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Ladakh
Area: 98,000sq km
Altitude: 2,500m to 7,500m
Population: Approximately 178,000
Religion: 52% Buddhists, 47% Muslims
Annual Rainfall: 50mm
Status: Cold Desert
There’s
just no place on earth quite like Ladakh. Starting from its landscape,
sky, shooting stars, silence, wizened faces, rosy cheeks, dragons and
Zen – everything about Ladakh makes it stand apart, like a jazz
crescendo on the lose. This ethereal cold desert that goes by names such
as ‘The Last Shangrila’, Moonscape, Little Tibet and so many others
– all of which ring true, is a land that seldom fails to baffle or
surprise.
The
inhabitants of Ladakh are simple smiling people who greet one and all
with the all-encompassing ‘jule’, which could mean hello, bye,
thank-you and please! So if there is a word of Ladhaki that you must
learn, it is – jule. The stark and rugged landscape is situated amidst
multiple-hued mountains, some smooth enough to rub your cheeks on,
others scraggly as though termites have had a go at them for breakfast.
Miles and stretches of this never-never land, surprised by quaint little
vibrant green hamlets oozing wild roses and lavender, fringe the
life-giving Indus.
Ladakh
- The Land of Polo and Prayer Wheels
Ladakh amidst waves of barren mountains, lofty passes, hostile terrain,
shattered slopes and the steep gorges meandering across the indus, once
played host to traders in the silk route on their sojourn has not
changed much. The fabled town from east to west, today Leh, the capital
of Ladakh is a world apart from the ultra modern hustle and verve, the
towering glass and steel of many other Asian capitals; and so the
inhabitants of this cool table top, possessing a customary insouciance
flamboyance, not to be found elsewhere.
It is a cool but pleasant morning with the sun slowly flooding the
valley from behind. The air is rarefied but not a serious threat at
15,00/- feet, as some of the travel guides make us believe. Prayer flags
flutter stop the numerous gomphas (monasteries) scattered in Leh, where
red robed monks with girlish faces are chanting the Buddhist mantras.
Monasteries in Ladakh belong to a distinct Tibetan style, which
incorporates defensive role and thus built like forts - strengthening
their position on high grounds. A typical gompha or monastery is a
precise museum in itself. Outer walls are replete with manis or stones
inscribed with prayers, ‘om mani padme hom’ (O jewel of the lotus)
that are supposed to bring good luck but take care while approaching a
monastery. Make sure that you keep to your right while entering any of
the Buddhist sacred sites. The interior of most of the monasteries are a
storehouse of beautifiul thankas or scroll paintings depicting the
Buddhist philosophy of life. Thankas are truly a religious art worked
out divinely by a lama artist. A few lamas are said to have spent their
entire life in preparing the painting a single thank in a manner
prescribed by the Buddhist order.
A child on his way to school heaves on a huge prayer wheel, placed
almost everywhere on the roadside in Ladakh. These shiny prayer wheels
appear like gas cylinders hung in the air, though they have prayers
written on pieces of paper inside and one cyclic turn of the cylinder is
considered to be at par with prayers inscribed inside and thus adds to
the religious merit of the traveller toying with the wheel. In the
nearby field, a heavily yoked yak drags the wooden plough through the
rocky soil to the singsong tune of his master. The villagers are sowing
the barley seeds, as what does not grow here. However apples and
apricots are aplenty while turnips and radish grow to extraordinary
height and weight.
Ladakh is a trait more often associated with Tibet rather than the
Indian culture. It is often referred to as ‘Little Tibet’ and the
comparison, through obvious, is appropriate. It is an area where,
despite Chinese occupation in Tibet, the old way of life continues
largely undisturbed and a rich artistic heritage has survived relatively
intact. However, the religion of Tibet is a modified form of Indian
Buddhism that was introduced by Emperor Asoka during the 4th century
B.C. However, religion art and iconography gained ground much later in
the 7th century.
“Julley” is the multi purpose, one word greeting which includes all
the varied exchanges of niceties! Greet a Ladakhi in his own way and he
will be most pleased to guide your way to any of the legendary gomphas
that you may choose to visit. Ladakhis are genteel and good-humoured
people, ideal for the evening gossip. They are warm and welcoming but
the humane tolerance gives way when the cosmopolitan camera zooms,
unasked, on the local women to steal their brown faces lined with rosy
cheeks. They hail visitors and are glad to pose for pictures when
requested for.
Leh is not a large town to explore but most of the gomphas, palaces and
museums are located on the Outskirts, perched in between the mountain
clefts and on rocky cliffs. An ideal place to begin with is the polo
ground overlooking the 17th century Leh Palace. The projecting balconies
of the nine storeyed palace gracefully rises to a mountain height,
commanding bird’s view of the town. Adjacent to it
remains of still older fort housing the temple of the guardian of
the deities. Another spectacular view of the town can be had from the
shiny Soma Gompha, a recent addition commemorating the 2,500th
anniversary of Buddhism. Other sites within the walking range includes
the Tsemo Gompha, noted for a colossal three storey high image of
Bodhisattva; Sankar Gompha, reputed for its gold icons, serves as the
residence of Kaushak Bakula, the head priest. An architectural marvel
not to be missed in the cobwebs of the bazaar is the 16th century Leh
Mosque.
Transport is expensive in Ladakh but the best way to explore the
surroundings is a hire a jeep or taxi for the day. You may begin with
the Stock Palace, 10kms south of Leh. It is the palace museum where the
royal family resides, and possibly you may spot the young prince who
prefers jeans to the traditional clothes. The museum has on display the
royal paraphernalia including some extraordinary thankas. 5kms further
south brings you to Shey, another royal residence of bygone days.
According to tradition, it was the seat of power of the pre-Tibetan
kings. Shey is famous for its 7.5mts high statue of Buddha plated in
gold. Another 10kms in the same direction is Thikse, one of the largest
monasteries overlooking the desert on the bank of Indus. The 12 storeyed
construction is architecturally impressive and no less appealing are the
interiors a chain to ten temples, housing numerous statues, thankas,
swords and the large pillar with the messages of Buddha engraved on it.
(40 feet high statue of Buddha studded with turquoise, coral and lapis
lazuli is amazing). This monastery is an ideal place to wait and watch
the daily rituals and ceremonies of the Buddhist monks. Still south and
a total of 40kms from Leh, you reach Hemis, the best known and the
biggest of gomphas in Ladakh, dating back to the 13th century. Visitors
should not miss this prized monastery, especially if it is June/July,
the festival time when sacred dances are performed and pilgrims gather
to pay homage. Hemis is otherwise a treasure house of thankas, which the
world’s largestal. (open to public every 12 years. Last displayed in
1992).
Other interesting sites include the Lamayuru, the oldest blessed spot in
Ladakh. It was a Bon shrine prior to the advent of Buddhism. The complex
is worth a visit for its beautiful halls and caves overlooking the
valley. Alchi (70kms west) is another holy site featuring thousands of
miniature sized pictures of Buddha. At Mulbek, on the roadside is a
temple complex with Buddha Maitreya or the future Buddha, a huge rock
cut sculpture with elaborate headdress. The Boddhisttva has survived 12
turbulent centuries without worldly assistance and lets hope its will
stand by. A similar future Buddha in Zanskar, an eighth century work
executed in wood, believed to be India’s oldest wooden statue, may not
be equally healthy to survive the ravages of time. The ancient wood is
sodden, may shatter in absence of shelter from rain and sun, followed by
winter temperatures at -25 degrees. However, The coldest place in Ladakh
in Drass where the temperature drops to -50c.
Ladakh is not just the story of monks and monasteries. It is a
trekker’s paradise, art lover’s museum and if you are sport maintain
your nerves to see the sharp shooters at the archery ground and best of
all be a silent spectator to the wild polo, played in its original form.
It is free for all once the ball is hurled in the air. The players
mounted on ponies, armed with sticks, display their warlike skill. Each
goal is honoured with the crescendo beat of drums and the noise is
increased by the cheers of the successful party. A number of trekking
routes are well established around Zanskar and Darcha. Mountain climbing
to peaks like Nun, (7,135m) Kun (7,077m) and Saser II (7500m) are quite
popular and so is river rafting between Spituk and Saspol.
In Ladakh, Miss Universe is a misnomer, for the Snowhites abide in the
Dropkas. Their beauty is sheer envy for the supermodels! Imagine
supermodels without the beauty aids and compare the Dropkas who are
scared of even applying water to their faces for fear of washing their
features! Deep in the valley of Ladakh the Dropkas, deemed to be the
lost Aryan heritage. Their origin is a mystrey. Some believe them to be
the descendants of the survivor’s of the Greek garrison of Alexander
the Great who decided to stay back in the serene wilderness. Another
theory claims them to be the lost tribe of Israel.
Getting
There
You can
get to Ladakh by road or by air. Both the means of transport are quite
fascinating, though one must admit that the overland route is by far the
more interesting alternative. Alliance Airways operates a daily return
flight from Delhi to Leh. The town is also connected by air to
Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar. Get your tickets booked well in advance,
especially from June to August, as the limited number of flights tend to
remain overbooked during the tourist season. There are two overland
routes to the region – one from Srinagar (open approximately from June
to October) and the other from Manali (open approximately from July to
September). It takes 2 days by the overland routes to reach Ladakh. A
regular bus service operates on the routes; cabs can also be hired from
both Srinagar and Manali for the journey. Remember that the overland
trip will help you acclimatize to the high altitude. |
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