Kalpa - Into the Land of Buddha

Himalaya at Kalpa

When I planned to visit Kalpa, in Kinnaur, people back in Kolkata said you are going to the doorstep to heaven. After visiting Kalpa, I could surely agree to them. I have indeed been to the doorstep to heaven, if not into the heaven.

Fagu & Narkanda

The journey towards Kalpa started on an early summer day, from Fagu in Himachal. Fagu is an extremely beautiful place with lush green valleys and apple orchards all around. Those seeking respite from the urban chaos of Shimla, Fagu can be an ideal leisure destination for them. We reached HPTDC's Apple Blossom Hotel at Fagu on a rainy afternoon which later turned into a heavy thundershower. I was worried, if I would get a clear sky in Kalpa. The view of Kinnaur Kailash range from Kalpa, is to die for and I hardly wanted to miss that. Luckily things got cleared up late in the evening and we got some rain drenched view of the valley in Fagu.

 Valley view from HPTDC Fagu

Next morning we started really early from Fagu. By 9 am we reached Narkanda, one of the highest area, in the Hindustan-Tibet road. The view from Narkanda is superb. The lofty hills covered with thick deodars were looking fresh, after the overnight rain. In the lower slopes we could see the apple orchards. It was early summer, the flowering season is over, and most of the trees were now laden with baby apples.

Driving Past Narkanda to Kalpa

We had our breakfast in a road side restaurant in Narkanda. We planned to drive nonstop from Narkanda to Kalpa, which could take almost 6 hours. So we refueled ourselves with a heavier than usual breakfast. 3 sumptuous tandoori alu parantha with some red hot chutney and a cup of piping hot Pahari chai with a milk and sugar overdose. In the cold morning, it was the best thing we could have asked for.

After Narkanda we started climbing downhill till Rampur. Rampur is a busy town, on the banks of Sutlej, and the erstwhile capital of the Rampur Bushahr region. The markets were crowded, and the weather was hot. Only beauty was the streets canopied with violet Jacaranda - a summer gift of the nature in this region. We quickly drove past Rampur, and once again purred on the hilly roads. Within next hour we crossed Jeori, the last big settlement in this route and entered Kinnaur. A gate erected on the roadside greeted us – ‘Welcome to Devbhoomi Kinnaur’.

Entering Kinnaur...

As we entered Kinnaur district the road condition deteriorated a bit. From Fagu till Jeori it was a silky smooth drive, within the Shimla district, however Kinnaur, being a remote district, the development seemed to have taken a backseat. The roads became narrow, and more rugged. But it was still manageable. The traffic also became less. We could hardly find cars and buses coming from opposite end. It took us another hour to reach Wangtu. As soon as we crossed Wangtu, we realized we are in for a rough ride. The metaled road gave way for a dirt track. The next 35 kilometers till Powari, would be like this. Our car somehow crawled in this nonexistent road, for next 3 hours to reach Powari. Along the way we had the raging torrent of Sutlej as the only companion. The population along the road was also nonexistent. With the rugged mountain all around us, It felt like we were driving through a different planet altogether.

Entering Kinnaur - The Raging Satluj with Kinner Kailash in backdrop

From Powari, we left the Hindustan Tibet road, and took a detour towards Recong Peo – the district headquarter of Kinnaur and more popular as ‘Peo’ among the locals. The road condition improved. We started climbing uphill, the vegetation also changed, we could see more deodar and apple trees in the hill slopes. 
Suddenly after a sharp bend, the mighty Kinnaur Kailash range appeared in all its glory. It was so close, it felt like you could almost touch it. We understood, we were entering the Devbhoomi. For the rest of the journey till Kalpa, the mighty snow peaks accompanied us. It was almost 2.30 p.m. when we reached Kalpa. We had covered 214 kilometers of road in 7 long hours.

Kalpa - The First View

Kalpa - The Jewel of Kinnaur

Kalpa was love at first sight. It had to be. We had our accommodation booked in the Kinner Kailash hotel run by HPTDC. It is on the highest point at Kalpa, and from the compound you get an unobstructed view of the Kinnaur Kailash range. Even in an early summer afternoon, the sky was clear enough to let us enjoy the majestic mountains. The Kinner Kailash Sivalinga which is a monolithic 73 feet high stone, was also clearly visible on top of Kinner Kailash peak. This Sivalinga is indeed a wonder of the nature. How a 73 feet high stone is standing on top of a mountain peak, is beyond imagination, but that’s why Kinnaur is called the Devbhoomi.

Kinnaur Kailash Cottages

The hotel is aesthetically built, in traditional style with wood finish, which blended perfectly with the nature. The check in was hassle free. We had the booking of the Kinnaur Kailash cottages - a separate building couple of steps away from the main Hotel building, which housed two beautifully decorated suite cottages on upper floor. We immediately liked the accommodation. After the long journey, we were tired, so refreshed ourselves with a nice bath, and had a quick nap. The nap had to be short enough so that we don’t miss on the nature’s bounty much.

What a view - Primary Health Centre Kalpa

By 5.30 p.m. we were back in outdoors. In these western part of India, sunset doesn’t happen before 7 o clock. So we had ample time to enjoy a quick walk around the village and enjoy the surroundings. 
Kalpa is one of the larger villages in Kinnaur. Due to the apple production, the economy of the area is also developed, and the living standard of villagers are also quite high. That reflects in the village houses. Most of the house in the village is double storied, have nice traditional decorations and typical Kinnaur style slate roofs. 
The culture is a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism. There is a definite influence of Tibet in Kinnaur’s culture, and Kalpa is no different. The village has a monastery and a temple side by side, and they remain in complete harmony. When we were walking through the village, the monastery was playing the chant of Abolokiteshwar, and the divine music reverberating from the high hills, created a magical ambiance in the entire village. This chant is a symbol of peace, and Kalpa probably was the best place to play that music.

Sunset on Jorkanden Peak at Kalpa

Next in store for us was a brilliant sunset. The setting sun painted the majestic Kinner Kailash range in its golden hues. All the snow peaks starting from Kinner Kailash in left to Jorkanden in right were painted in gold. The entire range in its golden avatar created an ethereal effect. Slowly the sun set, and the golden peaks turned white once more. As the evening set in, I thanked the almighty for creating such a spectacle, and letting us experience the same.

Himalaya from hotel Kinner Kailash compound

The evening created another surreal effect in Kalpa. Since the snow peaks are so close in Kalpa, even in the moonlight they could be clearly visible in distance in their white attire. As soon as the sun set, the nip in the air became a chill, and we had to huddle inside the quilt. But that didn't prevent us from enjoying the nature. 
Through the big French window in our cottages, we could clearly see the majestic snow peaks even in the moonlit night. We switched off all the lights inside the room, to reduce the reflection and to clearly see the mountains. It was really an awesome experience.

Birding at Kalpa - Coal Tit

Next Morning - At Roghi & Kothi Villages

Next morning we wake up early to watch the sunrise. Though not as spectacular as the sunset, the morning colors in the sky looked amazing. The birds were chirping in the orchards. I tried to click few of them, and after few attempts got some decent snap of a ‘Coal Tit’ and a ‘Himalayan Bulbul’.

Roghi Village Kinnaur

After a hearty breakfast we once again set out to explore the vicinity. Roghi village, situated 3 kms. walking distance from Kalpa is another scenic spot in the region. The road that goes to Roghi is one of the most dangerous road in this entire region. It’s a single lane narrow mountain road, with a sheer drop of more than thousand feet along its edge. One such corner of this road is named as suicide point, and aptly so. If you have vertigo, please don’t travel in this road. 

Road to Roghi from Kalpa

We walked along this road, enjoying the scenic beauty. The Snow Mountains were visible in the distance flanked by occasional deodars. Roghi is a typical Kinnauri hamlet with slate roofed village houses and apple orchards. As we entered the village, people greeted us with a smile. We roamed around a bit on the nook and corner of the village, visited the Vishnu temple on the village, and returned back to our hotel. More than the village, it’s the road which enticed us.
Next we drove back to Recong Peo, for some marketing. Peo has quite a bustling market square. We were looking for some authentic Kinnauri shawl. We got that in a shop. The shawls were beautiful, with intricate designs. However the range starts from 10K onwards. That was too high for us, so we had to drop that plan. Apart from apple Kinnaur is famous for Rajma. So we bought some local rajma as a token from the market.

Durga Temple at Kothi Kinnaur

During return we visited the beautiful Durga temple at Kothi village, which is in between Peo and Kalpa. The temple has intricate wooden carvings and a sprawling courtyard. Kothi is a model village under the Swach Bharat Campaign. The cleanliness around the village was really astonishing. It was really a pleasure to walk around the squeaky clean village lanes with Snowy Mountain in the backdrop.

The afternoon was once again spent in the hotel compound watching the brilliant sunset once more.

Our sojourn in this beautiful part of world was coming to an end. But we made a promise to ourselves to come back to the ‘doorstep to heaven’ once more. Kinnaur is the gateway to Spiti, so maybe it is Spiti where we will find the heaven on earth. Till then, let’s hope Kinnaur keeps its pristine beauty alive!

Travel Tips

When Visiting Kinnaur, you can start your Journey from Fagu, instead of Shimla
HPTDC Fagu Apple Blossom is a very scenic Hotel
Start early and drive non-stop from Fagu to Kalpa. It will take around 7 hours
HPTDC Kinnaur Kailash is the best accommodation at Kalpa
Kinnaur Kailash cottages have beautiful suite rooms with privacy
Walk aimlessly around the villages near Kalpa. They are beautiful.
Come early April. The apple orchards will be in full bloom with white flowers