Ladakh is called the adventure capital of the country for a genuine reason. The geographical location of the place makes it an ultimate destination for anyone looking for an adrenaline filled vacation. Ladakh is one of the very few destinations in the world where the entertainment starts the moment you begin your travel towards it.
Festivals are a time of Lehladakhtourism. Possibly, there is no better time to visit any destination than at the time of its festive season. Similar is the case with Ladakh region. The barren yet intriguing land of Ladakh comes to life during festivals when locals from all the parts of Ladakh come to one place and take part in the celebrations.
Ladakhis use the Tibetan calendar for, among other things, determining the dates of monastic festivals. The Tibetan calendar is rather complicated and varies from year to year, making it difficult to convert Western to Tibetan dates and vice versa.
Ladakh is the largest province within the North Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, covering approximately 60,000 square miles (100,000 sq. km). It is surrounded and bisected by some of the highest mountain ranges in the world.
Very little is known for certain about Ladakh prior to the 7th century. In the 7th and 8th centuries Tibetanisation of Ladakh began. Still existent chronicles refer to the area of Ladakh as part of Tibet. Ladakh was also influenced by Kashmir, at the
The predominant religion in Ladakh is the Tibetan form of Buddhism, although Islamic influences are found from the Kashmir Valley as far as Kargil, and there are some Christian families in Leh.
Ladakhis are Tibetan-Mongoloid in appearance although traces of Kashmiri Moslem influence can also be seen. It is most likely that early in its history, Ladakh was settled by the Mon and Dard groups of people.
Marriages are usually initiated by the boy's parents when he is about 20 years old. The parents of the boy visit the girl's parents (she is usually two to three years younger than the boy) to ask for their agreement to the match. If it is accepted, lamas are consulted to select an auspicious date.
Ladakhis practice cremation of their dead except in a few instances such as children or persons who died of smallpox. After a ceremony in the home of the deceased, the corpse is carried to a type of walled oven where, with many prayers by attending lamas, it is cremated.
Maps are a great source of knowledge and information. Maps help us in understanding the geographical aspect of an area. The map of Leh Ladakh gives a fair idea of the different places in the region. The map of Leh and Ladakh shows tourists the various important places in and around Leh Ladakh India.
Ladakh Photo : Explore Ladakh images and pictures famous tourist attractions of Ladakh at Times of India Travel.
Read some testimonials from our satisfied clients. Our Client's Testimonials inspire us to do better each time
Leh - Ladakh is the northern province of India which has become and Union Territory recently on 31 October 2019, covering approximately 60,000 square miles (100,000 sq. km). It has two district Kargil and Leh with a total population of approx 3 Lakh. It is surrounded and bisected by some of the highest mountain ranges in the world. Running in a generally northwest to southeast direction through Ladakh, the great Himalayan Range separates the Vale of Kashmir from Ladakh.
+ Read MoreThe first inhabitants of Ladakh are thought to have been a mixture of nomadic herds men from the Tibetan Plateau and a small contingent of early Buddhist refugees from northern India called the Mons. Sometime in the fourth or fifth centuries, these two groups were joined by the Dards, a tribe of Indo-Aryan origin who migrated southeast along the Indus Valley, bringing with them irrigation and settled agriculture.
The first independent kingdom in the region was established in the 9th century by the maverick novel man Nyima Gon, taking advantage of the Chaos after the collapse of the Guge Empire of the western Tibet. Buddhism, meanwhile, had also found its way across the Himalayas from India. Disseminated by the wondering sage- Apostles such as Padmasambhava (Alias" Guru Rimpoche"), Dharma gradually displaced the pantheistic shamanism of the Bon Cult ( which still holds away in remote villages north of Khalsi, near Lamayuru). The east word expansion of the faith towards Tibetan plateau continued in the 10th and 11th centuries- the period later dove the " Second Spreading ". among its key proselytizers was the " great translator" Rinchen Zangpo, scholar and missionary associated with the foundation of numerous monasteries in Ladakh and in neighboring Spiti.
Around the 14th century, Ladakh passed through a dark age during which, for reasons that remain unclear, its rulers switched allegiances from Indian to Tibetan Buddhism, a form of the faith deeply invested with esoteric practice drawn from the Tantra texts, and possibly influenced by the animated celebrations common to born. This coincided with the rise to prominence in Tibet of Tsongkhapa, who is accepted as founder of the Gelug-pa or " yellow hat" school. With the Dalai Lama at its head, Gulek-pa is today the most popular school in Ladakh with many more monasteries than sects, such as Kagyu, which is closely linked with Milarepa, a tantric practitioner (11th -century) whose ideas and sonnets have stuck with many Ladakhi Buddhist. Under Tashi Namgyal ( 1555-70) , who re-unified the kingdom, Ladakh became a major Himalayan power and the ascent to the thrown of the "lion" Sengge Namgyal, in the 17th century, signaled further territorial gains. After being routed by the Mogul-Balti army and Bodh Kharbu in 1639, he turned his energies to civil and religious matters, founding a new capital and palace at Leh, as well as a string of monasteries that included Hemis, seat of the newly arrived Brugpa sect, a branch of Kagyu school.
Sengge's building spree created some fine monuments, but it also drained the kingdom coffers, as did the hefty annual tribute paid to the Moguls after the both Kharu debacles. Finances were further strained when Delden, Sengge's successor pickled a quarrel with his ally, Tibet. The fifth Dalai lama dispatched an army of Mongolian horse men to tech him a lesson, and three years of conflict were only ended after the Mogul governor of Kashmir intervened on Ladakh's behalf. This help, however, came at a price : Aurangzeb demanded more tribute, ordered the construction of a mosque in Leh, and forced the Ladakhi king to convert to Islam.
Trade links with Tibet resumed in the 18th century, but Ladakh never regained its former status. Plagued by feuds and assassinations, the kingdom teetered in to terminal decline and was an easy target for the Dogra (Sikh) general Zorawar Singh, who annexed it for the Maharaja of Kashmir in 1834. The Ladakhi royal family were banished to Stok Palace where they reside to this day.
We have various Tour Packages for your ready reference, though we believe on Tailor Made Itineraries for your scheduled trip to Ladakh and kashmir. We have design below few different sections which will help you to understand the weather, how to reach, Ladakh Calender & Festival, Geography of Ladakh and History of Ladakh etc.