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piti lies in the mountainous north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where the Tibetan plateau extends into India. It is one of the most obscure, most stark and yet most spectacular regions in the Indian Himalayas. Its difficult terrain and high altitude – 17,000ft – make it hard to reach and few travellers even know of its existence. It’s a cold desert region, with an
arid landscape, scarce vegation and a six-month winter, during which temperatures dip to -30°C. It also has magnificent night skies, breathtaking mountain views and fascinating folklore, being known as the ‘valley of monasteries’. Some of the oldest Buddhist monasteries and temples dating back over 1,000 years along with unique aspects of Tibetan Buddhist culture are preserved and have flourished in the Spiti valley.
But life here is hard and has been dependent on a form of subsistence agriculture, with a steady source of income hard to come by. Shifts in practices and needs have skewed the traditional equation between local demand and local supply. Spiti has become dependent on external sources for most of its needs, and on cash from menial labour on government infrastructure Continued on page 62
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