{{Short description|Village in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Chitkul | native_name = | native_name_lang = | other_name = | nickname = | settlement_type = village | image_skyline = Temple at Chitkul.JPG | image_alt = | image_caption = Mathi temple at Chitkul, the locals say it could be 500 years old. | pushpin_map = India Himachal Pradesh#India | pushpin_label_position = left | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Himachal Pradesh, India | coordinates = {{coord|31.3518411|N|78.4368253|E|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|India}} | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Himachal Pradesh | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Kinnaur | established_title = <!-- Established --> | established_date = | founder = | named_for = | government_type = | governing_body = | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_rank = | area_total_km2 = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 3450 | population_total = 882 | population_as_of = 2010 | population_rank = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_footnotes = | demographics_type1 = Languages | demographics1_title1 = Official | demographics1_info1 = Hindi | demographics1_title2 = Native | demographics1_info2 = Chitkuli Kinnauri language | timezone1 = IST | utc_offset1 = +5:30 | postal_code_type = PIN | postal_code = 172106 | registration_plate = HP- | blank1_name_sec1 = Nearest city | blank1_info_sec1 = Rampur | blank1_name_sec2 = Climate | blank1_info_sec2 = Alpine climate <small>(Köppen)</small> | website = | footnotes = | official_name = }}
'''Chitkul''' is a village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. During winters, the place mostly remains covered with snow and the inhabitants move to lower regions of Himachal.
According to a recent study by Centre of Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, Chitkul has the cleanest air in India.<ref> {{cite web |publisher = www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com |title = Among metros, Delhi worst hit by PM2.5: Study |accessdate = 17 April 2016 |url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Among-metros-Delhi-worst-hit-by-PM2-5-Study/articleshow/51869821.cms }}</ref><ref> {{cite web | publisher = indiatvnews.com | title = Kinnaur District In Himachal Pradesh Has The Cleanest Air In India, According To IIT! | accessdate = 17 November 2017 | url = https://www.indiatvnews.com/lifestyle/travel-this-breathtakingly-beautiful-district-has-the-cleanest-air-in-india-412508 }}</ref>
==Geography==
Chitkul, a village located on right bank of Baspa River, is the last village of the Baspa Valley and the last village on the old Hindustan-Tibet trade route. It is also the last point in India one can travel to without a permit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chitkul, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India Tourist Information|url=https://hpkinnaur.nic.in/tourism-guide/|accessdate=21 February 2021}}</ref> From Kharcham at NH5, follow the Baspa River Valley to reach Sangla, Rakchham and then Chitkul.
==Tourism== thumb|Chitkul Village in Baspa valley.
===Kath Kuni architecture=== {{anchor | Architecture }}
Kath Kuni architecture (wood and stone architecture): Of particular interest at Chitkul are its houses with either slate or wooden plank roofs, a Buddhist temple and a small tower. However, there has been an increased use of tin-roofs, especially the high school and the army/ITBP barracks.
=== Trekking and mountain passes=== {{anchor | Pass | La | Trek | Trekking}}
* Charang Pass (5,242m) north-northwest of Chitkul: Connects the Baspa Valley to the Tidong Valley to the north.
* Lamkhaga Pass (5,282m) southeast of Chitkul: Leads from the head of the Baspa Valley (beyond Chitkul) over to the Harsil/Gangotri region of Uttarakhand. Chitkul is start point for Lamkhaga Pass trek and Borasu pass treks. Nagasthi ITBP post is 4 km and Ranikanda meadows is 10 km trek from Chitkul.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://raachotrekkers.com/lamkhaga-pass-trek-adventure-chitkul-to-dumti/|title=Chitkul to Dumti via Ranikanda meadows|website=Raacho Trekkers}}</ref>
* Borasu Pass (5,450m) southeast of Chitkul further than Lamkhaga Pass: Another high-altitude trek that connects the Baspa Valley to the Tons Valley (Har Ki Dun) in Uttarakhand.
* Rupin Pass (4,650m, also called '''Sarasvotri''' for origin of Sarasvati River at Sarasvati Glacier) southwest of Chitkul: Connects the Dhaula region of Uttarakhand to the Sangla side of the valley.
{{anchor | BG | Buran Ghati | Buran Ghati Pass }} * Buran Ghati Pass (4,572m) west-southwest of Chitkul: Connects the Pabbar Valley (Shimla district) to the Sangla Valley.
=== Religious tourism === {{anchor | Religious }}
{{anchor | Mata | Mathi | Maathi | Devi }} * '''Mathi Mata Temple''' (also called '''Chitkul Mata''') in Chitkul is a masterpiece of Kath Kuni architecture, characterized by alternating layers of stone and deodar wood that have stood for approximately 500 years.<ref name=r1>Agui de to Himachal. (2025). The Guardian Goddess of the Last Village.</ref><ref name=r2>Praveen Musafir. (2026). Mathi temple, History and Mythology, Architecture – Chitku</ref> According to local folklore, the goddess ''Mathi Devi'' (Parvati), consort of the Lord Badrinath (Shiva), traveled from Vrindavan, crossing the high Himalayan passes to eventually reach the Baspa Valley.<ref name=r3>Live History India. (2019). [https://www.livehistoryindia.com/story/places/chitkul-the-village-on-the-edge-of-india Chitkul: The Village on the Edge of India].</ref> Legend holds that she strategically appointed her family members as guardians over the seven divisions of the valley, including her nephew ''Narenas'' at Chasu and ''Shamshares'' at Rakchham, before choosing Chitkul as her final abode.<ref name=r1/><ref name=r4>Mysterious Himachal. (2017). Mystical Kinnaur – Land of Gods.</ref> Local oral tradition credits her arrival with bringing unprecedented prosperity, transforming the village into a fertile land protected from natural calamities.<ref name=r2/><ref name=r5>Mysterious Himachal. (2026). [https://mysterioushimachal.wordpress.com/2026/01/19/chitkul-indias-last-village-where-the-road-meets-the-sky/ Chitkul: India's Last Village Where the Road Meets the Sky].</ref> After one crosses over the 5,242 m high Charang Pass,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://raachotrekkers.com/kinner-kailash-parikrama-charang-la-trek/|title= Kinnaur Kailash Parikrama trek - Charang La|website=Raacho Trekkers}}</ref> it is a long and steep run down through slithery scree slopes to Chitkul(3,450m). The powerful goddess of Chitkul is the only non-Buddhist deity to which respect must be paid by the Parikrama pilgrims. It is believed that the local Deity is related to the Deity of Gangotri and till recently the locals would carry the Deity to Gangotri on foot over high mountain passes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chitkul the last Indian Village|url=http://chitkul.com/|accessdate=20 January 2013}}</ref> Chitkul is situated around 40 km from Karcham, the place where road bifurcates from Hindustan-Tibet Road (NH 22). The Sangla Valley is a delight for nature lovers; especially the stretch after Raksham and right up to Chitkul. The valley is extremely beautiful, on the left bank of the Baspa River are snow-clad mountains and on the right bank the whole terrain is full of apple orchards and wooden houses.
{{anchor | Kagyupa }} * Kagyupa Tibetan Buddhist temple has a highly valued old image of the Shakyamuni Buddha, a Wheel of Life mandala and four Directional Kings on either side of the door. Chitkul is practically the last point of the famous Kinner Kailash Parikrama as one can hitch a hike from here onwards.
==Transport== {{see also | India–China Border Roads | India–China border infrastructure }}
Chitkul is around 569 km from the National capital Delhi, 345 km from Chandigarh<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wravel |first=Just |title=Plan Road Trip Chandigarh to Chitkul Distance {{!}} Book Outstation Taxi Cab Chandigarh to Chitkul - JustWravel |url=https://www.justwravel.com/trip-from-Chandigarh-to-Chitkul |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=www.justwravel.com |language=en}}</ref> and 28 km from Sangla.
{{anchor|KCH}} Karcham-Chitkul-Harshil Road, from Karcham NH-5 to Chitkul and then to Harshil (towards disputed Pulam Sumda on LAC,<ref name="nr1"/> with a road tunnel under the Lamkhaga Pass,<ref>[https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/vivacity/one-step-closer.html One step closer], Daily Pioneer, 8 October 2020.</ref><ref>[https://www.business-standard.com/external-affairs-defence-security/news/bro-plans-tunnels-to-ensure-all-weather-connectivity-in-eastern-ladakh-125080200925_1.html. BRO plans tunnels to ensure all-weather connectivity in eastern Ladakh], Business Standard, 2 August 2025.</ref> is under construction which will cut down present 450 km long distance, which take nearly 16 hours, to just nearly 150 km or 2 to 3 hours.<ref name="nr1">{{Cite web |last=Dutta |first=Amrita Nayak |date=2020-09-15 |title=Modi govt's infra push along China border — 2 new roads, alternate route to Daulat Beg Oldie |url=https://theprint.in/defence/modi-govts-infra-push-along-china-border-2-new-roads-alternate-route-to-daulat-beg-oldie/502013/ |access-date=2025-07-09 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2024, BRO began constructing 40-km long Kharcham-Sangla-Chitkul section of Karcham-Harshil Road.<ref>[https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/himachal-bro-to-build-karcham-chitkul-road-along-china-border-101721039491538.html Himachal: BRO to build Karcham-Chitkul road along China border], Hindustan Ties, 15 July 2024.</ref> This road begins at NH5 (runs from Punjab, via Himachal, to Shipki La on India-Tibet Border).
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Baspa_River_flowing_next_to_Chitkul.jpg|Baspa River flowing next to Chitkul File:Wooden_hut_in_Chitkul.jpg|Wooden hut in Chitkul File:Chitkul Spitivalley.jpg|Chitkul during Dusk File:Chitkul.JPG|Chitkul File:Inhabitant of Chitkul.JPG|Inhabitant of Chitkul in traditional clothes of the region File:Kinnaur 219.jpg|Domesticated goat File:Chitkul Village.JPG|Snowing in Chitkul File:Baspa at chitkul.JPG|River Baspa at Chitkul File:Chitkul border of India.jpg|Chitkul border of India. File:Hindustan ka Aakhri Dhaba-Chitkul, Sangla Valley, Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh.JPG|The last Dhaba </gallery>
==See also==
* Chitkuli Kinnauri language * Liar's Dice (film), story set around Chitkul
==References== <references/>
==External links== {{Wikivoyage|Chitkul}} {{commons category}}
* [https://tripologer.com/2016/02/19/12-interesting-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-chitkul 12 facts you probably didn’t know about Chitkul] * [http://thinkingparticle.com/blog/chitkul-himachal-pradesh-last-village-baspa-valley Chitkul Travel Blog]
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Category:Tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh Category:Villages in Kinnaur district