This district of Himachal Pradesh is situated in the northeastern corner of the state. It has the Chamba district on its west and the borders of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Kinnaur districts on its south. In the north is Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh while on its east is Tibet. The district is made up of two large valleys of Lahaul and Spiti. ‘Kyelang’ is the district headquarters. Lahaul is on the western side of the district and has the rivers Chandra and Bhaga (which later merge to become the Chenab) flow through it. Both rivers originate near ‘Bara Lacha’ in the north of the district. The area hardly gets any rains in the monsoons and is best described as a barren landscape with sparse vegetation. The Lahaul plateau is very dry and cold surrounded by high mountains on all sides. It has a vast number of glaciers among which the biggest is the ‘Bara Shingri’. Bleak and wind swept, this land is also described as having a moon-like landscape while some call it the land of the Lamas. Buddhism is the main religion of the district. Spiti, with its headquarters at Kaza is also called ‘Little Tibet’. It has the Spiti river flowing through it with deep gorges at places. The mountains are unique and the valleys are not that wide. People have fields near their villages where they grow barley, buckwheat, vegetables especially peas. It has a number of beautiful peaks, valleys and high passes with frozen waterfalls and glaciers. The summers in the valleys can be very pleasant. The fields of crops, grasses and alpine flowers make it a very charming place to visit.

The people of Lahaul and Spiti are simple, hardworking and honest folks. Most of them follow Buddhism and are very religious in their attitude towards life. You can find a fascinating array of Buddhist art and culture. A large number of monasteries, some quite ancient, are also found in the district. They are all worth a visit and will leave you spellbound with their ancient 'thangkas', murals, woodcarvings and gold statues of the Buddhist pantheon of Gods and Gurus. The people here are hospitable, charming and friendly and gather together at every little occasion to sing and dance on traditional styles and times and to exchange folk tales and ancient legends. You can see their love for their culture, tradition and home, in their songs, dances and way of life. They love to dress up and enjoy and when they do, you would be enthralled by the richness of their culture and clothes. They love to wear silks and brocades. Exquisitely done embroidery is another of their favorites. A traditional devil dance is a must at all occasion. They wear masks while performing this dance depicting the victory of good over evil. You can enter the district through ‘Rohtang Pass’ which connects the Kullu district with Lahaul and Spiti. Some of the places, which can be visited, are Kyelong, Tandi, Udaypur, Triloknath, Spiti, Losar, Kaza, Khoksar, Gondla, Parvati valley, Pin river valley, Dungkar, Hansi and Kausik valleys. These beautiful valleys, with their isolated and unique cultures, make for very pleasant treks. Tourists need a special permit to enter the Spiti valley, which is well known for its ‘Pashmina’ wool.

In the 10^th century, upper Lahaul was united with Spiti and Zanskar as a part of Lahaul-west Tibet kingdom, referred as 'Guge'. Due to political influence, Ladakh was defected by the Mongol-Tibetan armies in the 18^th century. This led to Lahaul being split into 2 parts – the upper Lahaul that was under Kullu Raja and lower Lahaul came under the influence to the courts of Chamba.

Spiti was more isolated than Lahaul. It paid tribute to Ladakh until the Dogra army attacked and Zarawar Singh became the Governor between 1834-1839.

The Sikhs extended their power north across Lahaul after the annexation of Kullu in 1841. The entire region came under the influence of Ranjit Singh. A small army made an invasion, but the region remained a part of Ladakh until 1846. Kullu and Lahaul came under the British when the Kangra State was divided in 1847. Spiti along with Ladakh became a part of the Maharaja’s state of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1849, it came under the Kangra State after being exchanged for other territories. The area was upgraded, bridges were constructed and the trading activities flourished under the British. The Nonos, rulers of Spiti confined their trading activities to the Tibetans and Thakurs of Lahaul. Today, one can find these Thakurs as far south as the Kullu Valley. Most of the people in Lahaul & Spiti are Buddhist and some are Hindus. The people are charming, friendly and hospitable with their own traditional culture, dances and legends.

Anyone wanting to go to Spiti requires an inner line permit. Lahaul & Spiti is the only region in India where hops are grown, mainly for the manufacture of beer, as well as coffee and chocolates.

Dankar Gompa

Dankar Gompa was once the site of the ancient capital of Spiti. The Gompa has over 150 monks, some fascinating ‘thangka’ sculptures and a statue of the 'Dhyan Buddha'. Some of the Gompas were destroyed during a particularly harsh winter in 1989. There is a small lake about 3km to the back of the Dankar village.

Keylong is located on a fertile plain and is a place to break the journey from Leh to Manali. Keylong is the capital of Lahaul & Spiti.

Keylong is very famous for its Gompas. The most beautiful & fascinating among the Gompas are: