Lahaul & Spiti Tribal Museum

Near the market in Keylong is the very interesting Lahaul & Spiti Tribal Museum, with old photographs of tourist sites in Lahaul and Spiti, a fantastic collection of traditional attires, instruments, prayer lamps. There are ancient utensils on display, as also old dance masks, traditional straw shoes (called pula), and contemporary photos of the local monasteries and landscapes. The tribal museum presents a kaleidoscopic view of the nature, life, history and culture of Lahaul & Spiti. It is a huge museum and a great delight to find in the small town of Keylong. There is a very artistic door kept at the entrance. There are many rooms according to various regions of Himachal Pradesh displaying tribal art and other local curios, the Museum also displays thangka paintings and ancient manuscripts. One room is designed like the prayer hall of a monastery and contains replicas of old masks which are used in the Cham dance.
The timings are from 10 AM to 5 AM and it is closed once every week. It is good to contact the locals if you find it closed, they can help call the officer with the key. The collection of artefacts and antiques is stunning and names of the original givers of items have been denoted and also the use of each item has been described. It is a fascinating place to experience culture of this tribal yet cultural district of Lahaul & Spiti.