Kaza, Spiti
Encyclopedia
The town of Kaza, Kaze or Kaja is the subdivisional headquarters of the remote Spiti Valley
valley in the Lahaul and Spiti district of the state of Himachal Pradesh
in the Western Himalayas
of India. Spiti, which is a part of the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal, is a high altitude desert having close similarities to the neighbouring Tibet
and Ladakh
regions in terms of terrain, climate and the Buddhist culture. Kaza, situated along the Spiti River river at an elevation of 3800 metres (12,467.2 ft) above mean sea level, is the largest township and commercial center of the valley.
, the famous Gelugpa establishment. The route through Kinnaur is open throughout the year, except for occasional short periods resulting from landslides or heavy snowfall. This road, starting from Shimla
, follows the Sutlej
river unto a little beyond Reckong Peo, thereafter turning northwards to follow the Spiti river all the way to Kaza. The other road starts from Manali and after crossing the 13090 feet (3,989.8 m) high Rohtang Pass
and the 14928 feet (4,550.1 m) high Kunzum pass, enters the Spiti valley to reach Kaza. It remains closed during winter months due to heavy snowfall on both the passes.http://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/lahaul-spiti.html
Tangyud Monastery in a side valley, 4 km from the town. It is also popular with tourists and adventure seekers during summer months because of its central location and connections to rest of the valley and outside. This central location also makes Kaza an ideal base camp for trekking, mountaineering and tours directed to other parts of the valley. There is a PWD rest house and a private hotel.
Spiti Valley
The Spiti Valley is a desert mountain valley located high in the Himalaya mountains in the north-eastern part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name "Spiti" means "The Middle Land", i.e. the land between Tibet and India....
valley in the Lahaul and Spiti district of the state of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
in the Western Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
of India. Spiti, which is a part of the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal, is a high altitude desert having close similarities to the neighbouring Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
regions in terms of terrain, climate and the Buddhist culture. Kaza, situated along the Spiti River river at an elevation of 3800 metres (12,467.2 ft) above mean sea level, is the largest township and commercial center of the valley.
Description
The town is divided into the old and new sections. The new town contains the administrative buildings. The Tangyud (Tang-rGyud) Gompa dates to the early 14th century and is built like a fortified castle with massive slanted mud walls and battlements with vertical red ochre and white vertical stripes. It is on the edge of a deep canyon and overlooking the town of Kaza, 4 km from the town. Approaching it from the south one sees Kyu-ling (Skyid-gling), the stately palace of the Nono on the other side of the river.Access
Kaza is overlooked by high mountain ridges on all sides. It has two access points : one from Kinnaur valley and the other from the Lahaul valley, 11 km from Ki MonasteryKi Monastery
Key Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on top of a hill at an altitude of above sea level, close to the Spiti River, in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh, Lahaul and Spiti district, India....
, the famous Gelugpa establishment. The route through Kinnaur is open throughout the year, except for occasional short periods resulting from landslides or heavy snowfall. This road, starting from Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, follows the Sutlej
Sutlej
The Sutlej River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Sulaiman Range in Pakistan.The Sutlej...
river unto a little beyond Reckong Peo, thereafter turning northwards to follow the Spiti river all the way to Kaza. The other road starts from Manali and after crossing the 13090 feet (3,989.8 m) high Rohtang Pass
Rohtang Pass
Rohtang Pass , is a high mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas some from Manali...
and the 14928 feet (4,550.1 m) high Kunzum pass, enters the Spiti valley to reach Kaza. It remains closed during winter months due to heavy snowfall on both the passes.http://www.himachaltourism.org/tourist-attractions/lahaul-spiti.html
Tourism
Kaza is known for its colorful festivals and the ancient SakyaSakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
Tangyud Monastery in a side valley, 4 km from the town. It is also popular with tourists and adventure seekers during summer months because of its central location and connections to rest of the valley and outside. This central location also makes Kaza an ideal base camp for trekking, mountaineering and tours directed to other parts of the valley. There is a PWD rest house and a private hotel.