The pleasure of doing nothing at Ki
Ki Monastery. Temples of Himchal …13. Ki Monastery forms the grand trio of Spiti monasteries with Dhankar and Tabo. Ki is a 1000 year old. It appeared much larger than the other monasteries, in size as well as the number of monks. It looks like a building pinched out of worn out rock and mud […]
When the whole town is a temple, Kullu Dussehrah
Kullu Dussehrah. Temples of Himachal …11. Kullu has long decoupled from Manali. The thin riverside town doesn’t look pretty with narrow streets and its general untidiness is a misfit with the rest of Himachal. It has its glory though, for a week every year during Kullu Dussehrah. Kullu excels in the tradition of Devtas. Each […]
The perspective of Buddha, Langza
Langza. Temples of Himachal ….12 The river Spiti is the spine of the region and Kaza, the largest town. It is about 3800 meters altitude. The river valley is somewhat narrow and hardly has any vegetation along it. A number of villages rise up the valley at different heights. Each has a patch of land, […]
Coming out of Mud, Dhankar
Dhankar. Temples of Himachal….7. Spiti is sparsely populated. It is part of a district that has 3 people per sq km that makes up for less than a percent of India’s density. I was sold on this area by one of the earliest outlook travellers books on Himachal. It had a trek called Spiti left […]
Sun Temple of Sutlej Valley, Nirath
Sun Temple of Nirath. Temples of Himachal …3. Depending on the source you rely on, there are 2 or 4 or 12 Sun temples in India. Konark takes most of the mind space, deservedly. Nirath along the banks of Sutlej in Himachal hosts one of the small and quaint Sun Temples. I was biking back […]
One of her kind, Bhimkali at Sarahan
Most temples in Himachal are small. That is the burden of the terrain. There are a few exceptions. Sarahan is one. It is on the Sutlej valley, just before the famous Kinnaur district. Once the road from Shimla drops down to the Sutlej valley, the drive is magical. It hugs the river for the entire […]