 Khangsar Palace Khangsar literally means “a new home” in Tibetan and is located in the Lauhal Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. The two hundred years old palace lies at an altitude of 11,500 feet above the sea level. It is 15 km towards east from district headquarter Keylong and is connected by road. Harsh weather conditions and structural damages have left this palace in a bad condition over the past years. Cultural significance of Khangsar palace for Lahual and its people Since its inception the palace has served as a cultural centre for the people in Lahaul. It has a beautiful prayer hall towards the North east corner on the fourth floor which is still being used by the locals. The main cultural events which used to take place within the palace were the winter and summer Chozdpa festival. Winter Trildapa Chozdpa happened in March and involved masked dance of Pandavas and the summer Fu Chozdpa happened in August and portrayed the mythical snow lion and its ritualistic dance. To bring life back to this damaged palace, after twenty five years the Chodzpa festival has been revived by the joint efforts of the local community and NIRLAC. Traditional archery event also happens within the palace premises every winter. Karan Sharma- Project Lead Karan Sharma is an architect by profession and his key area of interest is the natural and cultural heritage of Himalayas. Having worked in western and central Himalayan region on various documentation, design and conservation projects, he is currently the lead for the built heritage and architectural projects at NIRLAC. Photos Palace and the Jispa Valley (photo Erik Koto)      |
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Khangsar Palace |
