Kinnaur in northeast Himachal, surrounded by Tibet in the east, is the least explored and the second least populous district, after Lahaul & Spiti, in Himachal Pradesh, India. The old Hindustan-Tibet road, the ancient Silk Route, passes through Kinnaur along the banks of Sutlej River. Kinnaur Kailash is a peak (6500 meters) in Kinnaur, considered the abode of Lord Shiva, and sacred to Hindus & Buddhists. The Kinnaur Kailash Parikrama trek is one of the toughest in the Himachal Himalayas. More about the trek – Kinnaur Kailash Parikrama: Magnificent Desolation. More information on the official website of district Kinnaur.
Most of Kinnaur is inaccessible mountainous area cut-off from the rest of the world. The valleys of Sutlej, Bispa, Spiti rivers and their tributaries are some of the most gorgeous one’s I’ve seen! Ropa valley near Puh/ Pooh is famous for shawl-weavers, apple orchards and the finest metal artisans. 
Kinnaur is the most tribal part of Himachal, and the people, called Kinners, have lived in isolation since thousands of years and have a strong culture, heritage & religious beliefs. They mostly follow Hinduism or Buddhism and speak a dialect of the Tibeto-Burman family known as Kinnauri and wear distinct green caps.
On the banks of Ropa river is the tiny beautiful village of Rusklang. Houses, streets and almost everything made of wood and stone, apple orchards and a bunch of warm & friendly people 🙂
Walking around in the village we met a family who invited us over for tea and generously served walnuts & almonds from their crop. They even brought out their traditional Kinnauri costume they wear during festivals, for us to see! Excited to see such exotic hand-made textiles and jewellery, we asked if one of them would dress up for us, and they obliged with much more! They dressed up one of us and we all had a good laugh 🙂
A Kinnauri traditional dress is a handwoven woolen shawl with a bright colored border, wrapped around the body with pleats at the back. A hand stitched green jacket worn over it with the green cap, and finished with traditional hand-made intricate gold and silver jewellery.
Rusklang was my first experience of a village in Kinnaur. And the untouched natural scenic beauty & the heartwarming experience with the people made it a memorable one! 🙂
Color Odyssey 
Beautiful pristine Indian hills and hill people and very real pictures. One is so used to photo-shopped pics on net, that these come as a breath of fresh air from Himalayas. Keep them coming…
Thanks Prasad 🙂
Love the pictures.. and you know what I am eyeing in particular? All that jewellery 😉
Thanks Viz 🙂 You know it was all real gold & silver jewellery!
Beautiful pictures (as always)! Let me know if you are on a tour to India next time and need someone to help you with your work 🙂 I am in as a voulnteer 🙂
Heh he! Thanks a ton Reema 🙂
Wonderful – thank you for sharing! These photos remind me of Tibet, and bring tears to my eyes. This people is not opressed and can use their faith free and openly. I understand you had a wonderful stay with many memories to keep in your heart.
Thanks 🙂 It was a wonderful & memorable experience with such simple & happy people of the village.
I absolutely love this post Ritu! I’m passionate about handmade Indian and South-East Asian textiles (and jewellery), so was fascinated by your words and imagery. I saw my first Kinnauri handwoven shawl a few years ago, and ever since then have wanted to travel to this region to explore the cultural and natural beauty. Hopefully soon! Thanks for sharing your experiences:)
Thanks a lot Mardi 🙂 Glad you enjoyed my post. Cheers!
Fantastic photos ! And interesting text ! // Maria 🙂
Thanks a lot Maria! 🙂
Thanx for this post much obliged dat u loved our place dats my village its indeed heaven as it is natural and untouched as u said thakyou so much for this lovely post
nice photos,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
What an experience. I’ve been eyeing a Kinnaur shawl for ages now. The most exquisite piece of art ever.
Yeah! Me too! All I managed were some socks! 😋