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| '''Ladakh''' is the largest district of the ] state of ], covering more than half the area of the state. Ladakh represents the highest altitude district in India, and also one of its least populated. It is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and ] culture; it is sometimes called "'''Little Tibet'''". | |||
| '''Ladakh''', sometimes known as "'''Little Tibet'''" (due to its highly Buddhist oriented culture), is by far the largest district of the state of ] (of which it comprises the eastern part), covering more than half its area. It is divided between ], ], and the ] (Askai Chin). The capital is ], which is dominated by Leh Palace, the now derelict home of the former Ladakhi royal family. Ladakh was formerly an independent Himalayan Kingdom, until a breakdown in relations with ] resulted in an attempted invasion by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Kashmiri help restored Ladakhi rule at a price - the building of a Mosque in Leh and the conversion of the then Ladakhi king to Islam. Kashmir later went on to annexe Ladakh, ending it's independence and in the long run making it part of British India. | |||
| Ladakh was once an independent Buddhist kingdom. A breakdown in relations with ] in the ] resulted in an attempted invasion by the ]. Kashmiri help restored Ladakhi rule at a price — the building of a mosque in Leh and the conversion of the then Ladakhi king to ]. ] later went on to annexe Ladakh, ending its independence and in the long run making it part of ]. The kingdom's former land is now divided between ], ], and the ] district of the ]. | |||
| ⚫ | Ladakh is situated at high altitude (much of it over 3,000 m) straddling the Himalayan and Karakorum mountain ranges and the |
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| ⚫ | Ladakh is situated at high altitude (much of it over 3,000 m) straddling the ] and ] mountain ranges and the upper ] river valley. Unlike the rest of predominantly Islamic Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh is a predominantly ] area, with most Ladakhis following the ] of '''Mahayana Buddhism'''. This is evidenced by the high number of Buddhist monasteries including Shey, Tikse, Hemis, Alchi, Stongdey and Lamayuru (each called locally a 'gompa' meaning 'monastery'). Ladakhis mostly speak a dialect of Tibetan referred to as '' and there are some minor differences in language, the most obvious one to outsiders being the use of 'Julay' instead of 'Tashi Delek' for 'hello'. | ||
| ⚫ | Ladakh consists of a number of distinct areas (mainly under Indian rule), including the fairly |
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| ⚫ | Ladakh consists of a number of distinct areas (mainly under Indian rule), including the fairly populous main Indus valley, the more remote Zanskar (in the south) and Nubra valleys (to the north over Khardung La in the Ladakh mountain range, the highest motorable pass in the world at 5,602 m or 18,380 ft), the almost deserted Aksai Chin (under Chinese rule) and the predominantly Shi'ite Moslem Kargil and Suru Valley areas in the west (Kargil being the second most important town in Ladakh). | ||
| The Skardu area, under Pakistani rule and entirely Moslem, is sometimes additionally loosely included in what is geographically referred to as Ladakh. | The Skardu area, under Pakistani rule and entirely Moslem, is sometimes additionally loosely included in what is geographically referred to as Ladakh. | ||
| With the ] crisis making the Kashmir valley a no-go area for tourists, the Indian Government encouraged a shift in trekking and other tourist activities to the |
With the ] crisis making the Kashmir valley a no-go area for tourists, the Indian Government encouraged a shift in trekking and other tourist activities to the relatively unaffected areas of Buddhist eastern Ladakh. Tourism thus became a major source of income for what previously was a subsistence, agricultural economy. The main corridor for trade and commerce in the area has also shifted from the Zoji-La pass and Kargil route from ] in the ], to the high altitude Manali-Leh Highway from Himachal Pradesh. There is one airport, situated at Leh, from which there are daily flights to Delhi and weekly flights to Srinagar. | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 06:10, 19 March 2004
Ladakh is the largest district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, covering more than half the area of the state. Ladakh represents the highest altitude district in India, and also one of its least populated. It is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Tibetan Buddhist culture; it is sometimes called "Little Tibet".
Ladakh was once an independent Buddhist kingdom. A breakdown in relations with Tibet in the 17th century resulted in an attempted invasion by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Kashmiri help restored Ladakhi rule at a price — the building of a mosque in Leh and the conversion of the then Ladakhi king to Islam. Kashmir later went on to annexe Ladakh, ending its independence and in the long run making it part of British India. The kingdom's former land is now divided between India, Pakistan, and the Aksai Chin district of the People's Republic of China.
Ladakh is situated at high altitude (much of it over 3,000 m) straddling the Himalayan and Karakorum mountain ranges and the upper Indus river valley. Unlike the rest of predominantly Islamic Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh is a predominantly Buddhist area, with most Ladakhis following the tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism. This is evidenced by the high number of Buddhist monasteries including Shey, Tikse, Hemis, Alchi, Stongdey and Lamayuru (each called locally a 'gompa' meaning 'monastery'). Ladakhis mostly speak a dialect of Tibetan referred to as 'Ladakhi' and there are some minor differences in language, the most obvious one to outsiders being the use of 'Julay' instead of 'Tashi Delek' for 'hello'.
Ladakh consists of a number of distinct areas (mainly under Indian rule), including the fairly populous main Indus valley, the more remote Zanskar (in the south) and Nubra valleys (to the north over Khardung La in the Ladakh mountain range, the highest motorable pass in the world at 5,602 m or 18,380 ft), the almost deserted Aksai Chin (under Chinese rule) and the predominantly Shi'ite Moslem Kargil and Suru Valley areas in the west (Kargil being the second most important town in Ladakh).
The Skardu area, under Pakistani rule and entirely Moslem, is sometimes additionally loosely included in what is geographically referred to as Ladakh.
With the Jammu and Kashmir crisis making the Kashmir valley a no-go area for tourists, the Indian Government encouraged a shift in trekking and other tourist activities to the relatively unaffected areas of Buddhist eastern Ladakh. Tourism thus became a major source of income for what previously was a subsistence, agricultural economy. The main corridor for trade and commerce in the area has also shifted from the Zoji-La pass and Kargil route from Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley, to the high altitude Manali-Leh Highway from Himachal Pradesh. There is one airport, situated at Leh, from which there are daily flights to Delhi and weekly flights to Srinagar.