Places Of Interest

The Buddhists and Hindus of tribal Kinnaur live in perfect harmony. The ancient custom of polyandry still exists, though it is fast vanishing. The tribal people of kinnaur are deeply rooted in their thousands of years old customs and tradition. To this date the people have maintained there rich culture. Its rich culture is reflected in the fairs, festivals, songs, dance, its temples, monasteries, its architecture and its honest and hardworking people. All these aspects of Kinnaur makes it so special and colourful and a place worth visiting.

Sangla: It is the largest village in Kinnaur and often lends its name to the whole Baspa valley. This is the most popular tourist destination in Kinnaur. Towering behind is the gigantic Raldang peak. The whole area is adorned by snow line peaks, saffron fields and forests of pine and deodar. There is a temple dedicated to the Bairing Nag, which is worth a visit.

Kamroo: The village is famous for the ancient Kamroo fort. It is believed that there are thirty six hundred crore god and goddesses inside the fort. The king of Bushahr were crowned in this fort. There is a temple dedicated to lord Badrinath.

Reckong Peo(2290): It is the headquarter of district Kinnaur. There is a recently built Buddhist gompa, where his holiness the Dalai lama conducted the ‘kalchakra’ ceremony. 

Kalpa(2759m):This is one of  Kinnaur’s popular tourist destination. Kalpa is only 6 km from Reckong peo. There is a Buddhist monastery, said to be built by the great Rinchen Tsangpo(1950-1055AD).The Narayan-Nagini temple is an exemplary of local craftmanship. Looming in front of  Kalpa is an impressive view of ‘kinner kailash’ directly across the Satluj river.

Kothi: It is also known as Koshtampi. Its a half an hour walk from Reckong Peo. There is a beautiful temple dedicated to the goddess Shuwang Chandika. The local people hold her in great reverence and consider her to be one of the most powerful goddess. There is an image of gold, seated in an ark.

Chitkul(3450m): This is the last village in the Sangla valley bordering Tibet. It is situated on the right bank on Baspa river. There are three temples of goddess Mathi, the main one was constructed 500 years ago by a resident of Garhwal. A small Buddhist monastery is also there in the village. 

Nichar: The village is situated between Taranda and Wangtu. The thick forest above is home to Goral, Antelope and on the higher reaches Black and Brown Bears can be spotted. Just 3 kms short of Nichar is the famous temle of Sugra Maheshwar, considered to be the most powerful god of Kinnaur. The temple’s pagoda like roof and the fine wooden carvings on its doorways and walls make this an interesting stopover.

Moorang(2591m): It is situated on the left bank of river Satluj, near the confluence of Tirung khad. It is 30 kms away from Reckong peo. Just below the village is an old fort believed to be built by the Pandavas. The fort has a square structure annd is situated on a hillock, overlooking the Satluj.   The local deity is Urmig and three structures dedicated to the deity each existing in Thwaring, Gramang and Shilling. Generally these are empty as the ark of the deity remains in the fort. On sacred occasion the ask is taken to the above named places. The ark has 18 ‘mukh’, made of gold, silver and brass. The much represents the 18 days of the great epic Mahabharata.

Pooh: It is also known as ‘Spuwa’ and is the tehsil headquarter. It is 5 kms above the national highway-22 and a total of 61 kms from Reckong Peo. It is probably the starting point of the cold desert country. There is an ancient monastery in the village. A two hour walk further up from the village will take you to another monastery, named Chilla monastery.

Nako(3662m): It is the highest village in the Hangrang valley and the famous nako lake adds to the beauty of the village. Reo Pargial, the highest peak in Himachal, can be seen from here. Local deity is Deokum and a lalang with many idols exists here. There is also a imprint on rock, believed to be of the great Saint Padamsambhava(Guru Rinpoche).