Godly Gifts from Kinnaur

If ever I have ever thanked myself for something nice that I did in my life it was when I just went up to a travel agency and asked them to book me and my family on a blind tour. Yes, this was the surprise I was giving my family for turning forty.

So when the phone call suddenly came and informed us that we were going to Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh, for our holidays this time, I wasn’t surprised, but my family was sure shocked at the surprise trip.

So I celebrated my fortieth birthday at Kinnaur with my family. Surrounded by Tibet in the east and ensconced in the northeastern part of the state of Himachal Pradesh in India, Kinnaur lies around 235kms from the beautiful city of Shimla. This district of Kinnaur is endowed with an innate ability to look beautiful always. This coupled with the fact that it has the ranges of Dhauladhar, greater Himalayas and Zanskar around it adds to the already beautiful paradise. Besides the Sutlej, Baspa, Spiti and other tributaries have created a beautiful valley here lending more pleasure to the beautiful travel experience to Kinnaur.

Kinnaur is very famous for the magnanimous Shivlinga which is found at the height of the Kinner Kailash Mountain. This place has become a great tourist spot since the year 1989. There is a road which passes through the valley of Kinnaur and this enters the country of Tibet in the Shipki la Pass. The road passes adjacent to the River Sutlej and the sight is something any tourist should surely see. The scenic elegance here and the lovely culture and lifestyle of the people here all ensured that our trip to Kinnaur was the best choice, blind or ordinary.

As we entered the land of beautiful landscapes, I could understand that the people here followed Buddhism, and also Hinduism. I had read it and then I saw and interacted with some people and came to know that there was a mix of both religions here. It is believed that the Pandavas came and lived here while they were in their exile. There are many monasteries in this area and it adds to the charm that the place voluntarily has. The harmonious existence of the two religions is another great aspect that I noticed in Kinnaur.

I could really give a lot of time to my children and my husband was busy taking photographs everywhere we went. Here is where we found the best variety of apples, dry fruits and chilgoza. Here the place was filled with a rugged landscape and high terrains. Adventure sports is a way of life here for the locals. We indulged in most of them and enjoyed trekking too in the Parikrama of Kinner Kailash.

Then we went to see the Lake Nako which was beautiful and the surrounding ambience a treat to our eyes. Then there were sanctuaries here which we planned to visit. All in all, we were quite happy we made the choice to come to a place on a blind choice.  Surely the travel agency had chosen the best for us.

Actually this is one of the smallest Indian districts if you value the size by population statistics. Lying at a height of 2320m, Kinnaur is certainly a must see place for anyone. The climate here is temperate and the winters are quite long here. With short summers, it allows the tourists to visit this place in the intermittent period. The valleys get a lot of rain but the upper regions are arid most of the time.

One thing I loved about the place and which I am not able to shrug off even now, is the simple beauty of the place. With the loveliest green pastures and the greatest natural surroundings, Kinnaur surely was a treat for us. We were quite happy to go around and enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.

We wore our light woolen clothes as it was a little chilly. Then we went shopping around Kinnaur. Very famous for its lovely items of handicrafts and crafts the caps, shawls and mufflers were very nice and beautiful. We bought some for ourselves and some for friends. There were wood carved objects and lot of metal work substances. Gold and Silver ornaments were displayed. We did a lot of shopping and bought what we could take back. The place was filled with gudmas, neoza, shawls and zira, which were the regular woolen products of Kinnaur. We also went to a fair there and enjoyed ourselves.

It is said that in ancient times people used to walk through the thick forests here and crossed the passes which were unknown then and searched for proper grounds for grazing and also for hunting. With the beautiful rhododendrons and blue pine, besides the deodar and the chir forming a major part of the surroundings, I came back happy with my family getting the best treat of their lives.