Only since 1977 have visitors
been permitted to cross the Rohtang Pass to
Keylong in Lahaul. Only 117 km from Manali
this is a Tibetan region, quite unlike the
Kulu Valley. The Rohtang Pass has the same
'gateway' nature as the Zoji La pass does
between Kashmir and Ladakh. The region is
bounded by Ladakh to the north, Kulu to the
south and Tibet to the east. All of Spiti
and a large chunk of Lahaul is off-limits to
visitors. You cannot continue up the jeep
road from Keylong to Leh in Ladakh but you
can make the long and difficult trek from
Keylong to Padum in the Zanskar Valley and
from there into Ladakh.
۞ Rohtang Pass :
The 3915 metre Rohtang Pass only access into
Lahaul and it is open only from June to
September each year although trekkers can
cross the pass a little before it is open
for vehicles. During the short season it is
open there are regular buses from Manali to
Keylong. The tourist office operates a daily
Rs 35 bus up to the Pass, mainly for
tourists to 'see the snow'. It's a very
spectacular trip over the pass.
۞ Keylong
The main town in the Lahaul and Spiti
region; there are a number of interesting
monasteries within easy reach of this
oasis-like town. The old Kharding Monastery,
formerly the capital of Lahaul, overlooks
Keylong, only 3.5 km away. Other monasteries
include Shashur (three km), Tayal (six km)
and Guru Ghantal (11 km).
۞ Other Places
Gondhla, with its eight
storey castle of the Thakur of Gondhla and
the historically significant gompa, is a
short distance before Keylong on the Manali-Keylong
road. You can trek back to Gondhla from
Keylong, cutting across the loop the road
makes. Between Gondhla and Keylong is Tandi
where the Chandrabagha or Chenab River meets
the road. Following the Chenab valley to the
north-west towards Kilar will bring you to
Triloknath with its six-armed white marble
image of Avalokitesvara. Close by is the
village of Udaipur with a finely carved
wooden temple from the 10th or 11th century
which is dedicated to Mrikula Devi.
۞ Spiti
The 4500 metre Kunzam pass connects the
Lahaul and Spit valleys. Eventually a road
will be completed from Kaza, the principal
Spiti village, south-east through Samdoh to
meet the Hindustan-Tibet road. There are few
settlements in this barren, high region.
Kaza (or Kaja) is the main village and
slightly north-west of this is Kibar (or
Kyipur) which is at 4205 metres and reputed
to be the highest village in the world. Tabo
Kye and Dhankhar are two of the most
important gompas.
Climate
As in Ladakh little rain gets over the high
Himalayan barrier so Lahaul and Spiti are
dry and, for the most part, barren. The air
is sharp and clear and the warm summer days
are followed by cold, crisp nights. Beware
of the burning power of the sun in this
region you can get burnt very quickly even
on quite cool days. The heavy winter snow
from September to May closes the passes
except for a few months of each year.
Culture
The people of Lahaul and Spiti follow a
Tibetan form of Tantric Buddhism with a
panoply of demons, saints and followers. The
monasteries, known as gompas, are colourful
places where the monks or lamas lead lives
ordered by complicated regulations and
rituals. There are many similarities between
these people and the Ladakhis, further
north. The people of Spiti are almost: all
Buddhists of Tibetan stock but Lahaul is
split roughly 50:50 between Buddhists and
Hindus.
۞ Getting There
Although the pass may be open by mid-May a
safer date is mid-June. The bus trip takes
eight hours and costs Rs 19. It's 475 km
from Manali to Leh via Keylong but you need
special permission to use this road.
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