Over the centuries, the original form of animistic faith and worship has been more or less lost.

Thornton described the religion of the Kinners during the mid- 19th century in the following words, ". . . . The religion of Koonawur (now Kinnaur) is Brahminism in the south; in the north Lamaic Buddhism; in the middle a mixture of the two systems ....Thus, Brahmins are not met with beyond Saharan, near the southern boundary, where they officiate at the shrine of the sanguinary female divinity Bhima Kali, to whom, at no remote period, they offered human sacrifices .... At Hangrang, on northern frontier, the religion is pure lamaic Buddhism."

This description was true for the last century. However, since then there has been a gradual change as a result of which the followers of both religions may be found over a large part of Kinnaur.

In many Hindu families, lamas preside over religious functions though the ceremonies are all Brahminical in traditions. In the past, priests in Kinnaur were few and the Hindus depended on lamas for religious activities.

The Hindus worship the goddess Durga and the god Shiva widely. Each village has its own temple. There are many temples on hilltops or on mountain passes. The yatra (pilgrimage) around the Kinner Kailash peak is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists.

The inhabitants of Kinnaur also believe in various Hindu gods like Badrinath, Maheshwar and Bhagwati. However, their worship is catholic to an extent. Wine is offered to the Devtas (gods) and goats are sacrificed in the name of local deities.