Leh- Ladakh Cultural Tours

 

Ladakh  the northern  frontier of India ,where  Afghanistan, Pakistan and China meet ,is an area of high altitudes, glaciers , streams and charming, valleys hidden among some of the tallest mountain in the world  - Karakoram range. The journey by  road  from Srinagar  over the Zoji La ( La means  pass in Ladakhi ) climbing unaccustomed  heights  traverses cold, grey  crags and boulders , and vast yellow desert – like plains.

Fa – hien , the Chinese traveler , seems to have been  the first to leave us an account of his visit to Ladakh .The name he uses for  Ladakh is Kie- chha or land of snow . In fact, when he travelled across it in AD 399, he described it as “ the Land where  snow never melts and  only  corn ripens. “Ladakh is indeed a place of  extremes :  the summer heat of 38 degees celsius plummets to minus 38 degrees in winter. The sunlight is intense   and so is the cold. The dry heat of the day is followed by icy winds and the cold glitter   of amazingly   bright stars. One actually feels nearer to the heavens, thanks to the height   of the land, which is around 4,600 meters.

At first glance  Ladakh  appears  to be  a bastion of Tibetan Buddhism  and culture, but  actually  there are several  layers of influence from other  religions, races and cultures preserved  in this  remote outpost of the  Himalaya .Today it is a perfect  picture of cultural synthesis: Buddhists, Muslims – mostly  Shiites – and  a sprinkling of Christians live a perfect harmony  with one another all taking pride  in the unique Ladakhi way of life. Hence the fascination that ladakh  and quiet valleys nestling in its mountains – Zanaskar,  Chushul  and Nubra –exert  over those in search of unique and refreshing experience today.

Situated as it was on  the crossroads of High Asia , Ladakh  was  the central point at which several routes of central Asian met. Merchants from Tibet , China,  Afghanistan, the Punjab and Kashmir would converge here, making  it an exciting and bustling  hub of commercial activity. Caravans  of  horses  and mule laden with  gold , silver, porcelain, Yarkandi carpets, numdahs, fur , wool and tea  - both  black and green  - in the small, compressed brick  form, destined for  the bazaars of India would come  from China  Tibet and central Asia.

 

Ladakh itself enjoyed  a monopoly  on all Pashmina trade, through it  produced only  a  negligible quantity of  the silky  wool known as pashm ( which comes   form  the underbelly of the pashmina  goat that thrives on high level pastures chiefly in Tibet ) from which  the remarkably soft  and warm pashmina shawls of Kashmir are made.  Besides , Ladakh  is the  habitat of the Tibetan antelope, locally known as the Stos which  produces the softer than silk, feather light ,yet unbelievably warm wool TOOSH. Shwals  made from toosh are actually called  Shahtoosh  and perhaps the most expansive fabric in the world.

From earlist  times  the fortunes of Ladakh have been linked  with those of the Kashmir valley.The ladakh  are mixture of several  races who either  passed through or setteled here. The earliest  inhabitants  were  probably  the Dards ,whose original homeland  was Gilgit in Pakistan. The Dards were converted  to Buddhism  when missionaries from  India trvelled north in the  first  century the Varayana  ( Vehicle   of the Thunderbolt ) school of Buddhism.

 

Ladakhi  Buddhists, like their Tibetan counterparts, believe that the Buddha , having found  Nivana , is moved by compassion  for suffering  humanity  and therefore  keeps  returning to the earth  in different incarnations in order to help  other  attain  salvation .Hence  the concept of the thousand Buddha , a recurrent  motif  In the  murals of gompas  in  Ladakh .There is also a rigidly  estabalished  hierarchy of Lamas. The head of each gompa is known as the Kushak .The spiritual head is ,  is of course ,the  Dalai Lama, the incarnate  Buddha or  Avalokitesvara. Once the supreme spiritual as well as temporal authority of Tibet but now living in exile in Dharamsala  ( Himachel Pradash  ) in India .

Apart from  gompas and lamas, the other visible symbols of Buddhism in ladakh are the ubiquitous Chhorten, the mani wall and the prayer wheels.The chhorten ( a type of Stupa  ) is a  solid  mound of masonary  and is erected in  honour of a holy man or important  lama after his death .
The earlist  settlers of Ladakh were perhaps  nomadic  herdsmen  as is suggested by the rock carvings at Drass  ( 147 kms  from Srinagar )  and  Zanaskar  ( south of Leh ). In the first  century AD Ladakh  became a part of the Kushan  empire ,which spread from Central Asia to India. In the eighth century it was again  part    of the great Kashmiri king  Lalitaditya empire. But later, for the next hundred years or so, ties with  Tibet came to be established and strengthened .The first Tibetan  ruling monarch  was Nyima Gon, who  established  his  kingdom in ladakh  in the tenth century.
By the early thirteenth century AD ,islam ,too was advancing from the north –west. Frequent  raids by rulars like Zain-Ul-Abiddin ( Badshah ) and Mirza Haidar  Dughlat the adventurer from Kashgar in Central Asis,resulted in Kargilnand some of its  adjoining areas converting to Islam. In fact the ladakhki  prince Rinchen deprived  of his throne in Ladakh, advanced into Kashmir  and  taking advantage of the political turmoil,married Kotam Rani, and converted to Islam , as  Buddhism  had died out in Kashmir and the Hindus ,with  their rigid  caste system ,would not accept him.he thus  became the first Muslim  ruler of Kashmir.

From 1555 to 1575 ladakh had the good  furtune  of being  ruled by Tashi Namgyal who unified the land , build many  Buddhist  temples ,He established the monastery at Phiyang .Unfortunately ,from 1600 onwards ladakh once again  became  a battleground  for the control of this  rich  trading centre  among  the rival powers of  Central Asia  and   Baltistan. But  in spite  of armed  onslaughts, Buddhism  survived. Even  though  a ladakhi  king , jamyang  married  the daughter  of the  Balti  ruler, Ali  Mir, who  was  a  muslim. Ironically enough it is  this Muslim princess , Gyal  Katun, who bore her  husband  the son who proved to be  the greatest Buddhist king in Ladakh’s history ,Sengge Namgyal  ( 1616 -42 ) A deeply  religious  man  and a great statesman at the same time, he immersed   himself  in the  twin tasks of restoring to ladhak its religious as well as secular glory. He  conquered Zanskar and Guge (now in Tibet) through suffering a defeat   by the Mughals , Who were at this time in control of Kashmir. In retaliation and  in  a  fit  of anger, Sengge Namgyal closed the trade routes from Kaskmir for about twenty  four years, which  proved to be  economically  disastrous for Ladakh .This apart, Senggen Namgyal not  only repaired many  damaged  and vandalized monasteries,but  also established many more.Among these are the famous Hemis Gompa  and the Hanla Gompa.He also built many status  of the Buddha , Mani walls  and the seven story leh Palace,

 

After Sengge Namgyal’s death , Ladakh once again broke up into  a number of separate kingdoms.1n 1663 the mughals king Aurangzeb’s forces marched  up to the borders of Ladakh,it was than the first  mosque came up in Leh.Attempts were made to convert the Buddhists  to Islam and later to Christianty with the coming of European missionaries,but this hardly had any success.It was  only  in the nineteenth century that two Bristish travelers, Moorcroft and Cunningham,came on sec ret political missions on behalf of Bristish.The strategic  importance of this northern outpost ,straddled across  the hightest  plateau in the world. And  the prospect of lucrative trade with Tibet, China and Russia that friendly ties with Lakdakh opened, was  an irresistible proposition for the Bristish.They were particularly anxious to gain a foothold in a place from where they could put an effective check.They were thwarted  by their treaty with Ranjit Singh.But after his death, When Gulab Singh acquired Kashmir, Ladakh became a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1846.The  occupation of Tibet  by China in the 1950s and inhospitable heights  of Ladakh occupied by  China. This  plateau, known as AKSAI Chin,

Zanaskar ( 4000 Mts) is the valley that stands in between  Kargil and Lamayuru in the north and Kistwar and Manali in the south.Interestingly enough , the Zanaskar ,which cuts across the Zanskar range to join the Indus, become a good raod for vehicles to cross over the  gorge into padum once it frozen  solid in winter.

The  Nubra valley , at a slightly lower elevation, has a more temperate climate. It also has  a number of hot springs. The main rivers, apart  from the Indus  which has its source in Tibet are  - are Shoyk, Nubra , Zanaskar ,Suru and Drass, and these  also join  the Indus.The fields,meadows and popular plantations near  the  rivers present  an agreeable  contrast to the bleakness of the surrounding mountains.

There are three large and beautiful salt lakes, Tsomorari, Pangong and Rupshu..

The Ladakh script is close to Devanagari and most  printing in the past was done in gompas  by lamas. The ladakhi national epic, Kesar Saga,  has pre-Tibetan elements and has acquired the colors of all the religio- cultural influences that have left an imprint on Ladakh. Ladakh craft have strong Tibetan or Kashmiri  influence.Genuinely ladakhi is the Pittu, a king of tweed, which is very thick and warm.The brocade bordered Thangkas, which hang on Gompa walls  and also decorate  and bless  ladakhi homes,Also available are low,carved and painted tables  and exquisitely shaped copper pots  for serving  GUR GUR tea and Chhang.