Spiti Through Legend and Lore

Imagine a remote valley high up in the Western Indian Himalaya, abutting Tibet. A valley that at various times in history has been part of the Tibetan realm. A valley one hundred per cent Buddhist. A valley abounding in fossils of the inhabitants of the prehistoric Tethys Sea. A valley with a stunning moonscape. A valley that is a world within a world. A world they call Spiti. Says Kim, the eponymous protagonist of Rudyard Kipling’s classic, "…Surely the Gods live here.. This is no place for men.." Sandwiched between perennially snow-capped mountains, Spiti remains largely unknown. The approach to the valley is not easy. The narrow, rough road leading to it takes one through canyons, across streams, beneath overhangs and over high mountain-passes. Tibet is barely a day’s walk away. Little wonder then that Tibetan Buddhism has flourished in Spiti for over a thousand years, a period which saw the founding of magnificent monasteries such as Tabo, Dangkhar, Ghungri, Tangyud and Key. The mystique of the land is palpable. Spiti’s history, unlike that of Tibet, is for the most part unrecorded. Yet it boasts an equally rich heritage, among it a repository of local legends and tales. Spiti through Legend and Lore brings out the exoticism and uniqueness of this isolated valley, not only through text but also through exquisite supporting photographs.