Miyar Valley


Miyar Valley belongs to the division of Western Himalaya. It is a part of the Lahoul Range, located between Pir Panjal and Zanskar Range. The valley is nearly 75 km long and stretches between Udaipur and Kang La Pass. More than 50% of area of the Miyar Valley is covered in glaciers Kang La Pass at the head of Miyar valley is one of the extreme points of India.

Administration

Administratively valley belongs to the district of Lahul and Spiti. Temperatures and precipitation in the Miyar Valley vary widely. The annual average values are respectively: at the mouth of the valley – Udaipur 9.4°C and 1057 mm; in its middle part – Sucto village 5°C and 605 mm; and in higher parts average annual temperature always stays below 0°C.

Demography

According to Saini the soil cover of the Miyar Valley can be classified into three types: Himalayan Alluvial Soils, Mountain and Hill Soils, High Altitude Meadow Soil.
The valley is inhabited by Tharanga people which are influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. Only a few hundred people live concentrated in 16 villages – among others in Urgos, Tingrat, Ghumpa Khanjar and Sucto – excluding Udayapur. Inhabitants are engaged in mainly farming and pasturing.
Due to the belief and influence of Tibetan Buddhism, the population feeds on vegetal products and remaining lacto-vegetarians.

Economy

The economy of the valley is dominated by extensive farming. A short period of vegetation and low-quality soils make limited production due to poor climatic and soil productivity. Among the main crops are peas, barley, buckwheat, seed potato, and also used in medicine: kuth and mannu. Agriculture is accompanied by typical pastoralism breeding and also mixed pastoralism and cattle breeding.

Tourism

From few decades, the valley is under the influence of small size tourism,.
Recently Mountaineering activity is becoming more popular in the valley. For example, in 2012 Michal Apollo, Phil Varley and Marek Zoladek made the first ascent on an unclimbed peak - they named the summit Forgotten Peak. Still, some of the peaks haven't been climbed yet.