Reckong Peo also known as Peo by the locals, is the headquarters of Kinnaur district. It's a 2 hour ride i.e. 42 km from Sangla village. This town is very near to Kalpa village. This small town has all basic facilities like medicine, electricity, food shops and many more. The best in this town is the majestic peaks of Kinner Kailash.
Inner line-permits for the Lahaul & Spiti can also be arranged from Peo.
This town is the entry point for Kalpa town.
While travelling from Sangla to Kalpa we took a small halt at Reckong Peo and we went around exploring the little town. It is a very beautiful town surrounded by the Kinner Kailash ranges. The market area in Peo is a busy place with numbers of shops from clothing, to all house hold things, cyber cafe, camera shops, Atm and every basic necessities are available.
Kalpa is a small village in the Sutlej river valley just 7 km from Reckong Peo in the district of Kinnaur. The locals follow Syncretism of Hinduism and Buddhism, many temples in Kalpa are dedicated to both Hindu & Buddhist gods and goddesses. A land known for its myths and fantasies. One of the prime attraction of Kalpa is the Kinner Kailash mountains, which is considered to be sacred as a Shiva Lingam measuring 70 m in height sits on the top of the peak which attracts a large number of devotees and tourist all year round. Other major attractions are the Narayana-Nagini temple, Buddhist monastery Kalpa, Chandika Devi temple & Kalpa fort. Suicide point is another tourist spot at around 10 minutes walk from the town. Batseri village on the way up is famous for handicrafts.
This village is one fairly dense cluster and then, several scattered houses. In the village, is a remarkable architectural piece in the shape of the Narayan-Nagini temple. This has superb woodwork and faces the Kinner Kailash mountains. While traveling from Reckong Peo to Kalpa we were followed by a procession where some locals were carrying two palanquin of their deities and the others were following them with drum beats and trumpet, to the Narayan-Nagini temple.
The Narayan-Nagini temple quite revered and ancient, it's a brillliant example of Kinnaur's art and craftsmanship. It has superb woodwork and faces the Kinner Kailash mountains. This temple is where some of the major celebrations and rituals of the distinctive festival of Phulaich also called Ookhyang, which is referred as the "festival of flowers"are held towards the end of autumn.
We found ourselves fortunate enough to witness the local festival at the Narayan-Nagini temple, as we followed the palanquin procession from Reckong-Peo which stopped at the Narayan temple. The temple was filled with locals, two different sides were divided for males and females and they sang and chanted prayer and played drums and trumpet & worshiped the deities in the palanquin, which was then put inside the main chamber of the temple by the local men. It is amazing to see that these custom and traditions are still alive even today when people are well educated and globally exposed, even though they live modern lives, the ancient tribal rules come to life when they celebrate.
The Durga Temple at Kalpa is and ancient temple which is just few steps from the Narayan-Nagini temple, this temple too is a beautiful piece of art with beautifully wood carved. The main temple and the gate has Buddhist/ Tibetan influence art with two wood carved tigers and ibex horns attached. Beyond the main temple we see the Shiva Lingam of the Kinner Kailash up on the top of snow caped peaks.
LOCHAWA LA-KHANG
En route to the Narayan-Nagini temple is the LOCHAWA LA-KHANG Buddhist monastery of Kalpa. The stacked stone walls of the Hu-bu-lan-kar gompa or the Buddhist monastery Kalpa are supposed to date back to the 10th century when it was founded by the Great Translator, Rinchen Zangpo.
POOH ( puh )
The village lies just above the National highway 5, on your left. This has fairly dense cluster of habitation and few scattered houses around. There are dhabas and a couple of small hotels with basic facilities at Pooh.
We proceeded our journey from Kalpa to Nako just taking a small break at NH5 near Pooh. On our way to Nako we could differentiate the transforming landscape from lush green mountains to rusty yellow rugged mountains. We could also feel the change of the weather that turned colder with the change of altitude.
NAKO
is a village near the Indo-china border in the Trans-Himalayan region. It is128 km from kalpa and 33 km from Pooh. People in Nako believe in Buddhism. Hundred of scattered mud and stone houses are built around its little Lake. The visual perspective to see Nako changes depending on where you stand. The Nako lake is fringed with trees of willow & the lake stays frozen during winters. The Nako lake is the main attraction in Nako and the Nako monastery.
It is believed that the Nako monastery have been founded in 1025 AD and the four large temple halls of the monastery located near an emerald like lake the Nako lake still stands along with the ruins of monks and chortens. The stucco image of the Yellow Tara ( Grolgser ), a popular Tibetan deity is homed hear. Another deity called Deodum is in the Locha lha-khang complex of the monastery, a footprint like impression on a rock is ascribed to the saint Padmasambhava. Large prayer wheel and many Tibetan inscriptions are on the walls of the monastery.
Kinnaur has many phases to it and one has a lot to see in hear, people in lower Kinnaur like Sangla and Kalpa believes in Syncretism of Hinduism and Buddhism, but the upper Kinnaur is Buddhist oriented.
You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.
- Buddha
Photography- MAINAK NAYAK
Traveler- MAINAK NAYAK
Written- MAINAK NAYAK
Edit- MEDHA NAYAK & ADITI NANDI