Snow sculptures, cultural items mark Kaza festival

Himachal Pradesh Art and Culture

Sculptures of Ki Monastery and snow leopard carved from snow were inaugurated by Technical Education Minister Ram Lal Markanda during the snow festival at Kaza in the Spiti valley of Lahaul and Spiti district.
The minister lauded the efforts of artisans Manoj Kumar and his team who had made the sculptures. He said youth of the region could be trained for snow crafting. This would generate employment avenues as these sculptures were fascinating and could become a tourist attraction.
The minister said people were getting an opportunity to showcase their skills related to art and culture and handicrafts through the snow festival.
The festival would prove effective in boosting adventure, cultural and religious tourism in the valley and would be celebrated every year.
The ‘utsav’ is mainly held to appease Kartikeya, son of Lord Shiva, and prayers are offered to local deities.
The villagers danced to the tunes of traditional instruments along the bonfire during the ‘utsav’.