Leh
Ladak
LADAK
The flight into the Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is an unforgettable
experience - over the Dramatic expanse of the Himalayas -
for Ladakh straddles four main ranges - the Great Himalayan,
Zanskar, Ladakh and the Karakoram. This is the highest inhabited
region in India and the River Indus with its tributaries,
slice their way through the ranges.
Remote though it is, Ladakh has never been
totally isolated. Over the centuries the trade route from
India to central Asia passed through this area undeterred
by its high passes and desert landscape. Caravans carrying
spices, brocades, pearls, carpets, and more mundane merchandise
like salt and tea took just two months to cover the distance
from Amritsar in Punjab to the Central Asian towns of Yarkand
and Khotan ! Leh and Kargil on this ancient route developed
then into centres of trade.
Around Leh in the upper Indus Valley is the
cultural heartland of Ladakh, where the old capitals of the
area are located and where many of the splendid palaces and
gompas are also to be found. The people of Ladakh are predominantly
Buddhist and practise Mahayana Buddhism tempered with the
old Bon animistic faith and tantric Hinduism. It was the sage
Padmasambhava who brought Buddhism to Tibet and Ladakh during
his travel in the 7th century AD. In the 11th century, the
Buddhist scholar Rinchen Tsangpo established 108 monasteries
in the region. The gompas at Lamayuru and Alchi are said to
date from that time. The living Buddhist heritage is manifest
in the villages where 'mani' walls
are engraved with the mantra 'Om mani padme hum' and stones
are piled into commemorative mounds known as 'chorten'. The
gompas precariously perched on steep hill sides or rock faces
seem an integral part of the rugged landscape.
In western Ladakh, in Drass, Kargil and the
Suru valley where the Muslim Shia faith prevails there are
mosques and imposing Imambaras in the Islamic style, surmounted
with domes.
Travelling into Ladakh by road is exciting.
It takes two days from Srinagar to Leh (434 Km) with a mid
way halt at Kargil, which gives the visitor a marvellous introduction
to this spectacular destination, while easing the acclimatization
process to the high altitude low-oxygen atmosphere of
Ladakh.
The road leaves behind the verdant beauty
of the Kashmir Valley at Zoji-La, the pass in the Great Himalayan
wall that is the gateway into Ladakh. Densely forested slopes
give way to bare mountains in shades of russets and brown
as the road descends to the alpine meadows of Minamarg on
to Drass, the first village after the pass. It is reputed
to be the second coldest habitation in the world after Siberia!
The people here are different. They are of Dard origin and
believed to be an Aryan people who migrated from the Central
Asia steppes.
Onward the road traverses a narrowing gorge
on to the little trading town of Kargil, the mid point of
the journey. Located on the River Suru, at 9000 feet, Kargil
is the base for visits to the spectacular Suru and Zanskar
valley and for a variety of adventure activities in the region.
40 km ahead
of Kargil is Mulbekh noted for its immense figure of Maitreya,
the future Buddha, carved in deep relief into a rock face
high above the village. The road climbs its breathless way
to mor passes Namila-la (12,200 ft./3719m) and Fotu-La (13,479
ft./4094m) - a truly top of the feeling. It sweeps pas the
amazing Lamayuru Monastery spilling spectacularly over a mountainside
down The incredible Langroo Loops to meet the river Indus
at Khalatse - a descent to 4000 ft./1219m in about 3 km! A
panoramic view of the amazing russets, yellows and greys of
the Ladakh ranges unfold as the road follows the river. Gompas
and forts can be glimpsed in the distance. At the Sptituk
Monastery the visitor gets a first dramatic glimpse of Leh,
floating like a mirage in the distance.
LEH
Leh is breathtaking. Towering over the city
is the tall nine storeyed palace built by Ladakh's ruler Sengge
Namgyal in the 17th century. It is said to have served as
the model for the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Another palace built
by King Tashi Namgyal in the 16th century stands above it
on the
Namgyal Tsemo peak. Down below, the town is a maze of little
box like buildings bristling with brushwood stored on the
roof for winter, set in an oasis of green fields.
Though Leh has been capital of this region
since the 17th century, strewn around it along the Indus Valley
are earlier capitals of the region. From Leh one can wander
off on marvellous day expeditions to get a glimpse of some
of the treasures of Ladakh.
Not far from Leh, shey is the oldest capital
of Ladakh from where its earliest Tibetan kings ruled. Perched
on top of a huge rock are the royal palace and temples adorned
with brilliantly coloured murals and a 7.5 metre gold statue
of the Buddha. Basgo (40 km) and Tingmosgang with their forts
and palaxes were also capitals of Ladakh. Stok Palace across
the river from Leh is the home of the erstwhile royal family.
The palace museum here has collections of beautiful royal
costumes and jewellery, exquisite thangkas (religious themes
and icons painted and embroidered on cloth), porcelain, jade,
weapons and armour.
Within easy reach of Leh is the Spituk Monastery
(8 km) with its commanding view of the Indus. It has fine
thangkas and a collection of ancient masks. Thikse Monastery
(20 km) one of the most impressive in the area is spectacularly
located and is noted for its beautiful murals. Hemis (43 km)
is of course the biggest gompa in Ladakh and the best known
for its magnificent summer festival that celebrates the birth
anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. The largest thangka in
Ladakh is to be found here. It is unfold only once every 12
years. Other magnificent gompa located in the
vicinity include the splendid Lamayuru, Likir, Phyang, Rizdong,
Stakna, Matho and Chemrey gompas, all easily accessile from
Leh. Alchi (70 km) no longer an active religious centre, is
among Ladakh's most beautiful monasteries. Over a thousand
years old, its wall paintings like those of tabo in Spiti
are reminiscent of the Ajanta style of painting.
Within the town of Leh itself there is plenty
to see and do. An easy walk away through the interesting coppersmith's
quarter, past the Moravian Church, the Ladakh Ecological Centre
and across the fields, is the Sankar gompa. Another interesting
walk to the Ladakh Shanti Stupa goes through the picturesque
village of Changspa. In the colourful bazaar are fascinating
little shops with everything from semi-precious stones - lapiz,
coral, turquoise and pearls to fine curios and artefacts.
It is a marvellous shopping experience. Skara another pretty
village and the ramparts of the old earthern fort of Zorawar
Singh makes another little expedition. Eating out is fun at
open air garden and sidewalk restaurants that offer Tibetan,
Indian and even continental cuisine.
KARGIL
The second largest town in Ladakh marks the
mid point of the journey from Srinagar to Leh. Kargil is also
the take off point for excursions into the Suru Valley and
the remote Zanskar Valley with their exciting opportunities
for mountaineering, camping, river rafting and trekking trails
into Himalchal Pradesh, Jammu and the Indus valley.
Kargil was once at the cross-roads of a network
of trade routes that led to Kashmir, Baltistan, Afghanistan,
Central Asia and Tibet and an air of romance still lingers
around its narrow cobbled streets and bazaars spilling over
with locally crafted curios. The town retains its conservative
Balti Shia Muslim culture and has two fine mosques built in
the Turkish style.
Nestling in the Suru Valley, Kargil is set
amidst green, richly cultivated hill sides. The two tributaries
of the River Suru the Drass and Wakha meet there. There are
pretty walk around the town with breathtaking views of the
mountains. As day long excursion into the Suru Valley goes
past the
picturesque Imambara of Trespone (25 km).
SURU VALLEY
The Suru Valley one of the prettiest areas
of Ladakh, runs for 140 km beyond Kargil to the Penzi La Pass,
the point of entry into the Zanskar Valley. Its verdant hills
are intensively cultivated. Enough snow and water during the
year sustain two crops annually. The valleys are especially
picturesque in
spring when the apple, apricot and mulberry trees are all
in bloom and in autumn when they are laden with fruit. The
view along the Sankoo-Panikhar tract is magnificent. The open
valley adorned with undulationg alpine meadows strewn with
wild flowers, groves of poplars and willows are set
against the majestic backdrop of the Himalayan peaks dusted
with snow.
At Thangbu, a little village, the traveler
gets a first glimpse of the spectacular Nun (7135 m) - Kun
(7035 m) massif. Panikhar 12 km beyond this is the base for
treks to Kashmir and Kishtwar. The road goes past the glaciers
of the Nun - Kun massif to descend to Rangdum set in wild
and
beautiful surroundings. It is located at the futhest end of
the Suru Valley before the Penzi-La Pass. Set high on a central
hillock the Rangdum gomba with a little stream forming a moat
around it, looks like a ancient fort protecting the valley.
ZANSKAR
The Zanskar Valley is noted for its high
ranges, fine gombas and gentle people. The most isolated of
all Himalayan valleys, inaccessible for 8 months in a Year,
it is snow a popular destination with trekkers.
Set in a wide pain where two swift flowing
tributaries join to form the Zanskar River, is Padim the main
habitantion and the sub divisional headquarters. Close to
the town are a set of ancient rock carvings and two picturesque
monasteries, the Stagrimo and Pibiting gompas. A two hour
trek
from Padum takes one to Karsha with the largest and most wealthy
gompa in the region. It dates back to the 16th century. Other
interesting monasteries include the castle-like gompa at at
Sani (6 km from Padum), the splendid Stongdey (18 km) perched
on a rocky outcrop, Bardan (12 km) and the
spectacularly located Phugtal just off the Padum-Manali
For further information such as Itinerary, cost and other
relevant information
on the above trekking peaks CONTACT US.
E-mail: info@adventureplusnepal.com.np
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BHUTAN