The district of Lahul and Spiti in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahul and Spiti. The present capital is Keylong in Lahul. Before the two districts were merged, Kardang was the capital of Lahul, and Dankar the capital of Spiti. Keylong is the administrative centre of the Lahul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, some 120 kilometres from the Indo-Tibetan border. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here surface areas between 100,000 km² and 1,000,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... India is a federal republic comprised of twenty-eight states and seven union territories. ... , Himachal Pradesh   (Hindi: हिमाचल प्रदेश, IPA: ) is a state in the north-west of India. ... Keylong is the administrative centre of the Lahul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, some 120 kilometres from the Indo-Tibetan border. ...

Geography

Lahul and Spiti are cut off from the rest of the world by high mountain ranges. The Rohtang Pass, at 3,978 metres, separates Lahul and Spiti from the Kullu Valley. Categories: Stub ... Kullu is the capital town of the Kullu district, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. ...

The district borders Tibet to the east, the Ladakh region (within the state of Jammu and Kashmir) to the north, and Kinnaur and Kullu to the south. Tibet (see Name section below for other spellings) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ... , Ladakh (Tibetan script: ལ་དྭགས་; Wylie: la-dwags, Ladakhi IPA: , Hindi: लद्दाख़, Hindi IPA: , Urdu: لدّاخ; land of high passes) is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Northern India sandwiched between the Kuen Lun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people... , Jammu and Kashmir (Kashmiri: جۄم تٕہ کٔشِیر, ज्वम त॒ कॅशीर, Urdu: جموں Ùˆ کشمیر) (often abbreviated as Kashmir or J & K, is a disputed territory between India and Pakistan and lies mostly in the Himalayan mountains. ... Kinnaur is one of twelve administrative districts of Himachal Pradesh, India. ... Kullu is the capital town of the Kullu district, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. ...

The Lahul sub-division consists of the [[Ranglo], Tinan, Pattan, and [[Tod] valleys; while the Spiti sub-division consists of the Sham, Pin, Bhar valleys. Sham may refer to: Sham (horse), American Thoroughbred horse born in 1970 who won multiple graded stakes races Sham (slang): slang word originated in Limerick. ... Look up pin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Transportation

Mountain peaks, Lahul

The Rohtang Pass has a reputation for avalanches and road-slides, and many travelers have been killed while crossing the pass. A newly built metalled road that leads over this pass to Ladakh is kept open from May to November because of its strategic importance. The building of a tunnel below the Rohtang Pass is under way, and is expected to be completed by 2012. Large quantities of potatoes and green peas, now the major crops of Lahul and Spiti, are transported over the Pass into Manali each year. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 169 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Mountain peaks in Lahul district, Himachal Pradesh, India From the English Wikipedia en:Image:Mountain peaks, Lahaul. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 169 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Mountain peaks in Lahul district, Himachal Pradesh, India From the English Wikipedia en:Image:Mountain peaks, Lahaul. ... Categories: Stub ... A Himalayan avalanche near Mount Everest. ... Tanglang La on the Leh-Manali Highway Traffic jam on the way to Rohtang Pass The Leh-Manali Highway is a highway in India connecting Leh and Manali. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

There are also passes that lead from Spiti into southwestern Tibet, but these are now shut due to the closed border between India and Tibet. There is another road leading west to Jammu through Kishtwar, the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Tibet (see Name section below for other spellings) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ...

Lahul and Spiti are cut off from each other by the higher Kunzum Pass, at 4,550 metres. A road connects the two divisions, but is cut off in winter and spring due to heavy snow.

Buses and taxis are available from Manali to Kaza, the headquarters of Spiti, during the summer months. The Kunzom pass remains open for vehicular traffic from around July to October. Road through Kinnaur, connecting Shimla with Spiti for vehicular traffic, is closed presently due heavy damage to the road, but the road remains open through the year , but people have to cover some parts on foot.

Climate

Stupa above Ki Gompa and the Spiti River

Because of their height, Lahul and Spiti have a very cold climate during winter months. Summer is quite pleasant. This often results in disruptions to electricity and transport, and there is little tourism during the cold winter months. However, the Spiti valley is accessible all year along the Old Hindustan Tibet road from Shimla to Kaza. The Lahul valley is not accessible until June though. however from December to April helicopter services at weekly intervals are available. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 409 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (699 × 1024 pixel, file size: 167 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Stupa above Ki Gompa and the Spiti River. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 409 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (699 × 1024 pixel, file size: 167 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Stupa above Ki Gompa and the Spiti River. ...

The climate of Spiti is too cold to support even tundra vegetation, and much of the land is barren and wild. It is a rare phenomenon to see temperatures rising above 20°C during the summer months, even at the lower elevations. In physical geography, tundra is an area where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. ...

Flora and fauna

The harsh conditions of Lahul permit only scattered tufts of hardy grasses and shrubs to grow, even below 4,000 metres. Glacier lines are usually found at 5,000 metres.

Animals such as yaks and dzos roam across the wild Lingti plains under the guidance of their masters. However, over-hunting and a decrease in food supplies have led to a large decrease in the population of the Tibetan antelope, Tibetan argali, Kiangs, musk deer, and snow leopards in these regions, making them endangered species. In lahoul valley one can easily see Ibex, brown beer, foxes and snow leopard during winter. Binomial name Linnaeus, 1766 Subspecies Bos grunniens grunniens Bos grunniens mutus The yak (Bos grunniens) is a long-haired humped domestic bovine found in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, as well as in Mongolia. ... A Dzo is a male hybrid of a yak and a domesticated cow. ... Binomial name Pantholops hodgsonii (Abel, 1826) The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) is a medium-sized bovid which is about 1. ... Binomial name Equus kiang , The Kiang (Equus kiang) is a large mammal belonging to the horse family. ... The four species of musk deer make up the family Moschidae. ... Binomial name Schreber, 1775 Range map Synonyms Panthera uncia The Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia[1] or Panthera uncia[3]), sometimes known as the Ounce, is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of central and southern Asia. ...

People

The language, culture, and populations of Lahul and Spiti are closely related. Generally the Lahulis are of Tibetan and Indo-Aryan descent, while the Spiti Bhotia are more similar to the Tibetans, owing to their close proximity to Tibet. Fairer skin and hazel-colored eyes are commonly seen among the Lahulis. The Tibetan people are a people indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the West to Myanmar and China in the East. ... The Indo-Aryans are a wide collection of peoples united by their common status as speakers of the Indo-Aryan (Indic) branch of the family of Indo-European and Indo-Iranian languages. ...

The languages of both the Lahuli and Spiti Bhotia belong to the Tibeto-Burman family. They are very similar to the Ladakhi and Tibetans culturally, as they had been placed under the rule of the Guge and Ladakh kingdoms at occasional intervals. The Tibeto-Burman linguistic subfamily of the proposed Sino-Tibetan language family is spoken in various central and south Asian countries: Myanmar (Burmese language), Tibet (Tibetan language), northern Thailand (Mong language), Nepal, Bhutan, India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the Ladakh region of... , Ladakh (Tibetan script: ལ་དྭགས་; Wylie: la-dwags, Ladakhi IPA: , Hindi: लद्दाख़, Hindi IPA: , Urdu: لدّاخ; land of high passes) is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Northern India sandwiched between the Kuen Lun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people... The Tibetan people are a people indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the West to Myanmar and China in the East. ... Guge was an ancient kingdom in Western Tibet. ... , Ladakh (Tibetan script: ལ་དྭགས་; Wylie: la-dwags, Ladakhi IPA: , Hindi: लद्दाख़, Hindi IPA: , Urdu: لدّاخ; land of high passes) is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Northern India sandwiched between the Kuen Lun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people...

Among the Lahulis, the family acts as the basic unit of kinship. The extended family system is common, evolved from the polyandric system of the past. The family is headed by a senior male member, known as the Yunda, while his wife, known as the Yundamo, attains authority by being the oldest member in the generation. The clan system, also known as Rhus, plays another major role in the Lahula society. In social anthropology and sociobiology, polyandry (Greek: poly- many, andros- man) means a female forming a sexual union with more than one male. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Spiti Bhotia community has an inheritance system that is otherwise unique to the Tibetans. Upon the death of both parents, only the eldest son will inherit the family property, while the eldest daughter inherits the mother's jewellery, and the younger siblings inherit nothing. Men usually fall back on the social security system of the Trans-Himalayan Gompas. Himalaya, see Himalaya (film). ...

Lifestyle

The lifestyles of the Lahuli and Spiti Bhotia are similar, owing to their close proximity. Polyandry was widely practiced by the Lahulis in the past, although this practice has been dying out. The Spiti Bhotia do not generally practice polyandry any more, although it is accepted in a few isolated regions. In social anthropology and sociobiology, polyandry (Greek: poly- many, andros- man) means a female forming a sexual union with more than one male. ...

Divorces are accomplished by a simple ceremony performed in the presence of village elders. Divorce can be sought by either partner. The husband has to pay compensation to his ex-wife if she does not remarry. However, this is uncommon among the Lahulis.

Agriculture is the main source of livelihood. Occupations include animal husbandry, working in government programs, government services, and other businesses and crafts that include weaving. Houses are constructed in the Tibetan architectural style, as the land in Lahul and Spiti is mountainous and quite prone to earthquakes.

Religion

Kunzum Pass between Lahul & Spiti

Most of the Lahulis follow a combination of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism of the Drukpa order, while the Spiti Bhotia follow Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa order. Within Lahul, the Baralacha-La region had the strongest Buddhist influence, owing to its close proximity to Spiti. Lahul has temples such as Triloknath, where pilgrims worship a certain god in different manifestations, notably in the form of Shiva and Avalokiteshvara. Image File history File linksMetadata Kunzum_Pass_between_Lahaul_&_Spiti. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Kunzum_Pass_between_Lahaul_&_Spiti. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... The Drukpa is a major sect within the Kagyupa school of Tibetan Buddhism. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... The Geluk (dge lugs) School was founded by Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), Tibets best known religious reformer and arguably its greatest philosopher. ... Shiva (also spelled Siva; Sanskrit ) is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. ... In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokitesvara or Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. ...

Before the spread of Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism, the people were adherents of the religion 'Lung Pe Chhoi', an animistic religion that had some affinities with the Bön religion of Tibet. While the religion flourished, animal and human sacrifices were regularly offered up to the 'Iha', a term that refers to evil spirits residing in the natural world, notably in the old pencil-cedar trees, rocks and caves. Vestiges of the Lung Pe Chhoi religion can be seen in the behaviour of the Lamas, who are believed to possess certain supernatural powers. Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Bön has typically been described as the shamanistic religion in Tibet before the arrival of Buddhism in the 7th century C.E. With the recent exile of many Bönpo lamas to India, however, a more complex description of Bön is emerging and is now being considered by... Tibet (see Name section below for other spellings) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ... Lama (Tibetan: བླ་མ་; Wylie: bla-ma) is a title for a Tibetan religious teacher. ...

The Losar festival (also known as Halda in Lahuli) is celebrated between the months of January and February. The date of celebration is decided by the Lamas. It has the same significance as the Diwali festival of Hinduism, but is celebrated in a Tibetan fashion. Losar (Tibetan: ལོ་གསར་; Wylie: lo gsar) is the Tibetan word for new year. ... Lama (Tibetan: བླ་མ་; Wylie: bla-ma) is a title for a Tibetan religious teacher. ... Diwali, also called Deepavali, is a major Indian festival that is very significant in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ...

At the start of the festival, two or three persons from every household will come holding burning incense. The burning sticks are then piled into a bonfire. The people will then pray to Shiskar Apa, the goddess of wealth in the Buddhist religion.

History

The first inhabitants of Lahul and Spiti were a mixture of the proto-Tibetan Khampa and Indo-Aryan nomadic populations, who eventually intermarried and settled down.

Lahul and Spiti came under the influence of Tibet sometime during the 9th and 10th century. With the downfall of the Tibetan administration in Lhasa, Ladakh eventually took political control of Lahul and Spiti until the early 17th century. A sphere of influence (SOI) is an area or region over which an organization or state exerts some kind of indirect cultural, economic, military or political domination. ... Tibet (see Name section below for other spellings) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ... Lhasa (Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་; Wylie: lha sa; Lhasa dialect IPA: [; Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), sometimes spelled Llasa, is the traditional capital of Tibet and the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... , Ladakh (Tibetan script: ལ་དྭགས་; Wylie: la-dwags, Ladakhi IPA: , Hindi: लद्दाख़, Hindi IPA: , Urdu: لدّاخ; land of high passes) is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Northern India sandwiched between the Kuen Lun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people...

The Pattan Valley, Chamba and Upper Lahul came under the control of Raja Biddhi Singh from Kullu in the years 1672 to 1688. Other Rajas conquered Lahul and Spiti in subsequent invasions. Although Spiti came under the control of Ladakh from the 18th century until 1846, the governor only held loose control over Spiti. It was therefore, in practice, controlled by the Wazir and Nono. Chamba, the northwestern district of Himachal Pradesh, has a common border with Jammu. ... Kullu is the capital town of the Kullu district, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. ... Events England, France, Munster and Cologne invade the United Provinces, therefore this name is know as ´het rampjaar´ (the disaster year) in the Netherlands. ... // Events A high-powered conspiracy of notables, the Immortal Seven, invite William and Mary to depose James II of England. ... , Ladakh (Tibetan script: ལ་དྭགས་; Wylie: la-dwags, Ladakhi IPA: , Hindi: लद्दाख़, Hindi IPA: , Urdu: لدّاخ; land of high passes) is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Northern India sandwiched between the Kuen Lun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Spiti came under the rule of the Dorga in 1846, while Lahul came under the control of the British East India Company. This occurred with the help of an appointed Wazir, led by the Kolong family. This pattern continued until World War I, when it was subsequently abolished. 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

Owing to their cultural and ethnic similarities and close proximity to each other, Lahul and Spiti were merged to form a single district in 1960, with headquarters re-established at Keylong.

Tourism

Ki Gompa

The natural scenery and Buddhist monasteries, such as Ki, Dhankar, Shashur, Guru Ghantal and Tayul Gompas, are the main tourist attractions of the region. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 410 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (700 × 1024 pixel, file size: 183 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Jonathan Claybaugh, taken during the August 2000 Kalichakra File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 410 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (700 × 1024 pixel, file size: 183 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Jonathan Claybaugh, taken during the August 2000 Kalichakra File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to... Dhankar gompa, Spiti Dhankar Gompa is a Gompa, a Buddhist temple in the district of Lahul and Spiti in India. ...

One of the most interesting places is the Tabo monastery, located 45km from Kaza, the capital of the Spiti region. Tibet. This monastery rose to prominence when it celebrated its thousandth year of existence in 1996. It houses a collection of Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist statues and Thangkas. The ancient gompa is finished with mud plaster, and contains several scriptures and documents. Lama Dzangpo heads the gompa here. There is a modern guest house with a dining hall and all facilities are available. Tabo Village as seen from Tabo Caves Tabo is a small town in the district of Lahaul and Spiti on the banks of the Spiti River in Himachal Pradesh, India. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... A Thangka is a painted or embroidered Tibetan banner which was hung in a monastery or a family altar and carried by lamas in ceremonial processions. ...

Another famous monastery, Kardang Gompa, is located at an elevation of 3,500m across the river which is about 8 KM from Keylong. Kardang is well connected by the road via the Tandi bridge which is about 14 Km from Keylong. Built in the 12th century, this monastery houses a large library of Buddhist, Kangyur and Tangyur scriptures.

The treacherous weather in Lahul and Spiti permits visitors to tour only between the months of June to October, when the roads and villages are largely free of snow. Even though it is possible to access the region from Kinnaur (along the Saltuj) all through the year, the road is permanently closed at Mulling.

Avalanches and poorly tarred roads are another issue, cases of tourists getting killed or injured while making their way to villages have already occurred.

References

• Kapadia, Harish. 1999. SPITI: Adventures in the Trans-Himalaya. 2nd edition. Indus Publishing Co., New Delhi. ISBN 81-7387-093-4

External links

• Official Website of the district
• Hindubooks of Lahul and Spiti (28pages)
• Photographs of monuments of Lahaul and Spiti
• Trans-HImalayan Mural Art
• The Himalayas-Lahul and Spiti
• Tibetan antelope
• Lots of Pictures of Spiti

Geography of Himachal Pradesh
Lakes	Renuka Lake | Maharana Pratap Sagar | Gobind Sagar (more...)
Rivers	Beas | Chenab | Ravi | Sutlej | Yamuna
Districts	Bilaspur | Chamba | Hamirpur | Kangra | Kinnaur | Kullu | Lahul and Spiti | Mandi | Sirmaur | Shimla | Solan | Una
Other	Climate of Himachal Pradesh | Protected areas of Himachal Pradesh | List of peaks in Himachal Pradesh

Coordinates: 32°30′N, 77°50′E Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... , Himachal Pradesh   (Hindi: हिमाचल प्रदेश, IPA: ) is a state in the north-west of India. ... Bilaspur is a district of Himachal Pradesh, India is famous for the manmade Govind Sagar Lake on the Sutlej River, acts as the reservoir for the Bhakra and Nangal Dam project. ... Laxminarayan temple of Chamba Chamba is the northwestern district of Himachal Pradesh, in India. ... Hamirpur (Hindi: हमीरपुर) is a district in the beautiful Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, India. ... Kangra Kangra (Hindi: कांगडा़) is the most populous district of the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. ... Kinnaur is one of twelve administrative districts of Himachal Pradesh, India. ... Kullu is a district in Himachal Pradesh, India. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Sirmaur is the most south-eastern district of Himachal Pradesh, India. ... Shimla is one of the districts of Himachal Pradesh. ... Solan is one of the districts of Himachal Pradesh. ... Una is one of the Districts of Himachal Pradesh, and shares its border with Punjab. ... The initial entry point to Kullu Manali Circuit is from Chandigarh. ... Swarghat falls as a stopover destination on Chandigarh-Manali Highway. ... Bilaspur is a location in the state of himachal Pradesh, India. ... Deothsidh is a stopover, near district Bilaspur (37kms. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Rawalsar (also spelled Rewalsar) is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. ... Jogindarnagar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. ... Kullu is the capital town of the Kullu district, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. ... Raison is a stopover which has vast camping grounds maintained by Himachal Pradesh Tourism. ... Nigger is a term used to refer to dark-skinned peoples, especially Africans or people of African descent. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Keylong is the administrative centre of the Lahul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, some 120 kilometres from the Indo-Tibetan border. ... The district of Lahul and Spiti in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahul and Spiti. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...