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Sandwiched between the Zanskar in the north and the Great Himalayas in the south, Spiti is a secluded border region of Himachal Pradesh. Wild, rugged and remote, Spiti conjures up images of a lost land forgotten in time. Sculpted by wind and ice, the surreal landscape of Spiti overpowers even the most seasoned traveller and the sheer scale of its barren mountain landscape makes even the greatest human endeavour look small. It's hard to believe anything could survive in this cold, desolate place, yet the valley is dotted with tiny hamlets. These villages are like green oases in the cold barren desert and are inhabited by a few thousand hardy people, whose culture is as unique as the landscape. The Spitians have
adapted their way of life remarkably to the cold desert environment
and have lived off the land since times immemorial. The ancient
monasteries at Kye, Tabo, Kungri and Dhankar, which are a treasure
trove of ancient Buddhism, are testimony to the survival of a
flourishing culture that has withstood not only the harsh environment
but also repeated invasions from neighbouring Ladakh and Tibet. The
vast wilderness of Spiti is also home to an amazing variety of exotic
and rare wildlife, including the elusive snow leopard, musk deer and
ibex.
The physical landscape dates even further back to the time when the Himalayas were born. The fossils of marine life scattered throughout the region speak of the earth's past, when the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian landmass and folded the sediments of the Tethys Sea. Spiti, in fact, is an important chapter in the earth's geological history and is an open book narrating this story of the earth's violent past. Over the years, the elements have weathered the mountain ridges, exposing the very backbone of the earth. Spiti was off limits to foreign tourists until 1994, when it was opened to them, and since then, the number of visitors to the valley has grown steadily. Last year, 2567 foreign tourists entered the valley through Kinnaur district and a thousand more visited it through the Manali route, which is the most preferred route among foreign tourists. In addition, a greater number of domestic tourists have started pouring into the valley every year, thanks to the better roads that now connect the region to the rest of the state. As a result, a whiff of change is already visible all along the main highway and the impact of this influx of tourists is most visible at Kaza, the subdivisional headquarters, which is today transformed into a typical tourist town, with concrete hotels and dhabas serving exotic dishes. There are also reports of tourists and locals collecting precious prehistoric fossils in the Langza region for souvenirs or sale in the international market. But venture deep into
the remote villages in the Pin valley or Gue village close to the
Tibetan border, and they still seem to be wrapped in a time capsule.
Here, a traveller is a guest and is offered the best of Spitian
hospitality.
Tourism has been a mixed blessing in this remote region so far. It has brought in the much-needed cash to the locals and funds for the restoration of the centuries’ old monasteries. But additional population pressure has put undue strain on the scarce resources. The bold Spitian landscape is deceptive and very fragile. A gust of wind or an occasional downpour can bring an entire mountainside crashing down to the valley floor. The harsh cold desert also has a limited carrying capacity. Development, therefore, needs to be well planned and fine tuned to the local environment. Like the oldest monastery in the region, the Dhankar Gompa, which the Spitians say will be the last to fall, it can only be hoped that the entire Spiti valley will be the last to succumb to the negative fallouts of modernisation and the tourism boom.
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