This groundbreaking study focuses on the premodern capital of the Spiti Valley, Dangkhar, "perched on its crag, overlooking the gigantic valley of many-hued strata" in the words of Rudyard Kipling. From its incorporation into the Tibetan Empire in the 7th century until its annexation by British India in 1846, the Spiti Valley occupied a peripheral yet significant position on the map of South Asia. During this time, the Dangkhar settlement emerged as the political centre of this border valley.

Laurent�s investigation into the imperilled cultural heritage site of Dangkhar lays the foundations for the most detailed historical overview of Spiti to date.