1. 

   Lahaul and Spiti are two beautiful cold desert valleys in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, lying on the Indo-Tibet border. Both the valleys, which remained remote and completely untouched by the tourists until recently, are incomparable in their mountainous landscape that comprise of rugged rocky mountains, glaciers, rivers, and snow-covered peaks. Lahaul especially is characterised by uniformly high rugged mountains and large glaciers. It also has the two rivers, Chandra and Bhaga that start from two sides of the Baralacha La, and flow through the narrow Chandra and Bhaga valleys to meet at Tandipule and flow as one by the name Chandrabhaga.

2. 

   Lahoul valley, lying at an average height of 9000 feet above sea level, is a land of mixed religions that comprise of primitive folk religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism, thus showing great diversity in its art and culture. The temples and monasteries of Lahoul are storehouses of old sculptures, wood carvings, and wall paintings. The Lahoul valley has a unique position on the world map as it falls in the “tectonic collision zone between the Indian and Asian continental plates.” It also stands between two climatic types: dry cold climate of the Central Asian terrain and the wet climate of the southern Himalayan slopes.

3. 

   Lahouli summers are cool with widespread flowering of alpine flowers and green grass. With very little rains, Lahoul is an ideal place for trekkers and travellers to explore the remote areas and enjoy the Himalayan wilderness from June-July until October.

4. 

   The district headquarters of Lahoul is in Keylong that is 71 km via the newly built Atal tunnel from Manali District. The southern portal of the Atal Tunnel is at around 25 km from Manali via the Solang valley at an altitude of 10039 feet, while the north portal of the tunnel is located near village Teling, near Sissu, in Lahaul Valley (10075 feet). This tunnel, no short of an engineering marvel, has been built to by-pass the landslide prone Rohtang La, and falls in the eastern Pir Panjal range on the Leh-Manali Highway, running for 9.02 km at 10,171 feet above sea level.

5. 

   From Keylong there are various off the main-route roads that the Himalayan lovers can take to explore. One such scenic high-altitude road takes the travellers to the remote village of Khangsar Khar (khang-gsar mkhar). Besides the beauty of the surrounding landscape that allows a bird’s eye view of the Jispa valley down below, the village also holds a 200 year old mud palace of the Thakurs of Khangsar, locally known as Kolong. The palace which was built with the labour of the local common people is made entirely of stones with thick mud coating on the outside and wooden frameworks, which was once the common feature of all structures seen across the Lahoul and Spiti valleys.

6. 

   The Khangsar Khar palace which once held 108 rooms (most of it has been ruined) has big wooden beams for pillars that were brought in from the village of Mooling by the local people, and the pretty wood carvings were hand carved by Meme Kasse (translated: the old man Kasse). The top floor of the palace holds a room for worship known as chhod-kyang, a monastery like chamber that is used and maintained by the residents of whole village.

7. 

   The village of Khangsar Khar holds the festival called Chhodpa (Worship) during the summer and winter, where the main attraction is the lion dance. In the winter the lion dance is replaced with an arrow game on snow. The Palace, which is currently under the ownership of the younger son of the last princess of the thakurs, was renovated by the ASI that saved it from getting completely ruined. The current owner has plans to turn the palace into a museum and the palace grounds into a commercial establishment with cottages for the tourists to attract more travellers to this beautiful and remote village.

8. 

   Travel tips: Lahaol is well connected via the Atal tunnel from Manali. Barring the winter months, one can take a local bus or rent a car taxi from Manali and explore the valleys of Lahoul- Spiti, or even move farther to Leh in the UT of Ladakh. Do remember to carry woollens whenever u travel to these high-altitude valleys, bottles of drinking water, and a waste bin bag to bring back all the litter that you make.
   
   (By Monidipa Dey - The author is a well-known heritage and travel writer. All images provided by the author. Views expressed are personal.)