Musings of a Wandering Mind

Lahaul & Spiti Valley – Tabo Monastery and Nako Village

Travelling in Himachal in June – 2007
Shimla >> Manali >> Rohtang >> Chandratal >> Ki/Kibber/Tabo >> Kalpa >> Shimla
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We left Kaza early next morning. It was going to be a long drive today to Nako village, where we were planning to spend the night. Deciding not hurry through too many places, we skipped visiting Dhankar(Dhangkar) Monastery and Pin Valley. Like it usually happens, friends would tell me later that Dhankar is one of the prettiest places in Spiti Valley.

I can’t be all too praises about this part of the drive. All the overused words on Spiti can be re-used again – the landscapes are dramatic, muddy brown Spiti River was in full force and we still travelled sandwiched between rows of mountains kissing the sky. But very unlike me and of my love to mountains, I started feeling the monotony. First there was boredom of driving which held us away from the feel of being part of the mountains. We were going like tourists – in way it is used as a dirty word – the fast moving sightseeing and quickly going from place to place type. And then sun was probably getting on us. High altitude sun baked our bodies and had us feeling tired in no time. Staying out was impossible, and every time we walked somewhere, we constantly kept looking for some shade.

The thousand-year-old monastery was closed for lunch hour when we made it to Tabo. We lunched while we waited, and quickly grew impatient in the sunny weather. Such experiences only increase my reverence to the ever-smiling mountain people who probably never know what getting angry is like. Nothing seems to bend them, be it the hard terrain and weather or the difficulty of everyday living that we almost take for granted.

The millennium old Tabo Monastery

Tabo monastery is said to be a world heritage center, but there seems to be some confusion about it. My driver said so, and so did the monks. Lonely Planet also makes a mention of it, but UNESCO list doesn’t speak about it. I still don’t have a clue of the exact status; please fill me in if you know.

Tabo monastery is a millennium old and is known for its well-preserved frescoes. The prayer hall, called Tuglhakhang, is richly decorated with frescoes in vibrant colors. A set of nine small temples built with mud surround the prayer hall, each with paintings of incarnations of Buddha and Tibetan deities. The daily activities of the monastery are performed in a new building built beside the temple complex, leaving the ancient structure preserved.

Oppressed by the sun, we did not stay there for long, and continued to Nako. It was 4pm when we reached Nako, and we immediately headed for the lake above the village, leaving driver Mangal to find a place for the night.

At nearly 10,000 feet, Nako is like a green oasis in Spiti’s high altitude desert. The distinct green patch of the village is visible from far away as we drive through the valley. An irrigation system that feeds the artificial lake, and the potato fields of the village sustains the local population. Like elsewhere in the region, tourism is becoming a new means of livelihood, which is evident from ongoing construction of guesthouses in every alley of the village. The lone school has plenty of kids but seems to have problems finding teachers willing to work there. For reasons I could not figure, people here seem a lot less contented when compared to rest of Spiti we had left behind.

Nako lake is an unlikely water body in Spiti’s steep valleys and arid landscape. It is created by constructing a mound on the slope, just above the village. Probably because of its origins, it doesn’t have the feel of a high altitude lake, normally characterized by clear, turquoise and frigid waters. It is comfortably warm for a bath and has a light green color that is more fit for the plains.

Nako Lake

Despite being lower than Batal and Kaza where we had spent the nights earlier, Nako’s air is thinner and even slight walking made us feel very tired. Back from the lake, Mangal had already found a place for us where we settled down to spend the night.

Continued at The hurried women of Nako