Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh
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Kalpa is a small town located in the Sutlej River Valley, above Recong Peo in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, Northern India, in the Indian Himalaya. Inhabited by Kinnauri people and famous for its apple orchards. Apples are a major cash-crop for the region. The local inhabitants follow a syncretism of Hinduism and Buddhism, and many temples in Kalpa are dedicated to both Hindu and Buddhist gods & goddesses.
Kalpa is at a height of 10,900 feet (3,300 m)[citation needed] in Himachal Pradesh, 265 kilometres (165 mi) 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 (6,000 m). 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 inner line permits to continue upwards to the Spiti Valley, which is a small, ancient, part of what used to be Tibet.
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