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Ladakh Travel
Category:- All India Travel Tourism > City Guide > Jammu & Kashmir >Ladakh
Ladakh - called the roof top of the world, is a land
surrounded in myth and legend. Much of its ancient history is known only
through the mythology of its people as its writing is of very recent origin.
Known for centuries as the "land" of passes" ( La-pass;
Dakh-land ), Ladakh was described by Fa-hia, who traveled across its inhospitable
terrain in 399 AD, as the land where the snow never melts and only corn
ripens. Ladakh abounds in ancient architecture, paintings, flora and fauna,
sure to keep a visitor spell-bound for hours. Situated on the western
end of the Himalayas, Ladakh has four major mountain ranges - the great
Himalayan, Zanskar, Ladakh and the Karakoram - passing through it.
What to See
Leh :
Leh, the main town of the region, is dominated by Sengge Namgyal's nine-storey
Palace, a building in the grand tradition of Tibetan architecture, said
to have inspired the famous Potala in Lhasa, which was built half a century
later. A fort built by King Tashi Namgyal in the 16th century associated
with Gompas remain intact.
Monasteries & Monuments :
The central area of Ladakh has the greatest concentration of major Buddhist
monasteries or gompas. Of the twelve situated on or near the Indus, the
oldest monastery is that of Lamayuru, which is believed to have been a
sacred site for the pre-Buddhist religion known as Bon. The monasteries
of Phiyang, Hemis and Chemrey were all founded under the direct patronage
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 monastery, together with that of
Hanle near the Tibetan border, was established at the instance of King
Singge Namgyal, while his widow founded Chemrey 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
(Kargyud-Pa) sect of Tibetan monasticism.
Zanskar :
two rivers, flowing towards each other along the northern flank of the
Great Himalaya, meet in the broad plain of Padum, and become the Zanskar
river which flows off northwards through a gorge in the Zanskar range,
to the Indus at Nimo. Zanskar, is a favourite destination for trekkers
and is also known as a land of religion and has the greatest concentration
of gompas in Ladakh. The main ones are Sani, Karsha and Stongde.
Kargil :
KARGIL (2704 m), 204 kms from Srinagar in the west and 234 kms from Leh
in the east, is the second largest urban centre of Ladakh and headquarters
of the district of same name. A quite town now, Kargil once served as
important trade and transit centre in the Pan-Asian trade network. Numerous
caravans carrying exotic merchandise comprising silk, brocade, carpets,
felts, tea, poppy, ivory etc. transited in the town on their way to and
from China, Tibet, Yarkand and Kashmir. The old bazaar displayed a variety
of Central Asian and Tibetan commodities even after the cessation of the
Central Asian trade in 1949 till these were exhausted about two decades
back. Similarly the ancient trade route passing through the township was
lined with several caravanserais.
Suru Valley :
One of the most beautiful regions of Ladakh , the Suru Valley forms the
mainstay of Kargil district. Lying nestled along the north-eastern foothills
of the great Himalayan Wall, it extends from Kargil town, first southward
for a length of about 75 Kms Upto the expanse around Panikhar, thence
eastward for another stretch of nearly 65 kms upto the foot of the Penzila
watershed where the Suru valley rises. Its composite population of about
30,000 -- mainly of Tibeti-Darad descent -- are Muslims who had converted
their Buddhist faith around the middle of the 16th century.
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