Ladakh: A Glimpse of the Roof of the World

By Dr Tilak Ranjan Bera

Ladakh is an out-of-the-world destination with a rugged inhospitable terrain, a well-preserved ancient culture and immense natural wealth. This region remained shrouded in mystery for centuries because of its inaccessibility.

The harmonious mingling of people of varied origins, distinct cultures and different religions has resulted in a unique fusion of people in Ladakh. Though it has been open to tourism since 1974, construction of motorable roads in difficult terrain and opening the hitherto restricted areas to tourists is a recent phenomenon. Ladakh has become an irresistible destination for nature lovers, researchers and adventure seekers of the world.

Dr Tilak Ranjan Bera, born in Kolkata, India, is an avid nature lover and has a passion for travelling, writing and photography. He has authored several pictorial books on India. He was awarded the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship by the United States-India Educational Foundation and Senior Research Fellowship by the Indian Government. He was an Associate at Yale University,USA during the Fulbright Fellowship.

The author has explored every corner of Ladakh for three decades and has done extensive studies related to the place. A keen observer, his book contains information on all aspects of Ladakhs natural, cultural and human wealth, described in his unique style and in a lucid manner. He has painstakingly collected photographs and captured various moods of the terrain in different season and presented the rich and fascinating cultural heritage of the region in an interesting manner. Meticulous presentation and exclusive photographs make this book a collectors choice.

In this book, the author has presented every aspect of the territory with exclusive photographs and it can easily be considered the best book ever produced on Ladakh by an Indian author.
-----Shri Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir

A fascinating pictorial display of an amazingly interesting region of the world.

With a Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Jul 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482842630

Dr Tilak Ranjan Bera

Dr Tilak Ranjan Bera, born in Kolkata, India, is an avid nature lover and has a passion for travelling, writing, and photography. He has authored several pictorial books on India. He was awarded the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship by the United States–India Educational Foundation and Senior Research Fellowship by the Indian Government.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 Dr Tilak Ranjan Bera. All rights reserved.

ISBN

978-1-4828-4264-7 (sc)

978-1-4828-4263-0 (e)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/india

06/30/2015

Nine photographs marked with asterisk in pages 11,18,19,128,150,193,204,205 and 207 are contributed by Shantanu and Subhra Majumdar.

Cover: Lamayuru Monastery

Back cover: The Grand Old Man of the Aryan village

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Contents

Chapter I Rugged Terrain and an Ancient Culture

Chapter II People and Their Tradition

Chapter III Destination Ladakh

Chapter IV Leh

Chapter V Monasteries

Chapter VI Nubra

Chapter VII Dah Hanu

Chapter VIII Suru

Chapter IX Zanskar

Chapter X Magnificent Lakes of Ladakh

Chapter XI Adieu

Chapter XII The Mystic Godland

To the people of this divine land, who nurtured a religious culture for peace and happiness for over a millennium, and to those gallant soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their motherland, protecting the integrity of India and cultural heritage of Ladakh.

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Acknowledgements

Ladakh is a gold mine for researchers of geology, ecology, history, anthropology, theology, archaeology, sociology, physiology, and many other subjects of the modern world. It is not possible to discuss in detail about each of the above, neither am I competent and capable to do so. However, I made all attempts to understand various subjects related to the place, its people, and their culture. Many wonderful people extended their help in my endeavour and shared their knowledge. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of them.

First and foremost, I must thank my son Arijit, who managed to redirect my interest towards this fascinating part of the country and that of the world. I am grateful to him and my daughter Ananya for giving me company to various regions of Ladakh, and to my parents and friends for their support and encouragement.

I must express my most sincere gratitude to Shantanu and Subhra Majumdar for contributing nine photographs and for their involvement and constant participation in my ground research. Because of their wonderful company, many difficult areas of this hostile terrain became a memorable excursion for me. It would not have been possible for me to achieve this standard without their active and enthusiastic participation.

I extend my thanks to Mr Sonam Dorjay, retired assistant director of tourism, Leh, for his active cooperation—it was a pleasure interacting with such a helpful personality. I thank Dr Nawang Tsering, retired principal, and Dr Lobsong Tsewng, professor, Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh, for going through the relevant portion of the manuscript and giving their valuable suggestions. I also thank the principal of the institute, Dr Wangchuk Dorjee Negi, for granting me permission to use their library. I am grateful to Mr. Anindya Bhattacharya of Geological Survey of India for his help.

I express my most sincere gratitude and respect to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for writing the foreword of this book and for encouraging me. I am grateful to Mr Chime Rigzing, secretary, and Mr Tenzin Sherab, special assistant in His Holiness’s office, also for their guidance and suggestions.

I extend my sincere thanks to Sonali Jha Chatterjee for editing the initial manuscript and Rita Ronita Sen for her useful suggestions to improve the presentation. I thank Abhijit De for photo corrections and Saptak Das for his suggestions and cooperation.

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The confluence of the Zanskar and the Indus River near Nimu.

Preface

An ancient culture flourished undiluted for over a millennium in Ladakh amidst the barren and ruthless terrain because of its geographical isolation. With the advent of tourism, modern culture has made inroads into this carefully preserved godland. People of Ladakh are now at a crossroads, as their unique deep-rooted religion-based culture is merging with the materialistic world at a phenomenal pace due to globalization. This is probably the last opportunity to capture the rich and unique culture that has prevailed there for centuries.

I am neither a photographer nor a writer. However, due to my fascination for the place, I have a collection of photographs captured during my visits to Ladakh, and I am tempted to share my experiences with my readers. I am not a historian, archaeologist, theologist, or even a geologist. This, therefore, is not a scientific presentation on Ladakh. I am only making a humble effort to bring to the fore the very essence of various subjects related to Ladakh for the visitors and readers to understand and enjoy the place.

Ladakh remains snowbound for over six months during winter. A majority of the photographs have been captured during summer, when these valleys remain approachable. Hence, the greenery depicted does not reflect the terrain of Ladakh during other months of the year. However, an attempt has been made to include photographs captured during early summer and even winter months to portray the difference in the look of the terrain as far as possible.

I have immensely enjoyed preparing this presentation against many odds. I wish I had the knowledge to understand the significance of various archaeological sites, religious structures, and geological features. I wish I had the means to explore every corner of Ladakh to my heart’s content. I wish I had another lifetime to enjoy this great place. Nirvana is not what I deserve; reincarnation in this holy land is what I desire . . .

Like the confluence of the rivers in the region, the ancient culture of Ladakh too has accepted the inevitable invasion of modern civilization. Only time will tell what happens in future. May this union bring happiness to the people and prosperity and peace to this unique part of the world.

Chapter I

Rugged Terrain and an Ancient Culture

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A distant view of the Stakna Monastery perched on the base of the Himalayan snow range.

Ladakh had remained a largely unknown and mystical land until the recent past. Inaccessible location and restrictions imposed on tourism in the remote areas were both responsible for retaining its mysterious status. Hazardous treks across difficult high-altitude passes were the only means of access till a few decades back. The Ladakh of today has a large network of excellent black top roads connecting most of the region, opening every corner to the visitors.

A handful of ardent explorers undertook this perilous journey during the last millennium to get a glimpse of this unique part of the world, and only a few of them recorded their experiences. Thus, a very distinct and unique culture remained relatively unknown and undisturbed till western travellers were permitted to explore the terrain from 1974. It still remains a unique territory of human settlement within the folds of the hostile Himalayan ranges. Many research projects have since been initiated to explore the terrain and understand this singular culture, which has prevailed in this land for over two millenniums.

Ladakh became a part of sovereign India when the British relinquished their command over the country in 1947. After India’s independence, Ladakh formed a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which has three remarkably distinct regions and completely different religions. Jammu in the foothills of Pir Panjal is predominantly Hindu, the fertile and enchanting Kashmir Valley is predominantly a Muslim territory, and the barren and inaccessible Ladakh has a majority of Buddhist population with Muslim predominance in some areas.

Ladakh means ‘Land of Passes’. It is also known by many other names because of its unique terrain and culture, i.e. Roof of the World, Kanchanpa (Land of Snow), Land of Gompas, and many others.

Geographical Location

Ladakh is situated amidst a series of very high Himalayan mountain ranges between 32° 15′ and 36° latitude and 75° 15′ and 80° longitude. On the north it is bound by the lofty Karakoram Range of mountains, which separates Ladakh from the Chinese district of Kotan. The Karakoram II peak, popularly known as K2, and Mt. Godwin Austen, 8,611 m (28,251 ft), is the second¹ highest mountain peak of the world. On the west of Ladakh lies the Indian territory of Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Baltistan. On the east and southeast are the Akshai Chin and districts of Rudok and Chumurti of China towards the plateau of Tibet, while on the south, Ladakh is separated by the Great Himalayan ranges from Lahaul and Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh of India. These southern mountain ranges prevent the rain-bearing monsoon clouds from crossing into Ladakh, making it a rain shadow zone. The luxuriant greenery of the Kullu Valley ends abruptly after crossing the Rohtang Pass on the way to Leh from Manali in Himachal. Similarly, the charming landscape and greenery of Kashmir transforms into a barren zone right after the Zojila Pass on the other approach to Leh from Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley.

Ladakh is characterized by lofty mountain ranges and valleys with an elevation between 9,000 ft to 25,000 ft in the Himalayas. Scarcity of rains and extreme altitude makes Ladakh a difficult territory for human existence with its snow-covered ranges, rocky edges, barren terrain, and sandy plains. Ladakh is thus aptly known as Moonland for its unique, out-of-the-world landscape.

This cold and arid landscape is largely devoid of any vegetation. The entire terrain has a barren and wild look except a few pockets of greenery. In recent years, extensive scientific plantations by the government authorities along the existing water sources have added soothing patches of greenery.

Ladakh is divided into two administrative districts: Leh and Kargil. For obvious reasons it has remained a sparsely populated zone of India. The total population of Ladakh was recorded as 82,340 in the 1951 census of India, which has increased to 274,289 by the 2011 census (Leh District, 133,487, and Kargil District,