Ladakh, the largest of the ten provinces of Jammu and Kashmir is bordered by the Karakorm chain of mountains in the north and Himalayas in the south. Ladakh is the land of towering mountains and Buddhist simplicity. It's beautiful terrains and mountains beckons the adventurous tourist for trekking and mountaineering. The land of jagged peaks and barren landscapes, it is at once alluring and awe-inspiring. Hidden behind this harsh and forbidding facade is an ancient civilization with captivating people. The great Indus river flows right through Ladakh. The province is divided into Leh, the capital, Nubra, Zanskar, lower Ladakh and Rupshu.

Ladakh , a word which means "land of high passes", is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of Northern India sandwiched between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in India. Historically, the region included the Indus Valley, the remote Zanskar to the south, and Nubra valleys to the north over Khardung La in the Ladakh mountain range. Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahul and Spiti to the south, Kashmir to the west, and Central Asia to the north.

Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhist culture which was established as early as the 2nd century. This has given rise to the appellation "Little Tibet", as it has strongly been influenced by the culture of Tibet. In the past, Ladakh gained from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes, [5] but since the Chinese authorities closed the borders into Tibet and Central Asia in the 1960, international trade has dwindled. Since 1974, the Indian Government encouraged tourism in Ladakh.

Neolithic rock carvings have been found in many parts of Ladakh, showing that the area has been inhabited from early times. [7] Ladakh's earliest inhabitants consisted of a mixed Indo-Aryan population of Mons, and Dards[8], who find mention in the works of Herodotus[9], Nearchus, Megasthenes, Pliny[10], Ptolemy [11], and the geographical lists of the Puranas. [12] Around the 1st century, Ladakh was a part of the Kushana empire. Buddhism came to western Ladakh via India, particularly Kashmir, as early as the 2nd century, while much of eastern Ladakh and western Tibet was still practicing the Bon religion. Some descriptions are also available in the accounts of the 7th century Buddhist traveler Hsuan-tsang. [13]

In the 8th century, Ladakh was involved in the clash between Tibetan expansion pressing from the East, and Chinese influence exerted from Central Asia through the passes. The break-up of the Tibetan empire in 842 led to the foundation of a separate Ladakh dynasty. During this period Ladakh underwent Tibetanization, eventually making Ladakh a country inhabited by a mixed population, predominantly Tibetan. The dynasty spearheaded the "Second Spreading of Buddhism" [14] importing religious ideas from north-west India, particularly from Kashmir. During Islamic conquest of South Asia around the 13th century, Ladakh chose to seek and accept guidance in religious matters from Tibet. For nearly two centuries, till about 1600, Ladakh was subject to raids and invasions from neighbouring Muslim states, which led to weakening, fractioning and partial conversion of Ladakh to Islam.

King Bhagan reunited and strengthened Ladakh and founded the Namgyal dynasty[15], which survives even today. The Namgyals repelled most Central Asian raiders and temporarily extended the kingdom as far as Nepal[7] , although were faced with concerted efforts towards conversion of Ladakh to Islam and destruction of Buddhist artifacts. [7] [6] In early 17th century efforts were made towards restoration of destroyed artifacts and gompas, and the kingdom was expanded into Zanskar and Spiti. Ladakh was, however defeated by the Mughals, who had already annexed Kashmir and Baltistan.

Ladakh sided with Bhutan in a religious dispute between Tibet and Bhutan, which resulted in an attempted invasion by Tibet. Kashmiri help restored Ladakhi rule at the condition of building of a mosque in Leh and the conversion of the Ladakhi king to Islam. The Treaty of Temisgam in 1684 settled the dispute between Tibet and Ladakh, but its independence was seriously restricted.

In 1834, Dogras, under General Zorawar Singh invaded and annexed Ladakh. In 1842 there was a rebellion in Ladakh, which was crushed and Ladakh was incorporated into the Dogra state of Jammu and Kashmir. The King Jigmet Namgyal was given the jagir of Stok, and the Namgyal family remains the jagirdar of Stok to this day, and is honored by Ladakhis as Gyalpo or king. Starting from the 1850s, European influence increased in Ladakh — geologists, sportsmen and tourists started exploring Ladakh. In 1885, Leh became the headquarters of a mission of the Moravian Church.

In 1947, partition of India left Ladakh a part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, to be administered from Srinagar. In 1948, Pakistani raiders invaded Ladakh and occupied Kargil and Zanskar, reaching within 30 km of Leh[7] Kargil was a scene of fighting again in 1965, 1971, and 1999.

In 1949, China closed the border between Nubra and Sinkiang, blocking old trade routes. The Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 led to a large influx of Tibetan migrants in the region. In 1962, China invaded and occupied Aksai Chin, and promptly built roads through Aksai Chin connecting Sinkiang and Tibet, and the Karakoram highway, jointly with Pakistan. India built the Srinagar-Leh highway during this period, cutting the journey time between Srinagar to Leh from 16 days to two.

Ladakh is India’s highest plateau (much of it being over 3,000 m), spanning the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River valley. Historic Ladakh consists of a number of distinct areas, including the fairly populous main Indus valley, the more remote Zanskar (in the south) and Nubra valleys (to the north over Khardung La ), the almost deserted Aksai Chin (under Chinese rule) and Kargil and Suru Valley areas in the west (Kargil being the second most important town in Ladakh). Before partition, Baltistan (now under Pakistani rule) was one of the districts of Ladakh. Skardu was the winter capital of Ladakh while Leh was the summer capital.

The mountain ranges in this region were formed over a period of 45 million years by the folding of the Indian plate into the stationary landmass of Asia. The drift continues and causing frequent earthquakes in the Himalayan region. [16]. The peaks in the Ladakh range are at a medium altitude close to the Zoji-la (5,000-5,500 metres, 16,000 - 18,050 ft), and increase towards south-east, reaching a climax in the twin summits of Nun-Kun (7000 m, 23,000 ft).

The Suru and Zanskar valleys form a great trough enclosed by the Himalayas and the Zanskar range. Rangdum is the last inhabited region in the Suru valley. From Rangdum the valley rises to 4,400 metres (14,436 ft) at Pensi-la, the gateway into Zanskar. Kargil, the only town in the Suru valley, was an important staging post on the routes of the trade caravans before 1947, being more or less equidistant, at about 230 kilometres from Srinagar, Leh, Skardu, and Padum.

The Zanskar valley lies in the troughs of the Stod and the Lungnak rivers. The region suffers heavy snowfall, and the Pensi-la opens only in June, and is blocked again in mid-October. The Indus river is the backbone of Ladakh — all major towns historically and currently, Shey, Leh, Basgo, and Tingmosgang, are situated close to the river.

The Ladakh range has no major peaks; its average height is a little less than 6,000 metres (19,700 ft), and few of its passes are less than 5,000 metres (16,400 ft). The Pang-gong range runs parallel to the Ladakh range about 100 km northwest from Chushul, along the southern shore of the Pang-gong Lake Its highest range is 6,700 metres (22,000 ft), and the northern slopes are heavily glaciated.

The region comprising the valley of Shayok and Nubra rivers is known as Nubra. The Karakoram range in Ladakh is not as mighty as in Baltistan. [17] North of the Karakoram lies the Kunlun. Thus, between Leh and eastern Central Asia, there is a triple barrier — Ladakh range, Karakoram range, and Kunlun. Nevertheless, a major trade route was established between Leh and Yarkand.

Ladakh is a high altitude desert, because the Himalayas create a rain shadow, denying entry to monsoon clouds. The main source of water is the winter snowfall on the mountains. Recent flooding of the Indus river in the region has been attributed either to abnormal rain patterns, or the retreating of glaciers, both of which might be linked to global warming[18] The regions on the north flank of the Himalayas — Dras, the Suru valley and Zanskar — experience heavy snowfall and remain virtually cut off from the rest of the country for several months in the year. Summers are short, although long enough to grow crops in the lower reaches of the Suru valley. The summer weather is dry and pleasant, with average temperatures between 10–20 °C (50–70 °F), while in winter, the temperature may dip to around −15 °C (5 °F). The proportion of oxygen is less than in many other places at a comparable altitude because of lack of vegetation. There is little moisture to temper the effects of rarified air. Ladakh lies in the Very High Damage Risk cyclone zone.

Leh

Leh, The capital of Ladakh since the 14th Century is situated at an altitude of 11000 ft. Leh is also a favourite hiking locale and is known for some of the best hikes in the country. The main attraction is the nine storey Leh Palace (Built by Sing ge Namgyal in 16th century) and Tsemo (Victory Peak) built by Tashi Namgyal. The other places of importance are the Sanskar Monastery, Shanti Stupa Zoravar Fort etc. It is also the main business centre of Ladakh. Leh can be subdivided into four main tourist circuits:

Dha-Hanu

It is at a distance of 150 - 170 kms from Leh and is situated at an altitude of 10000 ft. It is the Land of the "Drok-Pa"an Indo Aryan race. Only two villages Dha & Biama are open for tourists. Their cultural and religious practices are totally different from the rest of Ladakh. Bon-Chos believe in an ancient Pre-Buddhist animist religion known as "Bon-Chos".These people abstained from bathing all their lives saying that " If you wash your self,your luck goes away" but since the last few years this practise is beginning to fade away.It has much to offer to scholars in the field of Ethnology&Social Anthropology.

Central Ladakh

This area around river Indus extends from Upshi to Khaltse. This is a very beautiful area with lots of Monasteries and villages. The capital of Ladakh (Leh) also comes under this area. The major attractions are the nine storey Palace (Leh), the Palace Museum of Stok, Hemis, Thiksey, Chemrey, Phyang, Lamayuru, Spituk, Ridzong, Alchi Monasteries and villages of Basgo, Nimoo, Sanskar etc.

Nubra Valley

Popularly known as the "Ldomra" or the valley of flowers, it is situated at an altitude of about 10000 ft. The major attraction is the world's highest road ('Khardong la' at 18,380 ft). The capital of Nubra, Diskit is 118 km from Leh. It has a beautiful monastery(founded in 1420) on the hilltop just above the village. Seven kms. from Diskit is the village of Hunder which is very famous for double hump camels, found only in Central Asia and Nubra Valley. Other attractions are the villages of Trith, Sumur, Tegar (Samstangling Monastery ) and Panamik (hot springs). Eight kms from Panamik is Ensa Monastery which is 250 years old and accessible only after a trek of 3-4 hours.

Ladakh VillageChangthang Area

The land of nomad. These tribes are called the "Khampas" or "Chamgpas". There are two race of nomads, one is the 'Ladakhi Nomads' and the other 'Tibetan nomads'. Tibetain nomads wear yak skin and live in movable tents. They can be seen moving around with their herds of yaks, goats, sheep, and cows in search of pasture lands. The area is also famous for its wild life. You may see snow leopards, foxes, wolves wild asses, antelopes, marmots and even some endangered species of birds like the bar headed goose, crested grebe, brahimi ducks, etc.

Zanskar

The Land of Religion, it is noted for its high ranges, fine Gompas and hospitable people. It has the largest number of Gompas in Ladakh region outside the Indus Valley. The land was virtually untouched until recently. It is now a popular destination for adventurous treks. The famous peaks of Nun & Kun are in Zanskar. Padum is the the main habitation and subdivisional headquarter. Nearby are two famous Gompas of Stagrimo & Pibithing. A two hour trek from Padum takes one to Karsha Gompa (16th Century).This is the largest and the wealthiest Gompa of this region. Other interesting Gompas of this region are - Sani (6kms from Padum), Stongdey(18kms), Bardan(12kms) and the Phugtal Gompa.

Suru Valley

The Suru Valley one of the prettiest regions of Ladakh, stretches for 140 kms beyond Kargil to the Penzi La pass, the point of entering 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 they are the Sankoo-Panikhar tract is magnificent. The open valley adorned with undulating alpine meadows strewn with wild flowers, groves of poplars and willows are set against the majestic backdrop of the Himalayan peaks dusted with snow.

Pangong Tso

This high salt-water lake, considered to be the highest salt-water lake in the world (certainly in Ladakh!), is at 4300 mtrs in elevation, and is surrounded by mountain peaks over 6500 mtrs high. The lake is extremely long, about 150 km long, but is only a couple of miles (2 km or so) wide -- basically, shaped like a pencil.

By Air

Indian Airlines operates flight from Delhi to Ladakh four times a week. It also has flight arrangements from Chandigarh to Leh. Tourists usually prefer to travel to Leh by air. The flight path will take you directly above the Zanskar valley giving a beautiful look of the most of the other ranges.

By Road

The Manali-Leh road has served as the primary land approach to Ladakh. The traffic starts around mid-June and continues till early October. Himachal Pradesh state road transport corporation and J & K state road transport corporation all operate deluxe and ordinary bus services between Manali and Leh. It takes approximately 19 hours from Manali to Leh depending on weather conditions.

Shops sell various curios, handicrafts and (supposedly) Tibetan and Indian antiques, manned by pushy Kashmiri merchants eager to make a sell. Apart from the jewelry and some traditional Ladakhi handicrafts, most of the items are made outside the region or brought in from Nepal. To prevent being fleeced by the shop owners - Bargain!! Watch out for various festivals (eg. Ladakh festival).