Reckong Peo

Reckong Peo, also spelled Rekong Peo or simply known as Peo by the local inhabitants, is headquarters of Kinnaur district, one of the twelve administrative districts of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

Reckong Peo Peo
Main street, Reckong Peo, 2010
Reckong Peo Location in Himachal Pradesh, India Show map of Himachal Pradesh Reckong Peo Reckong Peo (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 31.540278°N 78.272222°E / 31.540278; 78.272222
Country	India
State	Himachal Pradesh
District	Kinnaur
Elevation	2,290 m (7,510 ft)
Population
• Total	2,397 (1,529 males 868 females)
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Nearest towns	Bhaba Nagar, Rampur, Kumarsain, Pooh, Kaza.
Lok Sabha constituency	Mandi
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Kinnaur

Downtown Rekong Peo

At a height of 2,290 metres (7,513 ft), Reckong Peo is 260 kilometers (162 miles) from Shimla and seven kilometers (4⅓ miles) from Powari ― a place on NH5. Earlier Kalpa was the headquarter of the Kinnaur district administration. It was later shifted down to Reckong Peo. The place is named after a group of people who used to own this place in ancient times.[1]

Reckong Peo serves as a base for the pilgrims who go for an annual three days trek to an 80 feet high holy rock pillar that is considered to be as Lord Shiv or ‘Shivalinga’. Whereas a clockwise ‘Parikrama’ (circumambulation) trek around the holy rock start from Charang village and end at Chitkul after traversing a long and challenging terrain.[2] [3]

Reckong Peo is also the commercial and administrative center of the Kinnaur district as the biggest market of the entire district is located here and all important governmental as well as administrative offices are located at Reckong Peo. Tourists can take buses to visit all the important villages and other places of the district from the HRTC Bus Stand at Reckong Peo.