An exhibition of photographs taken over a period of twenty years in Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh by Kishore Thukral

Imagine a remote valley high up in the western Indian Himalayas, abutting Tibet. A valley that at various times in history has been part of the Tibetan realm. A valley one hundred per cent Buddhist. A valley abounding in fossils of maritime inhabitants of the prehistoric Tethys Sea. A valley with a stunning moonscape. A valley that is a world within a world. A world they call SPITI. 

Says Kim, the eponymous protagonist of Rudyard Kipling’s classic, “…Surely the Gods live here …This is no place for men …”

Spiti derives its name from a combination of two local words – bi (hidden) and ti (water/river/valley), though some believe it is rooted in chiti (paradise). Be that as it may, sandwiched between perennially snow-capped mountains, the valley has only recently started to garner the attention of the Indian traveller. The approach to it is not easy – the narrow, rough road leading to it takes one through canyons, across streams, beneath overhangs and over high mountain-passes.

Tibet is barely a day’s walk away. Little wonder then that Vajrayana Buddhism has flourished in Spiti for over a thousand years, a period that also saw the founding of magnificent monasteries such as Tabo, Dangkhar, Ghungri, Tangyud and Key, and smaller temples like the Ser Khang in Lhalung.

The mystique of the land is palpable. Spiti’s history is for the most part unrecorded, yet it boasts a priceless heritage, and a landscape that presents a frame wherever you turn your camera.

Kishore Thukral has trekked, photographed and researched extensively in the western Himalayas, especially the remote valley of Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. He is the author of Spiti through Legend and Lore (Mosaic Books, New Delhi, 2006), a book that documents the legends and folklore of the valley both in text and in photographs.

He was instrumental in setting up 'Dangkhar Initiative', a project for the restoration of the ancient Dangkhar monastery in Spiti. Through his efforts Dangkhar was recognized by the World Monuments Fund in 2006-07 as one of the hundred most endangered historical sites in the world.

Kishore has also authored The Chronicler’s Daughter (Ravi Dayal Publisher, Delhi, 2002). Sharanam Gachhami: an Album of Awakening (Full Circle, New Delhi, 2011), and Ephemera… (Mosaic Books, New Delhi, 2015). In Hindi he has written short stories, and plays for mentally challenged children and young adults. He has translated and written several songs, including one for the award winning film, I am Kalam.

Kishore has to his credit a number of photography exhibitions and illustrated lectures on Spiti, Dangkhar and Vajrayana Buddhist art. He is presently working on a handbook on Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhist iconography.

He is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, and a former Executive Director of the International Buddhist Confederation.

By profession Kishore is a Financial Advisor.

For more information on the exhibition and Kishore Thukral, contact: kishore.thukral@gmail.com