LADAKH:The Land of Endless Discovery of Supernatural Landscapes, Wildly Beautiful High-Altitude Desert with a Distinct Culture in the Western Himalayas

L A D A K H:

Its popularly called the “Little Tibet”,the land of high passes,a place with few resourses and extreme climate.Yet for over 1,000 years it has been home to a thriving culture. Its renowned for its remote mountain beauty and a distinct culture.Development has brought in the inevitable issues of pollution,unemployment,inflation and greed.Though it is threatened by the increasing number of tourists, Ladakh has much to teach the world about ecological sustainability .Ladakhis are poor but their mud- bricks homesteads are large and self reliant in fuel ,dairy products ,barley and Chhang (a barley beer)While the picture perfect Gompas,the fluttering prayer flags, white washed stupas,spinning prayer wheels,Golden Buddhas,colourd murals and red-robed monks impart a sense of solemn serenity and calmness ,Buddhist teachings give a message of peace and non violence.The “HALL OF FAME” depicts vividly the rich culture of Ladakh, the key battles fought here in 1948,1962,1965,1971& 1999, the role of BRO in making roads for strategic defence targets such as supplying essential shipments to the extremely tough locations like the Siachin glacier for the Army camps,role of Ladakhi Scouts in making the nation proud.Here information about Siachin Glacier is available,the memorable Shaurya Sthal where names of Martyrs are engraved on the stone with the statue of Buddha in the centre. The Drass war memorial in Kargill district commemorates the Indian victory in the 1999 Kargil war between India & Pakistan. Its built bythe Indian Army in the town of Drass in the Kargil distt.(of the reconstituted UT on 31/10/2019).

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About LADAKH :

Its a union Territory( constituted on 31/10/2019) administerd by India which is a larger region of Kashmir and has been subject of dispute between India, Pakistan & China since 1947.Ladakh is a region with the high plains and deep valleys,South eastern area is with blackish lakes at 13,500 ft.It is devided between Pakistan (NW) as part of northern area and India(South East) as part of UT , China -administered portions of North Eastern Ladakh.It is one of the highest regions of the world .Lowest elevation is the Indus river at 8370ft and highest is Saltori Kangri at 25400ft.Ladakh is bordered by Tibet in the East ,HP to the south , J&K and Baltistan to the west and corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram pass in the far north.

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After the abrogation of Art.370 and reconstitution , India has now 28 states and 8 UTs.In Loksabha J&K have 5 MPs while Ladakh will have 2 MPs.The J&K Highcourt and the Police will also serve the Ladakh UT.

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About the two districts of Ladakh:

(1) LEH DISTRICT :-It is the largest town & was established in 1979 as joint capital in the Indian administered Kashmir. Leh was the historical capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh,the seat of which was in the Leh Palace,the former mansion of the royal family of Ladakh built at the time and the same style as the Potala Palace in Tibet.At 3500 mts elevation it is the largest distt. (59196 sq mts)in India followed by Kutch in Gujarat.It has Aksai chin and Tibet to the east,Lahaul spiti to the south and Kargil distt to the west. Leh is an important trade center at 260KM from Srinagar.

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2)KARGIL DISTRICT: It was created from Leh and shares joint H/Qs(Capital of UT) with Leh in the Ladakh region. It was granted LAHDC in the year 2003.Kargil war is often refered to as the “Operation Vijay”. It spans the entire length of Ladakh in the the east, Pak administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the north and HP in the South. It encompasses majority of Zanskar range. Its population inhabits the river valley Drass ,Sure ,Kartse ,wakha and Zanskar. Drass memorial, Kargil was built by Indian Army to commemorate the Indian victory in the 1999 Kargil war between India and Pak fought in May to July 1999 in Kargil distt. along the line of control.

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MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS :

1)NUBRA VALLEY : At 10000 ft is a tri-armed valley located to the NE of Ladakh valley .Diskit is in Nubra tehsil abot 150 km from Leh town.It was once a trade route that connected eastern Tibet with Turkistan via the Karakoram pass is the most recently opened area with breathtaking views delightfully hospitable inhabitants .Best season for visit is jul to sept.Local scholars say that its original name was Ldumra(valley of flowers).Shyok river meets the Nubra or Siachin river to form a large valley that separate the Ladakh and Karakoram ranges.Shyok river is a tributory of Indus river.MAITRIYA BUDDHA -a 33yrs old statue symbolises peace and tranquility. (2)Diskit Gompa is the largest gompa in Nubra valley.(3)HUNDER is a village in Leh famous for sanddunes,Bactriancamel located in the Nubra tehsil on the banks of Shyok river.Hundar was once a capital of Nubra kingdomThere are ruins of kings palace and the Langchen khar-a fort on the hilltop called Gula.It has two Buddhist temples -one white and the red temple.Between Hundar and Diskit lie sanddunes.(4)ZOZILA PASS at 3528mts is located in Kargil distt.connecting Kashmir to west DRASS and Suru valley to the NE and Indus valley further east.(5) STOK KANGRI at 25400 ftis the highest mountain in Ladakh region.Its peak is located in the Hemis Natural park 15km SW of Leh.(6)Baralacha pass at 4890mts is in the Zhanskar range connecting L&S(HP) to Leh distt.situated in the Leh-Manali highway.(7)Important Gompas/temples-Hemis,Sputik,Ensa,Guru Lhakhang(phyang)gompa and Choskhor temple complex.(8)Mountaineering,Paragliding,Golf,Trekking and many winter sports.(9)ChaderTrek at Zhanskar with thrilling walk over the frozen river.(10)CHANGPA NOMADS : surviving without telephones and electricity at 10000ft. with only a dull flicker of tungston bulb powerered by a small solar panel.They have thrived for more than a millenium rearing their livestock with minimal resources at Changthang .It is worth visiting the place to realise the extreme conditions of survival.(11)LADAKH MARATHON:9th Addition of the marathon is to held from 11-13Sept.2020 in Leh at an Elevation of 11500ft to 17618ft.

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OUR TOUR OF LADAKH:

On 09/10/2009,We(a family of 4persons)took Delhi-Leh flight (enjoying from plane, the enchanting and fascinating views of Zhanskar range,Great Himalayan range and Karakoram mountains capped with snow) proceeded to ITBP Guest house and got accommodation in a spacious room named ” Zhanskar” provided with a gas roomheater. we undertook a half day tour after getting refreshed visiting Sputek monastery, Kalimai mandir ,Hall of fame ,Shanti stupa with a Buddhas idol. On our return way we put up applications for the ILPs for our forthcoming Pangong lake and KhardungLa pass tours.Took dinner and had a good nights sleep. 10/10/2009: Pangong Lake tour: Started for Pangong lake at 150 km with stoppage at Kharu and Sakti village for checking of our ILPs. Army had set up medical camps for treatment of low oxygen problems.They also offered us masala tea as gesture of warmth & hospitality .Pangong lake had a very amazing aura about it . We felt spellbound on seeing the rare spectacle and the multicoloured lake water.Also visited the Thiksay monastery and Shey palace. 11/10/2009: Visit to KhardungLa pass:At 18380 ft.,the mountain pass is north of Leh and gateway to Shyok, Nubra valley, was built in 1976.The Siachin glacier lies way up the valley and the highway is maintained by BRO.This pass is strategically important for India as it is used to supply for Siachin camps for Indian soldiers stationed on the border .It is the third highest pass after MarsimikLa(18314ft) and Mana pass(18410ft).We purchased some sovereigns for friends.Reached and visited the Leh palace. The proceeded to the Indus-Zhanskar sangam 40 km from Leh town.After that we went to see Gurudwara Pathar sahib at 15 km from Leh on the NH-1D.The Gurudwara was constructed in 1517 to commemorate the visit of Guru Nanak dev , the founder Guru of Sikh faith..Returning back we visted the famous Magnetic hill to check the truthfulness of the phenomenon which defies gravity &pulls the stationary vehicles upwards .We had delicious dinner and took good nights sleep.

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On 12/10/2009: We prepared for our return journey to Delhi. Before departing we paid our sincere gratitude to all people associated in making our visit to such a “fascinating land of endless discovery” a grand success. I feel very sad and indebted to my friend late Shri Khemraj Sainiji who had made our stay so very comfortable and convenient. May God rest his soul in peace.