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Kalpa - its apple orchards
One of the lesser known beauties of Himachal Pradesh, Kalpa is actually a small but stunningly beautiful town situated in the Sutlej River Valley. Kalpa is located above the town of Reckong Peo, which is the district headquarters of Kinnaur -- the USP of which is its 100-year-old Buddhist monastery.
Kalpa is populated by Kinnauri people and is well-known for its apple orchards. In fact, apples are a major cash-crop of the region. Another feature of Kalpa is its many temples which, much significantly, are dedicated to both Hindu and Buddhist gods & goddesses.
Maybe, it could be because at Kalpa the local people follow a syncretism of both the religions -- Hinduism and Buddhism, or it could be other way around. Whatever, it gives a distinct shade to the spiritual beliefs of this lovely tourist destination which appear to be literally dotted with numerous ancient temples making the place a religious hotspot also.
However, it is the natural beauty of the place which gives the place an edge over many other famed tourist spots of the region. The vistas from Kalpa are incredible and people get the feeling that they are almost sitting in the lap of the mountains even while the whole range of mountain peaks are visible. Interestingly, the holy Shivling Rock on the Kailash Mountain which takes a different color at different periods of time across the day is also visible from this tourist place.
Further, the Sutlej River at Kalpa seems to race through deep gorges, even while the snaking mountainous roads of the place are bordered by chilgoza forests. Much surprisingly, the tranquility and virginal beauty of this quaint place had failed to catch the attention of the visitors from abroad till the other day.
However, now things seems to be improving on this front and one can see many such tourists who, much like many Indians, now seem to have finally learnt about the unmatched natural beauty of Kalpa – thanks to the sustained efforts of the many tourist agents involved with the business of tourism.
Currently, there are more than five resting places to stay at Kalpa. However, several more exist below, in Reckong Peo, where the tourists halt to receive their inner line permits to continue with their onward journey to the famous tourist place Spiti Valley.
How to Reach The nearest Airport is 267 km away while the closest Railhead is located 244 km away at Shimla. Buses and Taxis are widely available at Shimla and Rampur.
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