Hey everyone hope you all are doing well so I am back with another blog this time ill be showing you the magnificent beauty of kaza a town in Lahaul and Spiti a district in Himachal Pradesh.
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Spiti Valley (pronounced as Piti in Bhoti Language) is a cold desert mountain valley located high in the Himalayas in the north-eastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name "Spiti" means "The middle land", i.e. the land between Tibet and India.
The local population follows Vajrayana Buddhism similar to that found in the nearby Tibet and Ladakh regions. The valley and surrounding region are among the least populated regions in India. Spiti valley is a gateway to the northernmost reaches of the nation.
Spiti forms part of the Lahaul and Spiti district. The sub-divisional headquarters (capital) is Kaza, Himachal Pradesh[3] which is situated on the Spiti River at an elevation of about 12,500 feet (3,800 m) above mean sea level.
Spiti valley is surrounded by high mountain ranges. Spiti valley is separated from Lahaul valley by the high Kunzum Pass, at 15,059 feet (4,590 m). A road connects these two divisions of Lahaul and Spiti district but is cut off frequently in winter and spring due to heavy snow.
A southern route to India proper, via the Sutlej in the Kinnaur district and Shimla, is periodically closed for brief periods in the winter storms of November through June, but road access is usually restored a few days after the storm ends.
This was all about spiti so this was a trip which I completed 2 years back with my friends. This trip was planned by me a long time ago. Spiti is considered the most beautiful place in Himachal Pradesh to visit.
But it's not an easy one as due to tough terrain and high altitude the roads are very narrow and are very risky at some places it's very tough to travel in this place in winters as all the roads are blocked by snow and the temperature is very cold
This place is famous for its beautiful terrain and lakes there are many lakes like these everywhere around spiti these lakes get completely frozen in winters
We started our journey from Chandigarh total distance we covered in this trip was close to 1000km it was a long trip so we had more than 1 week planned for this trip
We were 4 friends in total and started our journey at night our stay was Shimla and our 2nd-day stay was Kinnaur so we reached Shimla early in the morning and decided to do breakfast in Shimla Kufri and moved on further as it was a long journey
we kept on moving all day the landscapes were getting amazing as we moved towards our location. We had booked a hotel room in Kinnaur so we reached there by evening and went on exploring some places of Kinnaur
We rested for the whole night in the hotel the morning view was remarkable we started back on road early in the morning. So we won't miss the beautiful landscapes
we finally reached Kaza by 6:30 PM. and it was drizzling which didn’t last for too long. For this night, we had our booking at the Old Circuit House, which is located in the Kaza Market. Later the caretaker transferred us to the New Circuit House which is on the outskirts of Kaza. The Circuit House charged us INR 560/- per day (which was quite in the budget).
After keeping our bags and other essentials, we went for a stroll in Kaza Market. As we were walking by, we came across several fascinating cafes which grabbed my attention. The must-visits are ‘The Himalayan Cafe’ and ‘Cafe Zomsa’ in the main Kaza Market. The interior of both the cafes is ah-mazing, the former one is quirky and the latter has a cozy set up along with the live music. The market closes around 9:00 PM., so we quickly had our dinner and were back
Located at a distance of approx 14 km from Kaza, Key Monastery or Key Gompa is said to be the largest monastery in Spiti Valley. On this day, I was finally at the much-celebrated attraction and the picture of what I have been looking at while researching Spiti Valley. Even though I have visited several monasteries, this was the most spectacular thing I have seen. Stepping inside the monastery, I didn’t want to do anything, but just sit at a place and feel the silence and peace that was there in the air. Every temple that you visit inside the monastery will fill you with sanctity and trust me, you wouldn’t feel like leaving the place. The walls of the temples here are covered with beautiful murals and paintings that best depict the 14th-century monastic architecture holding a significant Chinese influence.
On returning, we were able to see a lovely aerial view of Kaza. Also, while entering Kaza gate, I came across the iconic heart of Spiti- ‘I LOVE SPITI’ which promotes- ‘No To Plastic’. The entire piece is made of discarded plastic bottles and wrappers gathered from across Kaza. The brilliant artwork was an initiative taken by Spiti Ecosphere. If you are in Spiti and want to be a part of this kind ‘No To Plastic’ campaign, then volunteer with Spiti Ecosphere to help accomplish more such objectives.
As the days went by we explored many famous places all around Kaza it was just mesmerizing everything that was around us
I felt like I was in some other dimension everything was so perfect all around as it was made perfectly Kaza is worth visiting once in life time
Leaving the place after 6 days was very difficult. It was one of the most beautiful and memorable journeys and I still miss those days and nights spent in Spiti Valley. The splendid serenity and stunning beauty of the mountains will remain etched on my heart forever until we meet again.