Kaza, Himachal Pradesh
Kaza, Himachal Pradesh
Kaza Karze or Karzey | |
|---|---|
town | |
  Kaza, Himachal Pradesh Location in Himachal Pradesh, India  Kaza, Himachal Pradesh Kaza, Himachal Pradesh (India) | |
| Coordinates: 32°13′N 78°05′E / 32.22°N 78.08°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| District | Lahaul and Spiti |
| Elevation | 3,800 m (12,500 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 3,231 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 172114 |
| Telephone code | 01906 - STD code |
| Vehicle registration | H.P.- 41 |
| Sex ratio | 974 ♂/♀ |
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The town of Kaza or Kaze is the subdivisional headquarters of the remote Spiti Valley in the western Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti district of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Spiti is a high altitude or cold 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 at an elevation of 3,650 metres (11,980 ft) above mean sea level, is the largest township and commercial center of the Spiti valley.
Description
The town is divided into the old, as Kaza Khas and new as Kaza Soma 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.[1][2] Approaching it from the south one sees Kyu-ling (Skyid-gling), the stately palace of the Nono (king) on the other side of the river.[3]
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 Monastery, 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 Poo, thereafter turning northwards to follow the Spiti river all the way to Kaza. The other road starts from Manali and after crossing the 13,090-foot (3,990 m) high Rohtang Pass to reach Gramphoo where it joins the road from Keylong and proceeds south along Chandra River till Batal then climbs up to cross the 14,928-foot (4,550 m) high Kunzum pass, enters the Spiti valley to reach Kaza. It remains closed during winter months, normally from October end to June due to heavy snowfall on both the passes.[4] Kaza is the one of the coldest towns in India. The temperature varies greatly in a different seasons and during a day, January is the coldest month of the year with an average temperature of -25 °C,while July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 10 °C.[citation needed]
Tourism
Kaza is known for its colorful festivals and the ancient Sakya Tangyud Monastery in a side valley, 14 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 as well as the cooler temperatures. This central location also makes Kaza an ideal base camp for trekking, mountaineering and tours directed to other parts of the valley. Some of the major tourist attractions in and around Kaza beside Tangyud Monastery are the Key Gompa, Kibber village at an elevation of 4205 m. above MSL, Gette Village at an altitude of 4270 m above MSL, Langza village famous for presents of marine fossils, the Pin Valley National Park, a protected area for himalayan high altitude wildlife and the Losar village 40 km to the north of Kaza at an altitude of 4079 m above MSL.[5]. About 32 km away from Kaza, Dhankar Fort is another tourist spot located on the left bank of Spiti River.
The highest post office in the world at Hikkim village (PIN 172114) at an elevation of 4,400 m (14,400 ft) is situated 46 km (29 mi) from Kaza. It sends postal letters to and receives postal articles from Kaza post office.[6][7]
Footnotes
- ^ Handa (1987), pp. 83-85.
- ^ Kapadia (1999), p. 204.
- ^ Francke (1914), p. 44.
- ^ "Lahaul & Spiti - land of lamas OR little Tibet OR Country of the gods OR The Land of haunting and unforgettable beauty". Himachal Tourism.
- ^ [Lahaul and Spiti district official website]
- ^ http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180606-the-worlds-highest-post-office
- ^ "The world's highest post office!". Rediff News. India. 20 September 2007.
References
- Ciliberto, Jonathan. (2013). "Six Weeks in the Spiti Valley". Circle B Press. 2013. Atlanta. ISBN 978-0-9659336-6-7
- Francke, A. H. (1914, 1926). Antiquities of Indian Tibet. Two Volumes. Calcutta. 1972 reprint: S. Chand, New Delhi.
- Handa, O. C. (1987). Buddhist Monasteries in Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi. ISBN 978-81-85182-03-2.
- Kapadia, Harish. (1999). Spiti: Adventures in the Trans-Himalaya. Second Edition. (1st edition 1996). Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi. ISBN 81-7387-093-4.
External links
Kaza travel guide from Wikivoyage- [1]
- Kaza Hill Station
- Parasol Retreat KAZA
- Kaza:A complete travel guide
Key Monastery.