The old village of Chini in Kalpa, with a fort tower above the rooftops and prayer flags in front

temple4 min from Kalpa

Narayan Nagini Temple and the old village of Chini, Kalpa

Narayan Nagini Temple stands in Chini, the old part of Kalpa in Kinnaur, near the fort tower; Kalpa's temples honour both Hindu and Buddhist deities.

Photo: Amanpanta1990 · CC BY-SA 4.0

What it is

Narayan Nagini Temple stands in Chini, the old part of Kalpa, near the fort tower and a Lotsawa temple. Kalpa was known as Chini in the colonial and pre-colonial periods, when it was the tehsil and later the district headquarters, and the name survives for the old village. Many temples here are dedicated to both Hindu and Buddhist deities, which suits a community that follows a mix of the two.

Photos: Amanpanta1990 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Gerd Eichmann (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Getting there

The temple is about 2 km and 4 minutes from our reference point in Kalpa, among the old wooden houses. Leave the car at the road and walk in; the lanes are narrow.

The visit

Little is published about this particular temple, so this guide gives no date or history for it. What you can see is the setting: carved wooden fronts, slate roofs and the fort tower above, with the Kinnaur Kailash range behind. The Lotsawa temple and the Chandika fort are within the same few hundred metres, so the old village is one slow loop.

When to go

Summer is short, June to September, and winter runs October to May with snow in the village. See when to visit Kalpa.

Around it

The Chandika Devi Temple at Kothi is 17 minutes away, and the Kalpa guide is from the village itself. The one-day plan starts here.

Plans that include this

All 1 plans that stop here →

The wooden houses of Kalpa village with snow peaks of the Kinnaur Kailash range behind

Day plan · First visitTemples & heritage

One day in Kalpa — the old village and the temple at Kothi

A one-day Kalpa plan: the old village of Chini and its temples on foot in the morning, then the Chandika Devi Temple at Kothi. Free, copyable.

Best May–Oct

See the plan →

Nearby places

Chandika Devi Temple, Kothi

Questions people ask

What is Chini in Kalpa?

Chini is the old name of Kalpa, used in the colonial and pre-colonial periods when it was the tehsil and later district headquarters. Today it is the old village within Kalpa, with wooden houses, small temples and a fort tower, a short walk from the road.

Are the temples in Kalpa Hindu or Buddhist?

Both. The Kinnauri follow a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism, and many temples in Kalpa are dedicated to Hindu and Buddhist gods and goddesses alike. Narayan Nagini Temple sits in the old village, close to a Lotsawa temple and the fort tower.

How far is the temple from the main road in Kalpa?

Narayan Nagini Temple, the Lotsawa temple and the fort tower are all about 2 km and 4 minutes from our reference point in Kalpa. They sit close together, so the old village is best walked slowly on foot rather than by car.