Template:POTD/2023-04-13
Spiti is a high-altitude cold desert in the Western Himalayas in India. "Spiti" means "the middle land", between Tibet and India. The region is above the tree line, with only shrubs and a few scattered stunted trees. In the upper valley, the braided Spiti River flows in narrow channels in a very wide river bed, as seen in this photograph, taken just above Kaza, the largest town in Spiti. In the lower valley, the river meanders through gorges 10 to 130 metres (33 to 427 ft) deep that it has cut in the sedimentary deposits. The Moravian geologist Ferdinand Stoliczka discovered a major geological formation near the village of Mud in the 1860s, and identified a number of layers or successions. The people of Spiti follow Tibetan Buddhism, and their culture is similar to those of neighbouring Tibet and Ladakh. The region is known for adventure tourism, trekking and mountaineering.Photograph credit: Timothy A. Gonsalves