Raksham : A Small Village in Baspa Valley

Raksham Village

Raksham Valley- A Small Village Of Kinnaur which is popular for its Beauty. The place-name is supposedly a derivative from ‘rak‘, a rock and ‘sham‘,  bridge – local lore says that he Baspa’s waters corroded a stone dam leaving a span over the top – and thereby created a natural bridge at the spot. The village has some charming houses and rests at the end of a glen with thick forests.

A sparse population of around 800 people inhabit the village. While moving towards Chitkul from Sangla, the village is found on the left side of the main road and the river Baspa flows on the right. The village has two temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali.

Raksham (3150 m) and Chhitkul (3450 m) are the last villages of the Baspa Valley. Named after these villages, the Raksham Chhitkul wildlife sanctuary comprises of the forested and alpine areas of the Baspa valley lying east of, and above the village of Raksham. The sanctuary has an area of about 65,000 hectares and an altitudinal range from 3200m to about 5500 meters. A large part of the area of the Raksham Chhitkul Wildlife Sanctuary consists of alpine meadows and permanently snow covered glacial and mountainous regions. In its lower regions, the sanctuary also has good pine, fir, birch and rhododendron forests.

Sangla Valley

A part of the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, the Baspa valley lies in the lap of the great Himalayas. Sangla is its largest town, and therefore the Baspa valley is sometimes also referred to as the Sangla valley.