Sutirtha Sanyal
It was a fine February morning, and I was eagerly preparing for my visit to Sangla-Chitkul later in the month. I was lost in my thoughts of visiting Chitkul, the last Himachal village on the Tibetan border, famous for its wood houses, an ancient temple, and granaries guarded by foot-long padlocks – a ritual the villagers have been practising for centuries each winter, when they leave the hills for the warmer valleys downhill.
My train of thoughts was, however, rudely interrupted by a ping on my phone. ‘Sangla-Chitkul is nowbound. We are postponing our trip and extending the ride to Kaza in Spiti in March’, it read. The anticipation of revisiting Spiti was the only stimulating element in that otherwise morbid message
Spiti, a desert mountain valley located in the Trans-Himalayas between Tibet and India, literally translates into The Middle Land. The mountainous desert valley possesses a distinctive Buddhist culture similar to that found in Ladakh and Tibet. It is among the least populated regions in India, and also the gateway to the northernmost corners of the country.
My previous visit to Spiti was not short of an adventure, but was rather incomplete. My fellow riders and I were virtually glued to our motorcycle seats the entire trip. Hardly any pictures to boast of – the only pointand- shoot Nikon had exhausted its memory. To add to our woes, flat tyres and jams had cost us two precious days. In the end, we had to zip through Spiti Valley, cross 250 kms of gravel, inclines, snow, slush, knee-deep ice-cold streams and pools, and two mountain passes—Kunzum La and Rohtang La—in eight hours to reach Manali and then back to Delhi.
That was May and we won’t have to endure such hardships this time, the thought was comforting. Kunzum La will be closed, and an exit through Rohtang La and Manali will be out of question. We will enjoy Spiti this time. We have adequate time, and hopefully, the weather gods will be on our side.
It was around 11 am when my fellow riders and I hit NH-1 on the appointed day. We scorched through the plains of Haryana and Punjab in as little time as possible, and finally, on the third day, left the green hills of Himachal behind and found ourselves at the foothills of the rocky and dusty mountains of Spiti Valley. By then, we had already spent a day at Kalpa (9,710 feet), which offers a splendid view of Kinnaur (locally called Kinner) Kailash, one of the Himalayan peaks dedicated to
Lord Shiva.
Kalpa and Reckong Peo are juxtaposed on a hilltop overlooking NH 22. Travelling from the Shimla hide, one has to take a left detour from NH 22 to take the main road to Reckong Peo, the district headquarters of Kinnaur, and a few kilometres short of the town, the road splits again, with the right going to Reckong Peo and the left to Kalpa
Kalpa is predominantly Hindu, while Reckong Peo is a Buddhist township.
As one descends further down the hill station on to NH 22 and further towards Spiti, the Buddhist influences are too evident to be missed.
The onward journey from Kalpa was as unpredictable as the terrain. The weather was dry, but landslides were common. Bulldozers cleared the debris as we nervously perched on our bikes and looked up at the rocks jutting overhead. A chargeman was busy supervising workers laying detonation charges in the rocks. “NH 22 is being widened, and the blasts (at night) often soften the moundation of the adjacent rocks. Landslides occur frequently,” an Army private said, his eyes riveted on my riding jackets, knee guards and gloves, as if I were an alien from outer space.
The next halt was Nako, a beautiful Buddhist village nestled in the hills of Kinnaur district against he backdrop of the Reo Purgyal hills. As one climbs towards Nako, it’s difficult to figure out the village against the backdrop of the barren mud landscape. The houses are made up of mud, and painted in a pud and brown hue that completely camouflages them with the surrounding landscape. The village boasts of a namesake lake and is also home to a monastery built in 1025 AD. At nearly 12,000 feet, the lake was completely frozen. But what I found more enchanting was the view of the surrounding Tzrans-Himalayas from the helipad located on the outskirts of the village.
#Buddha #Buddhism #Zen #Life #Lifestyle #wisdomwinds
No comments:
Post a Comment