, I gratefully recall the locals who fed us and ensured that we did not suffer in any way. I was surprised to see the staff of a government-run hotel (which was perhaps the best accommodation in Kaza) treat us like relatives coming home for a visit, and ensuring in every way that we were comfortable. It was much unlike what I expected at a place owned by a government. In another instance, a home-stay owner too, treated us much like guests coming home, giving us the warmest place in the kitchen and dining with us for the night. The lady of the house insisted that we eat well. The Spitians, perhaps being used to a tough life in arid mountainous terrain where temperatures dip twenty below zero, are well capable of understanding human sufferings and do everything in their might to reduce any discomfort to anyone who comes in their contact. The Buddhist principles of compassion echo similar sentiments, perhaps further motivating these happy and friendly people.

Lahaul & Spiti

A kitchen in a government building, in a place out-of-nowhere in Lahaul & Spiti. The structure gave us shelter from an unexpected rain/snow fall.

 

Spiti’s Lakes and Mountains have a charm that, to me, surpasses everything else in the Himalayas within the reach of motor roads. If I were to choose the best of the best places in the Himalayas, I would vote for Zanskar Valley in winter and Kanchenjunga National Park in summer; both of them requiring at least a week’s walking to appreciate their beauty to the fullest. Out here in Spiti, which is very much within the reach of motor roads although they are not exactly the smoothest roads to drive on, the stark mountains, fast-flowing rivers, pristine lakes and beautiful people have often made me wonder why am I simply not settling down here instead of going back. I had in fact hatched plans to sit down and spend a few months idling in the slopes of Spiti several times in the past, but none of them has materialized so far.

Lahaul & Spiti

And the philosophers said, ‘heaven is not up there, its right within you’. I wasn’t smart enough to find it in or around me, so I looked it up in Spiti.

Speaking of Spiti’s landscapes, Chandratal Lake comes to my mind more than any other place, where steeply rising slopes around it block all the wind, and make the lake surface perfectly still. The snow-clad mountains form a perfect reflection in the lake so well that, in a photograph, the lake surface itself is never seen, but only the reflection of the surrounding landscapes. It is so blue, it appears like a little piece of sky that has fallen on to earth.

The next place that comes to my mind is Dhankar Lake, much different from Chandratal and has its own charms to effuse. It has a slightly greenish tint much unlike Chandratal and the colours seem to vary depending on the direction of the sun. Unlike the emptiness of Chandratal, Dhankar Lake is frequented by shepherds, whose stock drinking from the lake have a stange, wellness-inducing effect.

Lahaul & Spiti

Chau Chau Kang Nilda Peak standing high up, complements Ki Monastery built on a crag along the slopes. Or should we say Ki Monastery complements Shilla Peak? You decide.

The mountains themselves are so charming, I am flooded with a wish to be on the top of every peak that I see around me. The snow peaks are everywhere, forming a dramatic backdrop for the lakes, villages and the rivers. Our guide, Lara, goes on naming every peak that catches my attention along the way. The names are heard and forgotten but the images of the peaks remain etched in my mind. At each turn in the valley and at each new place I see, I know that I want to spend weeks, if not months and years, right at this place. It is not easy to keep moving on.

Lahaul & Spiti

Despite frequent travels across the India (and brief stints near the icy mountains near the Arctic Circle) I can not think of too many places that can match the beauty, character and ruggedness of Lahaul and Spiti. Spiti’s stark mountain landscapes have their ways of surprising any visitors, with sudden dashes of greenery exposed amidst the barren landscapes, still reflections of blue lakes dotting the brown landscapes or in a people who are so easygoing that that they make you forget the toughness of the terrain.

 

Spiti’s landscapes are unimaginably beautiful and has largely remained unaffected to the onslaught of development. The valleys downstream from Spiti are overrun by hydroelectric projects, random construction and frenzied road building activity, but none of that in Spiti. Yet, it remains reachable to modern comforts like electricity, road access, telephones and even internet. Because Spiti is so faraway and remote, it is not overrun with bus loads of tour groups that relishes more on potato-wafers than the landscapes, and leave a polythene-evidence of their visit all along the way. There are no shouting crowds that disturb the peace of the highlands; there are no noisy people who demand that they be served cuisine from their homes; there are no touch-and-go tourists who prefer their photographs taken at location and move on instead of dwelling in the beauty of the surrounding. Like every other place with access to motor roads, it is probably a matter of time before Spiti’s fate follows that of more crowded places. But today, it has remained the place that I cherish to go back year after year.


Heart of the Himalayas – A Photography Trek + Tour of Lahaul and Spiti

Our next grand tour is to the mountain lands and the Buddhist monasteries of Lahaul and Spiti. I will be leading this tour to see and photograph the most beautiful places you can ever see in the Himalayas and to Buddhist monastic centers that are nearly a millennium old.

Dates: July 14th to 21st, 2012

Introduction

chandratal lake, lahaul and spitiOne of the still unexplored and insanely beautiful stretch of the Indian Himalayas, Lahaul and Spiti is a valley of stark landscapes and high snowy peaks stretching to the sky. Gurgling rivers and crystal clear lakes dot the highlands of Lahaul, while an ancient civilization has survived for nearly thousand years and has preserved its culture against the onslaught of modernity in Spiti. The faraway valley connected only through a narrow road that traverses through mountains over 10,000 feet high, this region offers vistas and heritage that can keep a travel photographer in a click-frenzy for months together.

Scroll down to see the day-by-day itinerary to know more details and get a glimpse of incredibleness of Lahaul and Spiti Region.

Tour Highlights

See full details of the tour – Heart of the Himalayas – A Photography Trek + Tour of Lahaul and Spiti


Lahaul and Spiti

+ This is an article on Lahaul and Spiti earlier published by Kansai Timeout, Japan
+ Also see: Our tour to Lahaul and Spiti every year in July

“It is so beautiful that you will find it difficult to come back,” said our cab driver Mangal Singh as we drove towards Lahual and Spiti region in the highlands of Indian Himalayas. I looked up and saw his beaming face and wondered if it was just a marketing pitch or a genuine remark. His brightly lit eyes expressed confidence that we would have a good time, and his warm smile and friendly gesture melted my doubts away.

Driving over the last mountain pass on our way at over 13,000 feet, we are suddenly led into no man’s land as we enter into the valley of Lahaul. Civilization and hustle bustle of the everyday world is left behind and completely forgotten in its silence. There are no houses, no people, no vehicles to give way to, or anything to remind of the world we have left behind. A narrow road barely good enough to drive reminds that we are still connected with the world, and also gives us access to the terrain that almost feels uncharted.

lahaul and spiti

Lahaul and Spiti region is a desert in the higher ranges of Indian Himalayas, where nothing more than tiny grass a few inches tall grows. Muddy brown mountain surface stretches as far as the eyes can see, and the peaks keep growing taller and taller as we look ahead. Moisture laden clouds from the south are blocked by Pir Panjal ranges of the Himalayan mountains, ensuring that it never rains in these parts.

Condition of the road deteriorates quickly on entering Lahaul. Soil is loose and keeps shifting, ensuring that freshly laid tarmac doesn’t even last for a year. Driving involves wading through streams originating from melting snow, which run across the road in a bid to meet Chandra River far below in the valley. Sections of the road are narrow enough to barely let a jeep pass, and any error in judgment would only mean tumbling down the valley and into the fast flowing river. Yet, there are hardly any accidents, thanks to little traffic and the drivers who are used to these roads.

lahaul and spiti

There was no permanent habitation sighted on the journey for next eight hours of our drive. The road passes along lines of tall mountains forming a narrow valley bisected by Chandra River. Mountain peaks are dressed in snow that would soon melt and bare it all in high summer. Nomadic shepherds wander this forbidding land during the warm seasons in search of narrows plateaus where nothing more than bits of tiny grass grows. Herds of sheep seem to be content with just this grass and survive effortlessly, and the shepherds survive on sheep.

lahaul and spiti

Our accommodation for that night was very basic, in a tiny one-family village called Batal. An elderly Buddhist couple and their helper who ran the place had arrived here for the summer from warmer climes and had re-opened the hotel only a week ago. They were a friendly lot and effortlessly broke into conversations even as they cooked our dinner. They made us burst into spells of laughter with their jokes every now and then, and kept us in good spirits despite the cold weather. “You are too early in the season,” said the man of house, “you should come here after a few more weeks, it will be nice and warm.” He pointed to my thick sweater and woolen cap and laughed out loud when I told him I was feeling comfortable.

chandratal lake

Our next morning drive to Chandratal – a high altitude lake – left me with an interminable affection to the region. The turquoise blue lake is surrounded by mountains all around it but for a narrow passage that drains its waters. Its calm surface reflects the snowy peaks and clear blue sky like a perfectly polished mirror. Its clear water is transparent and the ground far below in its depths is easily visible. An urge to jump in for a swim is curtailed only by the temperature of the water, which is close to freezing point.

chandratal lake

Further, we crossed-over the mountains of Lahual into Spiti Valley through Kunzum Pass at nearly 15,000 feet, the highest point in our journey. The mountain pass hosts a small temple for the local goddess Kunzum Devi. Whether the pass derived its name from the temple or the other way is not known, there was no one to tell us about it and neither did our driver Singh know. Walking barefoot on the cold ground was not exactly my idea of fun, but I could not resist going inside to have a look, for which I had to remove the shoes. The temple was empty and there was no evidence of anyone having been there in the past few days.

spiti valley

Landscape of Spiti Valley is remarkably different from Lahaul. The floor of the valley is wide and has a lot more vegetation. Straight, easy to drive asphalted roads took us through Losar, the first village in Spiti and then to Kaza town. Villages appeared on the road every now and then, and there were a few people waiting on the road for transport to Kaza. This was a complete change from the uninhabitable terrains of Lahaul.

Ki Monastery

Spiti is a land of ancient Buddhist monasteries that are as old as thousand years. One of those, Ki Monastery is over 800 years old, but most of the buildings are new and there is no visible evidence of its past. The buildings that stand today are made of white washed mud plaster and wood to support the roof. More buildings, built with concrete, are coming up in the periphery to accommodate more students as well as travellers.

ki monastery

A friendly monk with a round mongoloid face, small blood-shot eyes and bugling cheeks welcomed us and escorted us inside. He spoke with a deep high pitch voice that seemed to be coming from the bottom of his larynx.

The monastery is spread around a prayer hall where the monks assembled. A few deities of worship, a kitchen and smaller prayer room surround the prayer hall. An old kitchen built many centuries ago still exists, though not used anymore. Our escort monk showed us the utensils of yesteryears and asked to take a seat on a bench in the center. ‘These days we use this room to honor the guests,’ he said and poured us tea from a pot. Over the tea, I questioned in him length about the past and present of the monastery.

‘Life was much difficult before,’ he explained and spoke in length, ‘it was not easy to procure food and other daily needs, but now the government helps us. Procuring fuel and wood was a big problem, since there are no trees here. Things are much better these days; we are well connected and well provided. There is a problem of good teachers though, Tibetan preachers don’t get visa easily and we will have to manage with local ones.’

I barraged him with many question. ‘Why is your monastery located in such remote place? Why are you so far away from civilization? Why do monasteries tend to be in some far away mountain or top of a hill?’ There were simply too many questions I wanted answers for.

The rain of questions was probably hard on him, but he was patient. He took some time to think over it and said, ‘it is to escape from the everyday world.’ I waited for him to continue but he did not seem to have more to say on it.

He escorted us back to the entrance after the tea, and humbly welcomed us to visit again. The goodness and hospitality of the people of hills never ceases to amuse me. ‘We have rooms to stay for tourists,’ he said, ‘next time you come, do stay with us.’ Despite the hardships of the terrain and difficult conditions they live in, they are congenial and helpful even to strangers.

spiti valley

At Tabo village, a couple of hour’s drive from Ki is another monastery that is more than a thousand years old and is known for its well-preserved frescoes. The monastery’s prayer hall, called Tuglhakhang, is richly decorated with frescoes in vibrant colors. A set of nine small temples built with mud surround the prayer hall, each decorated with paintings of incarnations of Buddha and Tibetan deities. The daily activities of the monastery are performed in a new building built beside the temple complex, leaving the ancient structure preserved. The remains of the old monastery and the frescoes are now declared as a UNESCO world heritage center.

We drove further from Tabo next day and into lower regions of Himalayas, exiting Spiti from other end of the valley. But in the next few days we were on the road, we kept repenting about having left the majestic valleys of Lahaul and Spiti so early, and yearned to be back there. Mangal’s words – “It is so beautiful that you will find it difficult to come back”, kept haunting us all the way.