# Kaza, Himachal Pradesh

Kaza, also spelled Kaze, Karze, Karzey, is a town and the subdivisional headquarters of the remote Spiti Valley in the western Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti district of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Spiti is a high altitude or cold desert having close similarities to the neighbouring Tibet and Ladakh regions in terms of terrain, climate and the Buddhist culture. Kaza, situated along the Spiti River at an elevation of 3,650 m (11,980 ft) above mean sea level, is the largest township and commercial center of the Spiti valley.

## Description

The town is divided into the old, as Kaza Khas and new as Kaza Soma sections. The new town contains the administrative buildings. Approaching Kaza from the south, one sees Kyu-ling (Skyid-gling), the stately palace of the Nono (king) on the other side of the river.
The Tangyud (Tang-rGyud) Gompa of village Komik dates to the early 14th century and is built like a fortified castle with massive slanted mud walls and battlements with vertical red ochre and white vertical stripes. It is on the edge of a deep canyon and overlooking the town of Kaza, 4 km from the town. Kaza hosts a branch of the Tangyud Gompa.

## Access

Kaza is overlooked by high mountain ridges on the NE and SW sides. The Spiti River runs from NW to SE past Kaza. Kaza has two access routes: one from Kinnaur valley and the other from the Lahaul valley. The route via NH 505 through Kinnaur is open throughout the year, except for occasional short periods resulting from landslides or heavy snowfall. This road, starting from Shimla, follows the Sutlej river unto a little beyond Poo, thereafter turning northwards to follow the Spiti river all the way to Kaza. The other road starts from Manali and after crossing the 13,090 ft (3,990 m) high Rohtang Pass to reach Gramphoo where it joins the road from Keylong and proceeds south along Chandra River till Batal then climbs up to cross the 14,928 ft (4,550 m) high Kunzum Pass, enters the Spiti valley to reach Kaza. It remains closed during winter months, normally from October to June due to heavy snowfall on both those passes. Kaza is one of the coldest towns in India. The temperature varies greatly in different seasons as well as within a day. January is the coldest month of the year with a minimum temperature of −30 °C or −22 °F, while July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 15 °C or 59 °F, although summer nights may still fall to freezing.

## Festivals and tourism
### Sightseeing

Kaza is known for its colorful festivals and the ruins of the ancient Sakya Tangyud Monastery, located near village Komik, 14 kilometres or 8.7 miles from Kaza. It is also popular with tourists and adventure seekers during the period of June, July and August and September because of its central location and connections to the rest of the valley (Connects to Leh-Manali Highway via Kunzum Pass). This central location also makes Kaza an ideal base camp for trekking, mountaineering, and tours directed to other parts of the valley. The highest post office in the world at Hikkim village (PIN 172114) at an elevation of 4,400 m (14,400 ft) is situated 46 km (29 mi) from Kaza. It sends postal letters to and receives postal articles from Kaza post office.

### Festivals

The prominent festivals celebrated in Kaza are Ladarcha (mid-August), Spiti Losar (around November), and Dachang (around February). The Ladarcha fair is the largest annual event in all of Spiti. In earlier times, it used to be a multi-day trade fair held annually in July at the Ladarcha ground near Chichim village in upper Spiti. It used to witness barter trade among locals of Spiti and traders from Ladakh, Bushahr princely state, Tibet, and Kullu. The old trade fair ended following the Sino-Indian war of 1962. The fair was revived by the Himachal Pradesh government in the 1980s. The location of the revived fair, now primarily a cultural event, was shifted from the Ladarcha ground near Chichim to Kaza. In recent decades, the Ladarcha fair has been held every year in August, typically in its third week, right after Independence Day.

## Monasteries

Sakya Tangyud monastery; built in the year 2009, Sakya Tangyud monastery is situated in Kaza town of Spiti Valley. Key (Ki) Monastery was built by Dromton, a student of the renowned instructor, Atisha, in the eleventh century and is located at a height of 4,166 m (13,668 ft) about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of Kaza town.

## Facilities

In 2022, the Himachal Pradesh government constructed an indoor gym at a cost of Rs. 10 lakhs (1 million). With development of the region over the past few years, local residents get less physical activity. They report that lifestyle diseases such as heart diseases, blood pressure and diabetes have made an appearance. The gym is expected to provide an alternative over addition to gadgets and drugs for the youth. Tourists may also use the gym to adapt to high-altitude. The gym is said to be the highest in the world, though this is yet to be verified.
The only petrol bunk in Spiti is located in Kaza. The town has a Community Health Centre and a Police Station. Mobile internet services are provided by BSNL, Airtel 4G and Jio 4G.

## Rangrik airbase

The Indian Military is constructing an airbase at Rangrik (7 km northwest of Kaza & 100 km west of Kaurik on LAC) in Spiti valley which will also cater for the civilian flights. It was announced in the January 2023, and it will be completed by end of 2024.

## Highways

Hanle-Kaza-Tabo Road is being construction by the BRO under Indo-China Border Roads (ICBR) scheme.
NH505 connects Kaza to Manali in southwest, and Kaurik, Sumdo, Pooh & Tabo in east. Kaza-Pooh-Tabo-Shimla route is open whole year, but the Manali-Kaza route is closed for 7 winter months every year during which Kunzum Pass (15,000 ft) is closed. NHAI is planning to construct a tunnel under the Kunzum Pass to provide all-weather connectivity between Manali and Spiti valley.