Tucked away in the Himalayas, Spiti is a pilgrimage spot for the Buddhists, fossil hunters and nature lovers amongst us

As giant, cotton puffy clouds travel on the blue canvas of the sky, parts of the valley down below are swathes in shade. As the clouds retreat, the valley reveals the box-shaped, white washed houses and monastery, hanging off granitehewed cliffs. No other place in India offers this ‘sky and clouds affair’ as splendidly as Spiti valley.

    We, a group of six, had not undertaken this travel from Delhi to Spiti, considered another barren Tibetan region, to watch clouds but for various other reasons. Some had come with hopes of chanting Buddhist mantras at the oldest and holiest monastery in the Himalayas, the Tabo Monastery, dating from 996 CE, which is often visited by the Dalai Lama. Some had accompanied to pick up fossils belonging to the Mesozoic era, and some to catch a glimpse of the rare ‘Tibetan Wolf ’. Whether each and every member of our group was successful in his/her mission issanother story.

    What makes a visit to Spiti special is that it’s among the few unexplored areas in the world as the temperature can vary between -28 degrees to plus 28 degrees. That makes it most inhospitable, but an awe-inspiring place. Tucked away in the interiors of the Trans-Himalayan belt of Himachal Pradesh, this high-altitude cold desert region has only recently been opened to the outside world. Foreigners still need visas. Spiti remains cut off for most of the year by the high mountains that encircle it, thanks to the snow. Due to its relative isolation, various unique and rare aspects of the Buddhist culture (Tibetan Buddhism) are well preserved in this valley.

A day’s bus ride east of the Rohtang Pass, Spiti offers fewer long distance routes but for the Pin Valley trek. We started 24 kms southeast of Kaza, taking the trail which heads south along the right bank of the River Pin past a string of traditional settlements and monasteries to Ghurguru, where it forks into two; the northern path over the Pin-Parvati pass to Manikaran in the Parvati Valley and the southern one to Wangtu in Kinnaur via the Bhabha Pass. A number of short routes explore the region around Kaza, taking in villages like Kibber, the world's highest village with a drivable road and electricity, and is a hunting ground for fossil seekers.

Millions of years ago, Spiti lay submerged under the Tethys Sea and remnants of its geological past are evident in the unique landscape and the diverse fossils found in the valley. Geologists have found fossils of ocean creatures in rocks here, indicating that those rocks were once underwater, before the Indian continental shelf began pushing upward.

   Most mountains are devoid of any greenery, with only loose brown soil that easily comes crumbling down the road, causing landslides. The mountain peaks are dressed in snow, standing tall against azure blue skies. While trekking in the valley, one often comes across nomad families shepherding scores of sheep on their way to high altitudes in search of tiny grass that grows on the little stretches of flat land. These nomads are easy with smile, though they lead a tough life.

    We spent our night at Komic village, which offers homestays just like Langza, Kibber, Lhalung and Dhankar. Villages are built around occasional springs, streams and flat land. Komic, we were told by our hosts, is cut off from the rest of Spiti for greater part of the year. The pristine environs of this quaint village are complemented by an ancient monastery belonging to the Sakyapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Visits to meditation caves, ruins of an earlier monastery and the sightings of wildlife are some of the attractions of this village.

    A large and remarkable village, Dhankar was once the capital of Spiti. The village is an unforgettable sight, as it balances precariously on the edge of the cliff. Picturesque trails and rolling meadows interconnect these villages. If you want to get an insight into the life of the villagers who are hardy and share an intimate relationship with their land, you need to stay in one of these villages.

    Home to a wildlife sanctuary, Kibber is most pleasant in the months of July and August, resplendent in its floral beauty. If you’re fortunate enough, you could spot a Snow Leopard, Tibetan Wolf or a Blue Sheep here. The oldest surviving species of wolves in the world, dating back to about 8,00,000 years, the ‘Tibetan Wolf ’, locally known as ‘Shanku’ is a unique and rare species of wildlife, which has its home in these highland trails of Spiti.

    As we readied to leave and witnessed the clouds being blown by the buffeting wind, I said addressing no one in particular: “I don’t know how to thank you Spiti.” And I felt I heard the quietness whisper, “You just did.”

   A visit to one of the most remote places in the world and seldom-travelled corner, smack-dab in the middle of the mystic Himalayas, does wonders. At least it did various things to me: made me more spiritual, aroused my respect for nature and made me humble.