 Time less
land’ and ‘the last Sangri-
la’ are names which have been applied
to Ladakh,both with a degree of truth.
Ladakh is a high- altitude plateau North
of the Himalayas situated geographically
in Tibet. It’s a miniature version
of Tibet, the people are Tibetan in their
culture and religion, and there are many
Tibetan refugees living there.
The Himalayas are a very effective barrier
to rain – few clouds creep across
their awesome height and as a result Ladakh
is barren beyond belief. Only where rivers,
running from faraway glaciers or melting
snow, carry water to habitation do you
find plant life – hence the moonland
label, Ladakh is as dry as the Sahara.
 Ladakh could well be a last Shangri-la,
in the mid-70s Ladakh was opened to outside
visitors. Its strategic isolation is matched
by its physical isolation – only
from June to September are the roads into
Ladakh from Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh
not covered by snow although nowadays there
are airline flights into Ladakh. The flight
is one of the most spectacular in the world.
Ladakh is well worth the effort involved
in getting there. It’s an otherworldly
place – strange Gompas perched on
soaring hilltops, ancient buildings clinging
to sheer rock walls, and shattered – looking
Landscapes splashed with small but brilliant
patches of green. But most of all there
are the delightful Ladakhis, friendly as
only Tibetan people can be and immensely
colorful.
At Kargil, on the Srinagar to Leh road,
the Islamic influence diminishes and the
region becomes predominantly Buddhist.
The people follow Tibetan Tantric Buddhism
which places much emphasis on magic and
demons. All around Ladakh are Gompas, the
Buddhist monasteries which are always fascinating
to visit.
Permits: Three regions of Ladakh were
opened to foreigners in 1994. They are:
the Dahanu area, North of the Kargil to
Leh road at Kahlsi; the Nubra Valley; and
Pangong Tso ( Lake Pangong). For all of
these places you have to be officially
part of the group of four people with permits
are issued at the police station in Leh. |
