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About
Chitkul |
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Chitkul is a village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh,
which the last inhabited village near the Indo-Tibet border.
The Indian road ends here. During winters the place mostly
remains covered with the snow and the inhabitants move to
lower regions of Himachal. Potatoes grown at Chittkul are one
of the best in the world and are very costly.
Chitkul is a small village sustaining few households and
wooden houses built around the temple. Chitkul is full of
incredible treks for various needs (length and fitness level)
otherwise the place offers do it yourself walking in every
direction. Very few places in the country offer this gravity
of freedom for outsiders. Following the Baspa River will take
you to Nagasthi, last post of ITBP and civilians are not
allowed beyond that point. One may get a glimpse of a lovely
waterfalls emerging from the mountains on the right but it’s a
steep hike uphill. |
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Location of Chitkul |
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Situated at an elevation of 3480 meters, Chitkul is surrounded
by Himalayan oak and pine forest. Chitkul offers exciting views
of Snow-clad Himalayas with Baspa River flowing beneath the
village. Due to heavy snow-fall, Chitkul remains snow-covered
during the winters. During summers, the transformation of
Chitkul in a colorful valley with orchards of apple, apricots
and wooden houses is really awesome. Chitkul falls on some of
the popular and off-beat treks of Himalayas and terminal of holy
Kinnaur Kailash Yatra. Chitkul is also the home of Kagyupa
temple which is highly honored in Buddhism. |
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Geography |
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Chitkul, on the banks of Baspa River is the first village of the
Baspa Valley and the last village on the old Hindustan-Tibet
trade route. It is also the last point in India one can travel
to without a permit. |
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Important Attractions in Chitkul |
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Prominent places of interest at Chitkul are its houses
with either slate or wooden plank roofs, a Buddhist temple
and a small tower. However, there has been an increased
use of tin-roofs, especially the high school and the army/ITBP
barracks.
The Kagyupa temple has a highly valued old image of the
Shakyamuni Buddha, a Wheel of Life mandala and four
Directional Kings on either side of the door. Chitkul is
almost the last point of the famous Kinner Kailash
Parikrama as one can hitch a hike from here onwards.
After one crosses over the 5,242 m high Charang Pass, it
is a long and steep run down through slithery scree slopes
to Chitkul (3,450m). The powerful goddess of Chitkul is
the only non-Buddhist deity to which respect must be paid
by the Parikrama pilgrims. It is believed that the local
Deity is related to the Deity of Gangotri and till
recently the locals would carry the Deity to Gangotri on
foot over high mountain passes. Chitkul is situated about
40 km from Karcham, the place where road splits from
Hindustan-Tibet Road (NH 22). The Sangla Valley is a
delight for nature lovers; especially the stretch after
Raksham and right up to Chitkul. The valley is very
beautiful, on the left bank of the Baspa River there are
snow-clad mountains and on the right bank the whole
landscape is full of apple orchids and wooden houses. |
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Transport |
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Chitkul is about 569 km from the National capital Delhi and 28
km from Sangla. This is the last Indian village on border with
China. The road doesn't take you till the actual border, it
closes about 90 km before it and then rest of the area is under
the control of Indian Paramilitary force ITBP. There are wooden
houses turned into hotels that can be found in Chitkul, these
hotels are a bit expensive and most of the tourist prefer to
stay at Sangla and make a day trip to this place. Sangla is
close to Chitkul and hotels and camps provide very good
arrangement for living and are comparatively cheaper. While in
Chhitkul make sure you carry adequate cash as there is no ATM
facility or fuel stations in this hilly area. There is also
neither a clinic nor any hospital in this area and one has to
travel back to Sangla for emergencies. Chitkul is very cold and
windy and the road normally closes down around November after
the first snowfall. |
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