KINNAUR

He has a golden complexion, large impressive eyes and flawless limbs. He had not till then been named and was generally not allowed to mix up with the boys of his age probably to keep him neat and clean, as the teacher said. He is provided with food cooked exclusively for him. The menu happens to be the same as that for his parents.The religion of the mass of the inhabitants is Hinduism, but they have no minute distinctions of caste.

There are only two main castes, the Rajputs or the non-Scheduled Caste and, Chamangs and Domangs, the scheduled ones. Broadly speaking, religious life here is very much what it is in the adjoining parts of the Mahasu district, except that the influence of the Lamas (more pronounced in upper parts), is greater than that of the Brahmans.The most notable of the Kinnaur deities out of the pale of Lamaism is Chandika.

As regards the Buddhism or the Lamaism as is prevalent in Tibet, the cardinal tenet is the endless reincarnation of the divine leader in a series of deified men or lamas. The number of Tibetan gods is said to be a legion. In Kinnaur too every village and every pargana has its own devta. A Lama acts as the family priest like the Brahmin elsewhere, and even more.

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