Lahaul and Spiti district
Lahaul and Spiti district is a high-altitude district in Himachal Pradesh, north India. This entirely mountainous district consists of two geographically distinct as well as formerly separate political-administrative units, called Lahaul and Spiti. Lahaul and Spiti is the largest district by area in Himachal Pradesh, and one of the least populous districts in the whole of India. Kyelang in Lahaul is the headquarters of the whole district, while Spiti also has a subdivisional headquarters, at Kaza.
Lahaul and Spiti is fast becoming a top weekend getaway destination in Himachal, due to improved road access via Atal Tunnel and rising investment in resorts and adventure activities.
Geography
Physical
Geologically located in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, Lahaul and Spiti district is connected to Manali through the Rohtang Pass. Lahaul has three valleys, the Chandra valley, the Bhaga valley, and the Chandra-Bhaga valley. The confluence of the Chandra and the Bhaga rivers is at Tandi. The average elevation of Spiti is significantly greater than that of Lahaul. Lahaul receives much more rainfall than Spiti.Kunzum la or the Kunzum Pass is the entrance pass to the Spiti Valley in the east from Lahaul Valley in the west. It is from Chandra Tal. To the south, Spiti ends from Tabo, at the Sumdo where the road enters Kinnaur and joins National Highway 5. Spiti is barren and difficult to cross, with an average elevation of the valley floor of. It is surrounded by lofty ranges, with the Spiti River rushing out of a gorge in the southeast to meet the Sutlej River. It is a typical mountain desert area with an average annual rainfall of only.
Administrative
Lahaul and Spiti district borders the districts of Kullu, Kangra, and Chamba to the south; Chamba to the west; Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh union territories to the north; Tibet to the east, and Kinnaur district to the southeast.Lahaul and Spiti district is subdivided into two development blocks, Lahaul and Spiti.
History
Lahaul
Pre-modern and early modern
Lahaul was under the influence of the kingdom of Ladakh until the early 17th century. But the rulers of Chamba and Kullu also vied for control over Lahaul in that period. In the 17th century, Lahaul came under the influence of the Rajas of Kullu, particularly under the reign of Raja Biddhi Singh and his successor Raja Man Singh. In the early 19th century, Sikh forces captured Lahaul. After the Anglo-Sikh War of 1845-46, Lahaul came under the rule of the British Raj.Colonial period
Under British rule, Lahaul was made into a 'waziri' of the Kullu sub-division of the Kangra district of the Punjab Province. At that time, Lahaul had three 'jagir kothis' that pre-dated British rule: Kolong, Gumrang, and Gondhla. The heads of these 'kothis' were hereditary 'jagirdars', and held the title of 'Thakur'. The Thakur of the Kolong kothi was made the wazir for the whole of Lahaul by the British. M.S. Gill remarks that the wazir was a magistrate, police officer, jailer, revenue collector, and forest officer all rolled into one.The first Thakur of Kolong to be given the designation of the 'Wazir of Lahaul' was Thakur Hari Chand, who held this post from 1877 until his death in 1900. The second Wazir of Lahaul was Thakur Amar Chand, who held this post over 1900-1921. He was the son of Thakur Hari Chand. Amar Chand was bestowed with the title of 'Rai Bahadur' by the British for his contributions to the British war effort in the First World War. The third Wazir of Lahaul was Thakur Mangal Chand. He was the younger brother of Thakur Amar Chand. Thakur Mangal Chand was the Wazir of Lahaul from 1921 until the time Thakur Pratap Chand achieved maturity. By the 1930s, Thakur Pratap Chand had become the fourth Wazir of Lahaul, and he would be the last.
Some sources note that the waziri was abolished in 1941. Lahaul and Spiti were then combined to form a sub-tehsil of the Kullu sub-division, and Lahaul was now administered by a Naib Tehsildar posted at Kyelang. However, Gill notes that the wazir was not formally displaced; only his powers were reduced. Overall, this system involving the Naib Tehsildar and the Wazir continued till 1960, when Lahaul and Spiti were combined to create the Lahaul and Spiti district.
Alongside agriculture and pastoralism, trade was an important occupation for Lahulis in the pre-Independence days. Alexander Diack noted in the late 19th century that at least one-third of the proprietors in Lahaul were engaged in trade. A major Central Asian trade route passed through Lahaul, connecting the plains of Punjab and the Kullu valley with Ladakh and Yarkand. Patseo, near Darcha used to be the site of an important annual wool mart in the colonial period. It used to witness participation from traders and herders from Lahaul, Changthang, Tibet, Zangskar, Spiti, and Kullu, alongside Khampas and Gaddis. Many Lahauli would also annually go to Western Tibet to buy wool and pashmina for cash.
During the colonial period, Keylong had a Moravian mission, which ran from 1853 to 1940. Famous missionaries who served in Keylong included Heinrich August Jäschke, August Wilhelm Heyde, and August Hermann Francke. The Moravian missionaries did not have much success in building a Christian congregation in Lahaul. But they are remembered for introducing several crops, the practice of knitting, newspapers, kerosene stoves, and flue pipes to Lahaul.
Early postcolonial period
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-48, three Indian Army officers from Lahaul, Thakur Prithi Chand, Kushal Chand, and Bhim Chand, who were all relatives, played major roles in defending neighbouring Ladakh from Pakistani forces.Historical sites
Some historical sites in Lahaul include the monastery and fort at Gondhla, Triloknath temple, Shashur monastery, Khangsar palace, and Mrikula Devi temple.Spiti
''''Lahaul and Spiti district
In 1960, Lahaul and Spiti were carved out and combined to create a new district, Lahaul and Spiti. In 1966, this district became a part of the then emerging state of Himachal Pradesh.In 1972, Lata Thakur from Lahaul became the first-ever female Scheduled Tribe MLA in the Himachal Pradesh Government.
Flora and fauna
The harsh conditions of Lahaul permit only scattered tufts of hardy grasses and shrubs to grow, even below. Glacier lines are usually found at. Due to changes in climate, people in the Lahaul valley are able to grow some vegetables like cabbages, potatoes, green peas, radishes, tomatoes, carrots and leafy vegetables. The main cash crops are potatoes, cabbages, and green peas.Some of the most common species of flora found in the Valley of Spiti include Cousinia thomsonii, Seseli trilobum, Crepis flexuosa, Caragana brevifolia and Krascheninnikovia ceratoides. There are over 62 species of medicinal plants found there as well. Several species of juniper grow in the valley, noted for their adaptation to the cold desert climate conditions. They are used by local people for religious purposes and for subsistence. The juniper forests are threatened by overuse and habitat degradation. The valley is inhabited by snow leopards, foxes, ibex, Himalayan brown bear, musk deer, and Himalayan blue sheep. Snow leopards are protected within the Pin Valley National Park and Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary. The Lingti plains are home to animals such as yaks and dzos.
Over-hunting and a decrease in food supplies have led to a large reduction in the population of the Tibetan antelope, argali, kiangs, musk deer, and snow leopards in these regions, reducing them to the status of endangered species. The locals of Spiti do not hunt these wild animals due to their religious beliefs.
Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary
is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh. It is situated at an altitude of 3600m to 6700m, on the left bank of the Spiti River in the district of Lahaul and Spiti. It is sprawled over an area of 2220.12sq km. This cold desert area sanctuary was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1992. The fauna of Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary includes ibex, snow leopard, blue sheep, and birds such as snow cock, griffons, and bearded eagle. The flora consists of Monkshood, Somlata, Pink Arnebia, Orchid, and Gentian.Demographics
According to the 2011 census, the Lahaul and Spiti district has a population of 31,564. This gives it a ranking of 638th in India. The district has a population density of. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was -5%. Lahul and Spiti has a sex ratio of 903 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 76.81%. The entire population is rural. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 7.08% and 81.44% of the population respectively.Languages and cultures
% of the population speaks Kinnauri, % Pattani, % Bhotia, % Hindi, % Nepali and % Tibetan as their first language.The language, culture, and populations of Lahaul and Spiti are closely related. Generally, the Lahaulis are of Tibetan and Indo-Aryan descent, while the Spiti Bhot is closer to the Tibetans, owing to their proximity to Tibet. The district has a Himachal Pradesh state legislative law in place to curb antique looting by travelers, given past incidents. In the pre-independence era, the ethnic tribal belt was divided into the British Lahaul and the Chamba Lahaul, which was merged with Punjab post-1947. This is the second-largest district in the Indian union.
The language spoken by both the Lahauli and Spiti Bhots is Bhoti, a Tibetic language of the Western Innovative subgroup. They are very similar to the Ladakh and Tibetans culturally, as they had been placed under the rule of the Guge and Ladakh kingdoms at occasional intervals.
Among the Lahaulis, the family acts as the basic unit of kinship. The extended family system is common and evolved from the polyandric system of the past. The family is headed by a senior male member, known as the Yunda, while his wife, known as the Yundamo, attains authority by being the oldest member of the generation. The clan system, also known as Rhus, plays another major role in the Lahauli society.
The Spiti Bhot community has an inheritance system that is otherwise unique to the Tibetans. Upon the death of both parents, only the eldest son will inherit the family property, while the eldest daughter inherits the mother's jewelry, and the younger siblings inherit nothing. Men usually fall back on the social security system of the Trans-Himalayan Gompas.
The district has close cultural links with Ngari Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region.