Kinnaur district () is a mountainous district located in the northeast part of the state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

, India. Kinnaur district borders

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

(China) to the east, the state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

to the south, Shimla district to the southwest,

Kullu district Kullu () is a List of districts in India, district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It borders Shimla district to the south, Mandi district, Mandi and Kangra district, Kangra districts to the west, Kinnaur district, Kinnaur to the east and the Lahau ...

to the west, and

Lahaul and Spiti district The Lahaul and Spiti district is a high-altitude district in Himachal Pradesh, north India. This entirely mountainous district consists of two geographically distinct as well as formerly separate political-administrative units, called Lahaul ( ...

to the north. The administrative headquarters of the district is at Reckong Peo.

History

Over the 10th-11th centuries A.D., Kinnaur was a part of the Guge kingdom. The Guge kingdom broke apart in the 12th century, and the Bushahr state arose in the Western Himalayas, taking over most parts of present-day Kinnaur. The Bushahr state originated in the Kamru village of Sangla valley. However, the uppermost part of Kinnaur remained under Tibetan influence until the late 17th century, when it was handed over to the Bushahr state by the Tibetans as a reward for assistance in the Tibet-Ladakh-Mughal War. The Bushahr state shifted its capital to Sarahan, and later still to Rampur, which caused this state to be known eventually as 'Rampur-Bushahr'. Rampur-Bushahr was attacked by the Gurkhas in the early 19th century. Soon afterwards, the British gained supremacy in the region. Rampur-Bushahr became a princely state owing suzerainty to the British crown, until India's Independence in 1947. Most of present-day Kinnaur district was known as 'Chini tehsil' under the Rampur-Bushahr state. On 15 April, 1948, Rampur-Bushahr became a part of the

Republic of India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area; the most populous country since 2023; and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by ...

, and a part of an administrative unit called the Mahasu district. In 1960, the Chini tehsil and fourteen villages of the neighbouring Rampur tehsil were separated from the Mahasu district to create the new district of Kinnaur.

Geography

Kinnaur is an entirely mountainous district. The general altitude range is 1,500 metres above sea level to over 6,000 metres above sea level. The district is drained by several tributaries of the Sutlej river. Three mountain ranges run through or touch Kinnaur: the Zanskar range, the Great Himalaya range, and the Dhauladhar range. The highest peak of Kinnaur district, Leo Purgyil (6,816m), is also the highest peak of Himachal Pradesh state. The Kinner Kailash peak (6,050m), a regional pilgrimage site for Hindus, is also located in Kinnaur. Administratively, Kinnaur is the third largest district by size in Himachal Pradesh, with an area of 6,401 sq. km. The district has five tehsils (Nichar, Kapla, Sangla, Pooh, and Moorang) and one sub-tehsil (Hangrang). For development purposes, the district is divided into three developmental blocks - Nichar, Kalpa, and Pooh.

Climate

Most of Kinnaur has a

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...

, due to its high elevation. Winters last from October to May, while summers last from June to September. The upper areas of the Sutlej valley and an adjoining lower part of the Spiti valley (which also falls under the Kinnaur district) lie in the

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

area, with an arid climate similar to Tibet. In this region, winters are long and harsh, with snowfall, while summers are mild. The lower parts of the Sutlej valley and the Baspa valley receive

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

rains over July to September. The rains vary from moderate to heavy, making some areas prone to landslides.

Flora and fauna

Portions of Kinnaur are situated high in the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

, where vegetation is sparse and consists primarily of hardy grasses. Alpine species such as juniper,

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

, cypress, and

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...

can be found at elevations between 3,500 and 5,000 metres, primarily in Middle Kinnaur. At lower altitudes, temperate-climate trees are found, including oak, chestnut,

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

, and

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

. Kinnaur district has two

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary

This sanctuary, established in 1982, covers 503 sq.km. The flora includes kharsu, oak, weeping fig, alpine, chir pine, Himalayan temperate forest,

coniferous Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

and dry broad leaved coniferous. The fauna includes the Western Tragopan, the cheer pheasant, the snow leopard, the

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on av ...

, the Himalayan tahr, the blue sheep, and

musk deer Musk deer can refer to any one, or all eight, of the species that make up ''Moschus'', the only extant genus of the family (biology), family Moschidae. Despite being commonly called deer, they are not true deer belonging to the family Cervidae, b ...

Lippa-Asarang Wildlife Sanctuary

This sanctuary, established in 1974, covers 30.90 sq.km. Much of this sanctuary is a cold desert. Key fauna found there include the wild yak, Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear, musk dear, goral, blue sheep, and ibex.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Kinnaur district has a population of 84,121. This gives it a ranking of 620th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 7.61%. Kinnaur has a

sex ratio A sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

of 819 females for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

of 80%. The entire population was rural. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 17.53% and 57.95% of the population respectively.

Languages

Kannaura people speak about nine language varieties, eight from Sino-Tibetan language family; Kinnauri, Chitkuli, Sumcho, Jangrami, Poo Kinnauri, Wangpo Kinnauri, Sunam, Nesang and one from an Indo-Aryan language family, called Pahari Kinnauri. Also see At the 2011 census, 72% of the population in the district spoke or knew native languages of Kinnaur, 16.65%

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and 7.03% Nepali as their first language. Although, Hindi is fast emerging as the language of choice in most domains, especially the young speakers, due to the demands of modernity which has threatened the native languages.

Politics

Transport

Air

The nearest airport is Shimla Airport.

Rail

The nearest railway station is Shimla, which is connected by a narrow-gauge railway line to Kalka near Chandigarh.

Road

Kinnaur can be reached by the National Highway 05 via Shimla. Busses of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation ply from Shimla to different parts of Kinnaur.

Notable People

* Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, Buddhist scholar and poet * Renu Negi, documentary filmmaker * Shyam Saran Negi, the first person to cast a vote in independent India * Thakur Sen Negi, politician * Chhonzin Angmo, first visually impaired women to summit Mt. Everest.

Gallery

File:Nako Village.jpg, Nako File:Leo Spiti NH505 Himachal Jun18 D72 6785.jpg, Leo, view from NH-505 near Nako File:Kalpa 2015.jpg, Kalpa File:Confluence Spiti Satluj Jun18 D72 6744.jpg, Confluence of the Spiti (left) with the Satluj (right) near Khab File:Kinnaur 392.jpg, Sutlej River in Kinnaur Valley File:Lippa Monastery.jpg, Drukpa Kagyu monastery at Lippa village File:Kinner kailash.jpg, Mt Kinner Kailash, Kinnaur district. File:Hindustan-Tibet Highway.jpg, A part of the Hindustan-Tibet Road in Kinnaur. File:Kinner Kailash Mountain Range.jpg, Kinner Kailash mountain range, as seen from Kalpa.

References

External links

The official website of Kinnaur

DISTRICT PROFILE

About the 'Nako Research and Preservation Project (NRPP)' of the Vienna University, Austria

Murmur of the Lonely Brook
- a book by Debashis Dey based on Kinnaur and the practice of

Polyandry Polyandry (; ) is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. If a marriage involves a plural number of "husbands and wives ...

Photo Gallery of Kinnaur and Spiti - Winter 2013

Detailed Travel Guide on Kinnaur Valley
* {{Authority control 1960 establishments in Himachal Pradesh Districts of Himachal Pradesh