Kullu is a district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It borders Shimla district to the south, Mandi and Kangra districts to the west, Kinnaur to the east and the Lahaul and Spiti district to the north and east. The largest valley in this mountainous district is the Kullu Valley. The Kullu valley follows the course of the Beas River, and ranges from an elevation of 833 m above sea level at Aut to 3330 m above sea level at the Atal Tunnel South Portal, below the Rohtang Pass. The town of Kullu, located on the right side of the Beas River, serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district. The Kullu district also incorporates several riverine tributary valleys of the Beas, including those of the Parvati, Sainj, and Tirthan rivers, and thus some regions somewhat distant from the Kullu valley. The economy of the district relies mainly on horticulture, agriculture, tourism, and traditional handicrafts.
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.
Parvati River is a river in the Parvati Valley in Himachal Pradesh, northern India that flows into the Beas River at Bhuntar, some 10 km south of Kullu. It rises from the Man Talai Glacier below the Pin Parbati Pass and flows in a gradual curve from north-northwest to west-southwest past the important temple town of Manikaran.
Pin Valley National Park is a National park of India located in the Spiti Valley in the Lahaul and Spiti district, in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located in far northern India. It is part of Cold Desert.
Malana is an ancient Indian village in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The only village in the Malana Nala, a side valley of the Parvati Valley northeast of the Kullu Valley, it is isolated from the rest of the world. The peaks of Chanderkhani and Deo Tibba shadow the village. It is situated on a remote plateau by the torrential Malana river, at a height of 2,652 metres (8,701 ft) above sea level. Malana has its own lifestyle and social structure, and people are strict in following their customs. Malana has been the subject of various documentaries, including Malana: Globalization of a Himalayan Village. and Malana, A Lost Identity. The existing speakers of the autochthonous language Kanashi, the traditional language of the inhabitants of Malana, number approximately 1700. According to the 1961 census, the language speakers were then 563, but today the population of Malana is at least three times as large as 40 years ago. The most common route to the village is by taxi or bus from Jhari. Roads to Malana Village trekking gate are developed.
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
Manimahesh Lake is a high altitude lake situated close to the Manimahesh Kailash Peak in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas, in the Bharmour subdivision of Chamba district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The religious significance of this lake is next to that of the Lake Manasarovar in Tibet.
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.
Suraj Tal, also called Tso Kamtsi or Surya Tal, is an 800 m (2,600 ft) long lake that lies just below the 4,890 m (16,040 ft) high Bara-lacha-la pass in Lahaul and Spiti district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is the third-highest lake in India and the 21st-highest in the world. Suraj Tal Lake is just below the source of the Bhaga River that joins the Chandra River downstream at Tandi to form the Chandrabhaga River in Himachal Pradesh. The Chandrabhaga River is known as the Chenab as it enters the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. The other major tributary of the Chandrabhaga, the Chandra, originates and flows south-east of the Bara-lacha La.
The Pin Parbati Pass is a mountain pass in Himachal Pradesh, India, at 5,319 m (17,451 ft). Records show it was first crossed in August 1884 by Sir Louis Dane in search of an alternate route to the Spiti valley, but the shepherds from spiti used to do it often for grazing their sheep in the lush green parvati valley. This pass connects the fertile and lush Parbati valley on the Kullu side with the barren high-altitude Pin valley on the Spiti side.
Kasol is a hamlet in the Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated in Parvati Valley, on the banks of the Parvati River between Bhuntar and Manikaran. It is located 30 km (19 mi) from Bhuntar, 3.5 km from Manikaran and 36 km (22 mi) from Kullu town, the district headquarters. Kasol is the Himalayan hotspot for backpackers and acts as a base for nearby treks to Malana and Kheerganga. It is called Mini Israel of India due to a high percentage of Israeli tourists here.
Kibber, also Kibber Khas and Khyipur, is a village high in the Spiti Valley in the Himalayas at 4,270 m (14,010 ft) in Himachal Pradesh in northern India. It contains a monastery and is a base for visiting the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located 19 km (12 mi) from Kaza and a bus service connects them in the summer months. Agriculture forms the backbone of the local economy and lush green fields are abundant. It is the base for visitors to the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, home to about 30 snow leopards. Treks to nearby peaks and to a high pass in the Zanskar range between Spiti and Ladakh start from Kibber.
Takling La is a parallel trek route through the Parana La (pass), located in the Himalayan Mountains. Parana La is the most famous trek route of Spiti and connects Kaza to Karzok. It has an altitude of 18,290 ft and follows the traditional trade route between Ladakh and Spiti Valley.
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.
Tosh village is in Himachal Pradesh state of India. It is located at about 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) in elevation on a mountain slope on the right bank of the Parvati River in the Parvati Valley, surrounded by mountains. The main occupation of the people in Parvati valley is Tourism. Apple orchards are also a big source of income for the local people. Wooden houses in the village are excellent example of architecture of Mountain people. Tosh is less expensive than its neighbour town Kasol. The guest houses and the hotels are available both at the entrance and far end of the village. Alongside the village is a right-bank tributary of the Parvati River. The Parvati River begins at the Mantalai Glacier within the Parvati Valley. The peaks surrounding the glacier include Papasura, White Sail, Angduri, Pinnacle, and Devachan. Tosh village is reached by bus from Kullu to Barshaini via Kasol and Manikaran and then a one-hour hike. It is described as a "traditional village turned hippie colony".
National Highway 505, commonly called NH 505, is a national highway in India. It is a spur road of National Highway 5. NH-505 traverses the state of Himachal Pradesh in India. NH505 a high elevation road, covers Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh, mainly running along Spiti river in Spiti valley. The highway from Kaza to Gramphu remains closed for 6–9 months in a year due to heavy snowfall and closure of Kunzum La pass at an elevation of 4,550 m (14,930 ft).
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.
Mud is a small village in the cold desert region of Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, India. Located at an altitude of 3,810 m (12,500 ft) on the left bank of the Pin River, a right bank tributary of the Spiti River, the village is nestled at the base of the Parbati range that towers almost vertically 1,600 m (5,200 ft) above. Mud is near the boundary of the Pin Valley National Park and is a convenient base for treks in the park, and to the neighbouring districts of Kullu and Kinnaur. It is the last village on the Spiti side of the Pin Parbati trek to Kullu and the Pin Bhaba trek to Kinnaur.
Mane Kogma and Mane Yogma are two small villages on opposite banks of a nullah in the cold desert region of Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, India. The villages, at an altitude of 3,650 m (11,980 ft), are located on a small plateau about 200 m (660 ft) above the right bank of the Spiti River. Due to the lush green fields visible only after climbing the barren slope, the villages are referred to as the "hidden treasure".
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.
