Chitkul | |
---|---|
village | |
Coordinates: 31°21′07″N78°26′13″E / 31.3518411°N 78.4368253°E | |
Country | India |
State | Himachal Pradesh |
District | Kinnaur |
Elevation | 3,450 m (11,320 ft) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 882 |
Languages | |
• Official | Hindi |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 172106 |
Vehicle registration | HP- |
Nearest city | Rampur |
Climate | Alpine climate (Köppen) |
Chhitkul is a village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. During winters, the place mostly remains covered with the snow and the inhabitants move to lower regions of Himachal.
According to a recent study by Centre of Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, Chitkul has the cleanest air in India. [1] [2]
Chitkul, a village located on right bank of Baspa River, is the last village of the Baspa Valley and the last village on the old Hindustan-Tibet trade route. It is also the last point in India one can travel to without a permit. [3]
Of particular interest at Chitkul are its houses with either slate or wooden plank roofs, a Buddhist temple and a small tower. However, there has been an increased use of tin-roofs, especially the high school and the army/ITBP barracks.
The Kagyupa temple has a highly valued old image of the Shakyamuni Buddha, a Wheel of Life mandala and four Directional Kings on either side of the door. Chitkul is practically the last point of the famous Kinner Kailash Parikrama as one can hitch a hike from here onwards.
After one crosses over the 5,242 m high Charang Pass., [4] it is a long and steep run down through slithery scree slopes to Chitkul(3,450m). The powerful goddess of Chitkul is the only non-Buddhist deity to which respect must be paid by the Parikrama pilgrims. It is believed that the local Deity is related to the Deity of Gangotri and till recently the locals would carry the Deity to Gangotri on foot over high mountain passes. [5] Chitkul is situated around 40 km from Karcham, the place where road bifurcates from Hindustan-Tibet Road (NH 22). The Sangla Valley is a delight for nature lovers; especially the stretch after Raksham and right up to Chitkul. The valley is extremely beautiful, on the left bank of the Baspa River are snow-clad mountains and on the right bank the whole terrain is full of apple orchards and wooden houses.
Chitkul is start point for Lamkhaga pass trek and Borasu pass trek. Nagasthi ITBP post is 4 km and Ranikanda meadows is 10 km trek from Chitkul. [6]
Chitkul is around 569 km from the National capital Delhi, 345 km from Chandigarh [7] and 28 km from Sangla.
The Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahaul and Spiti. The present administrative center is Kyelang in Lahaul. Before the two districts were merged, Kardang was the capital of Lahaul, and Dhankar the capital of Spiti. The district was formed in 1960 and is the fourth least populous district in India. It is the least densely populated district of India, according to the Census of India 2011.
Kinnauri, also known as Kanauri, Kanor, Koonawur, Kanawari or Kunawar, is a Sino-Tibetan dialect cluster centered on the Kinnaur district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
Reckong Peo, also spelled Rekong Peo or simply known as Peo by the local inhabitants, is headquarters of Kinnaur district, one of the twelve administrative districts of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
The Kinnaur Kailasha is a mountain in the Kinnaur district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Kinnaur Kailash peak has a height of 6050 meters and is considered sacred by both Hindu and Buddhist Kinnauris. This mountain is sometimes confused with the Mount Kailash in Tibet.
The state of Himachal Pradesh is spread over an area 55,673 km2 (21,495 sq mi) and is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on the north, Punjab on the southwest, Haryana on the south, Uttarakhand on the southeast, a small border with Uttar Pradesh in the south, and Tibet on the east. Entire Himachal Pradesh lies in the mountainous Himalaya region, rich in natural resources
Sangla is a town in the Baspa Valley, also referred to as the Sangla valley, in the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh, India, close to the Tibetan border.
Baspa Valley is a river valley that is said to be named after the Baspa River. It lies in the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh, India. Sangla is a major town in the Baspa Valley, and the valley is also known as the Sangla Valley or Tukpa Valley. The villages inside the valley is Chitkul, Rakchham, Batseri, Sangla, Kamru; the old capital of Bushahr State and Chansu.
Spiti is a high-altitude region of the Himalayas, located 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. Spiti incorporates mainly the valley of the Spiti River, and the valleys of several rivers that feed into the Spiti River. Some of the prominent side-valleys in Spiti are the Pin valley and the Lingti valley. Spiti is bordered on the east by Tibet, on the north by Ladakh, on the west and southwest by Lahaul, on the south by Kullu, and on the southeast by Kinnaur. Spiti has a cold desert environment. The valley and its surrounding regions are among the least populated regions of India. The Bhoti-speaking local population follows Tibetan Buddhism.
Harsil, the Himalayan paradise, is a village, tourist hill station and army area located on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, on the way to Gangotri, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Uttarkashi district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Kye Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelugpa sect located on top of a hill at an altitude of 4,166 metres (13,668 ft) above sea level, close to the Spiti River, in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh, Lahaul and Spiti district, India.
Borasu Pass or Bara-su is a high mountain pass in the Himalaya Mountains of Uttarakhand in the India. The pass is located on the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh near the border with Tibet. It was an ancient trade route between Har Ki Doon valley and Kinnaur valley.
Rupin Pass is a high altitude pass across the Himalaya mountain range in state of Himachal pradesh India. It lies on a traditional shepherd and hiking route which starts from Dhaula in Uttarakhand and ends in Sangla in Himachal Pradesh. The path itself is located across mostly uninhabited areas in the Himalayan ranges at an elevation of 15,250 ft (4,650M) above sea level. Sarasvati Glacier at Sarasvotri at this pass has been identified by some sources as the origin of paleo-river Sarasvati which turned in to icy waters at Netwar, flowing through Paonta Sahib and Adi Badri, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Tourism in Himachal Pradesh relates to tourism in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This is popularly renowned for its Himalayan landscapes and popular hill-stations. Many outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding, ice-skating, trekking, rafting, and heli-skiing are popular tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh.
Reo Purgyil, sometimes known as Leo Pargial and Leo Pargil, is a mountain peak at the southern end of the Zanskar Range in the Western Himalaya. It is located the border between Himachal Pradesh, India and Tibet, China.
The Lamkhaga Pass is one of the toughest pass which connects Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh with Harshil in Uttarakhand. Harsil-Kharcham Highway will have a Lamkhaga Pass tunnel, and the highway route will also connect to Char Dham Highway and Pooh-Chumar-Hanle Highway.
Bhaba Pass, also known as Bhawa Pass, is a high mountain pass situated in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalayas. It is located on the border of Kinnaur district and Lahaul and Spiti District, and borders Pin Valley National Park and the Rupi-Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary.
Rakchham is a village in Sangla Valley in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh state of India.
Batseri is a village in Sangla Valley in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh state of India.
Leo is a small village in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. The village is situated on a mountain ridge on the right bank of the Spiti River. It is located 116 kilometres (72 mi) from Kaza on NH 505.