Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh

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Kalpa is a small village located above the Kinnauri River Valley and above the district capital of Reckong Peo, in Himachal Pradesh, Northern India, in the Indian Himalayas. Inhabited by the Kinnauri people, apple orchards, irrigated by snow melt, are the main crop. The local inhabitants follow a syncretism of Hinduism and Buddhism, and many temples in Kalpa are dedicated to both Hindu and Buddhist gods. Kalpa is located roughly at an elevation of 8,000 feet or more.

Kalpa is at a height of 10,900 feet in Himachal Pradesh, 265 km beyond Shimla on the NH22 in Kinnaur District. It is located at the base of the Kinner Kailash snow-capped ranges. The Shivling peaks rise up to 20,000 feet. Kalpa itself is located amongst apple orchards, pine-nut forests and the stately deodhars. It is above the town of Reckong Peo, the district headquarters of Kinnaur, which has a hundred-year-old Buddhist monastery.

Kalpa is a town with a history of ancient temples. The Sutlej River below hurtles through deep gorges, the winding mountain road is bordered by chilgoza forests. The serenity of this sleepy hamlet was not often visited by foreigners until recently, but there are still relatively few visitors. There are now over 5 places to stay in Kalpa and more, below, in Reckong Peo where travelers must stop to get their interline permits to continue upwards to the Spiti Valley, which is a small, ancient, part of what used to be Tibet.

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