India, 1996, 1st edition. 216 pp, maps, collour and b/w illus, appendices. index. Spiti, which literally means the 'middle land', is a grey and barren landscape situated to the north of Shimla. It is the Trans-Himalayan land with Tibet to its east, Ladakh to its north, Kullu to its west and Kinnaur guarding the south. Due to restriction of inner line and difficulties of travel not many have visited this fascinating land. Now with all the restrictions removed Spiti is the most sought after tourist destination. There are many a mountains to be climbed, valleys to be trekked and passes to be crossed.
Isolated from civilization, the monasteries in Spiti are unique and remotely placed. Some of them, like the Tabo Monastery, are almost 1000 years old. This book is based on author's several visits to Spiti, exploring its valleys and climbing peaks. It concentrates most valuably on the wealth of extremely rewarding summits, unknown passes and remote valleys, which have been hitherto neglected due to lack of information or difficulty of access.
Complete with several maps, illustrated with many photographs, tables of road distances and trek routes this book is the only available exhaustive reference work on this area. The author's experiences in Spiti takes one to transformation of Spiti from a protected civilisation to a tourist destination. The book will be essential reading for all travellers, trekkers, mountaineers and historians interested in Spiti or as a simple armchair travelogue.
Contents, Introduction, 1. Unknown Spiti: The Middle Land, 2. The History of Spiti, 3. Spiti: The Last Five decades, 4. The Road to Spiti, 5. Tabo: A Mountaineers' Destiny, 6. The Cold Fort:Dankhar, 7. Slowly Up the Lingti, 8. The Legend of Shilla, 9. Blue moon in the Sky: Kang Nilda, 10. The Ki Monastery, 11. Pin Parvati: Sir Louis Dane's Pass, 12. Pin and Khamengar Valleys, 13 Explorations of the Western Valleys, 14. Into the Gorges, 15. Manirang: A Gem of a Mountain, 16. Where Two Worlds Meet. Appendices: A. Major landmarks in the History of Spiti (including major mountaineering explorations), B. Rivers and River Valleys of Spiti, C. Passes to the Spiti Valley, D. Mountaineering (Peaks Climbed) in Spiti, E. List of Major Monasteries in Spiti, F. Nomenclature in the Spiti Valley, G. Tables of Road Distances of Spiti, H. Trekking Routes to Spiti and in Spiti. Hardcover, DJ, New.
