VISIT LADAKH —» About Ladakh

About Ladakh

For close to 900 years, from the middle of the 10th century, Ladakh was an independent kingdom, its dynasties descending from the kings of old Tibet. Its political fortunes ebbed and flowed over the centuries, and the kingdom, was at its greatest in the early l7th century under the famous king Sengge Namgyal, whose rule extended across Spiti and western Tibet up to the Mayumla beyond the sacred sites of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar. Gradually perhaps partly due to the fact that it was politically stable, in contrast to the lawless tribes further west, Ladakh became recognized as the best trade route between the Punjab and Central Asia. For centuries it was traversed by caravans carrying textiles and spices, raw silk and carpets, dyestuffs and narcotics. Heedless of the land's rugged terrain and apparent remoteness, merchants entrusted their goods to relays of pony transporters who took about two months to carry them from Amritsar to the Central Asian towns of Yarkand and Khotan. On this long route, Leh was the half way house, and developed into a bustling entrepot, its bazaars thronged with merchants from far countries.

The famous pashm (better known as cashmere) also came down from the high-altitude plateau of eastern Ladakh and western Tibet where it was produced, through Leh to Srinagar. The skilled artisans here transformed it from a matted oily mass of goat's underfleece into shawls known the world over for their softness and warmth. Ironically, it was this lucrative trade that finally spelt the doom of the independent kingdom. It attracted the covetous gaze of Gulab Singh, the ruler of Jammu in the early 19th century, and in 1834, he sent his general Zorawar Singh to invade Ladakh. There followed a decade of war and turmoil, which ended with the emergence of the British as the paramount power in north India. Ladakh, together with the neighboring province of Baltistan, was incorporated into the newly created State of Jammu & Kashmir. Just over a century later, this union was disturbed by the partition of India, Baltistan becoming part of Pakistan, while Ladakh remained in India as part of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. The hitherto forbidden motor road from Manali to Leh, the roof of the world, is now open. Traversing across incredible Himalayan terrain, the 485-KM long road goes through mountain passes more than 5,000 meters above sea level to Leh.

Central Ladakh

The geographical backbone of Ladakh, the Inuds Valley, particularly from Upshi down to Khalatse, is also the region's histocric heartland.

All the major sites connected with the former kingdom's dynastic history are here, starting with Leh, the capital city since the early 17th century when Sengge Namgyal built its nine-storey palace. A few kilometres up the Indus is Shey, the most ancient capital, with its palace and temples, their vibrantly coloured murals cleaned and restored in the mid-1980s. Down river, Basgo, right on the road and Tingmosgang, a short way up a side-valley, both served as capital cities when the country was temporarily divided into two parts in the 15th century, and both have the remains of forts and temples dating from the period of their brief glory. Stok, just across the river from Leh, is the village with which the deposed royal family was compensated for the loss of its throne. Its palace houses a museum of artefacts associated with the dynasty, and there is also a small gompa.

Partly as a result of royal patronage, the central area of Ladakh has the greatest concentration of major gomps. Of the twelve situated on or near the Inuds, the is Lamayuru, believed to have been a sacred site for the pre-Buddhist religion known as Bon. Phiyang, Hemis and Chemrey were all founded under the direct partonage of members of the ruling Namgyal dynasty. Phiyang represents an act of penance by the 16th century King Tashi Namgyal for the violence and treachery by which he reached the throne. Hemis, together with Hanle near the Tibetan border, was founded at the instance of King Sengge Namgyal, and Chemrey by his widow as a posthumous act of merit for him. Stakna, dating from a slightly earlier period, was endowed by the Namgyal kings at various times. All these belong to the red-hat Kar-gyut-pa sect of Tibetan monasticism.

The reformist Ge-lugs-pa (Yellow-hat) sect is also well represented in central Ladakh by Thikse, Likir, Ridzong and Spituk, the last of which hasdaughter houses at Stok, Sabu and Sankar. Ri-dzong, the only gompa which is not as yet approachable by a motorable road, is situated a few kilometres up a side- valley at Uley-Tokpo. It was founded only a century and a quarter ago by a devout layman-turned-lama, with the purpose of giving full expression to the strict monastic rule of the Ge-lugs-pa. While the paintings and images in its temples may, to some extent, lack the aesthetic and antiquaian interest of those inthe older establishments, this gompa nevertheless has an indefinable atmoshpere of peace and dedication which reflects faithfully the inwardness of the Buddhist Way.

The smaller but much older Bying-ma-pa and Saskya-pa monastic sects are represented respectively by Tak-thok and Matho gompas. Takthok, at the foot of the Chang-la, incorporates one of the many caves in the Himalaya where the Indian Buddhist apostle Padma-sambhava is said to have rested and meditated on his journey to Tibet. Matho Gompa has a slightly rundown structure, but a vibrant religious community. It is famous for its festival of the oracles which takes place early in the year, usually in the first half of March.

But the jewel among central Lakakh's religious sites is Alchi. Abandoned centuries ago as a place of regular worship, it has been lovingly maintained by the monks of Likir, the nearest functioning gompa. Known as Chos-kor, or religious enclave, it comprises five temples, the riches in paintings and images being the Du-khang(assembly hall) and the threestorey Sum-tsek. Its murals, dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, pre-date the Tibetan style of painting that is present in all the other gompas. Some of them are reminiscent of the paintings of the far-off Ajanta Caves and are presumed to be almost the sole survivors (along with some in Phugtal Gompa in Zanskar, and Tabo in Spiti) of the Buddhist style current in Kashmir during the first millennium AD.

The New Areas ( Tourism Zone )

THE NEW AREAS OF LEH & LADAKH
Certain areas of Ladakh which were formerly closed to foreigners on account of their sensitive strategic position or proximity to internatinoal borders have recently been partially opened.

Movement within them however is limited to a number of specifically designated circuits, and foreign visitors are allowed to go only in groups, accompanied by a recognized/ registered tour operator. The maximum time allowed on any circuit is seven days.

Permits must be taken from the Deputy Commissioner (head of the district administration) in Leh, but citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, SriLanka and Myanmar will be issued permits only with the prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi. Foreign diplomats and members of the United Nations and other international organizations are required to apply for permits tothe Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi.

1) Drok-pa Circuit

2) Nubra Valley Circuit

3) Pangong Lake Circuit

4) Tso-Moriri Lake Circuit