Religion

As stated above, the people of lower Kinnaur are mostly Hindus, though some references of Buddhism is also evident. Their most important gods and goddess are Durga or Chandi, Bhairon, Usha or Ukha, Narayan, Vishnu, Badrinath and Bhimakali. The Chamang and Domang in addition have their favourite deities such as Nag Devta. Besides each village has its presiding deity. The inhabitants of middle Kinnaur are Buddhist as well as Hindu. In the northern area Buddhist influence is stronger. The important deity of middle Kinnaur are Chandi,Gauri Shankar, Kansa and Narayanjee. There are some monasteries besides the temples. The village god at Kanam worshipped by people of Buddhist faith is Dabla who has certain features associated with the earlier Bon religion. The image of Dabla is installed alongwith those of Buddha and Guru Rinpoche (Padma Sambhava) in one of the monasteries at Kanam.

The religion of upper Kinnaur is mostly Buddhism, having the institution of Lamaism. They mostly follow Mahayan Buddhism religion. Almost every village has a monastery with Lamas and jomos, who are recruited from amongst the Rajput (Kanet) only. A major part of the district is inhabited by people professing Lama religion. Though venerated by the inhabitants of Nichar and Sangla tehsils, Lama faith does not have a strong hold in these areas.
There are Buddhist temples in many of the villages of these areas yet the followers of this faith do not form a significant group. In Kalpa, Moorang and Pooh tehsils Lama are consulted and their services utilised in performance of many religious ceremonies. In Nichar and Sangla people do not necessarily consult Lamas on these occasions. In the absence of Brahman priests the people perform ceremonies themselves--