Leh, the capital of Ladakh is spreading rapidly in all
directions. Leh is situated in a fertile side valley of
the Indus river. Since the 17th century Leh has been the
capital of the Ladakh region. Leh and Indus Valley are
earlier capitals of the region. The centre is about 10
km from the river. It developed as an important trading
post and market and attracted a wide variety of
merchants from Yarkand, Kashgar, Kashmir, Tibet and
northern India. Tea, salt, household articles, wool and
semi-precious stones were all sold and bought in the
city which became a hub for the business traveler to
South Asia. While Leh has come a long way from the time
when most of the activities took place on its main
street, it still retains its pleasant traditional
quality. Due to tourism, there are various hotels and
guest houses in the city. Tourism has certainly had the
impacts on the society of Leh. Leh is at an altitude of
3,521 meter. The best season to visit Leh is from May to
November.
Adventure in Leh
Trekking in Ladakh is most popular activity at the
moment as it goes through very high mountains. However,
it is advisable to be fully equipped before starting the
trek. Indo Vacations organizes porter and ponies from
Leh, Lamayuru or Padam and at other places from where
the treks commence. Archery contests are also quite
popular and competitions are held in the season.
Tourist Attractions in Leh
Within the town of Leh there is a lot to see. One can
have an easy walk away through the interesting
coppersmith’s quarter, visit the Moravian Church, the
Ladakh Ecological Centre. The Shankar gompa is also one
of the attraction of Leh. Shankar gompa has an
outstanding collection of small statues of pure gold and
paintings. An interesting walk brings you to the Ladakh
Shanti Stupa. This walk goes through the picturesque
village of Changspa. The various tourist attractions in
Leh are the Leh Palace, Stok Palace, Tso Moriri Lake and
monasteries. The Leh Monastery houses a solid gold
statue of Buddha.
Leh Palace
The tall nine storeyed palace of Leh wa s
built by Ladakh’s ruler Sengge Namgyal in the early 17th
century. This palace has nine stories and wooden
balconies with projections. This solid and yet graceful
palace rises up like a mountain and gives the feeling to
be in a mighty city of Himalaya. It has been described
as the model of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. This palace
was damaged during the attack from Zorawar Singh’s from
Kashmir in the last century. This palace has a
collection of wall paintings on the life of the Buddha,
100-year old Thangkas, statues etc. From the town below
it, the palace appears like dazzling in the morning sun
and ghostly at night. Another palace built by King Tashi
Namgyal in the 16th century and the Temple of the
Guardian of the Deities stands above it on the Namgyal
Tsemo peak. The temple has a large golden Buddha, many
scrolls, murals and
old manuscripts. Down below, the town looks like a maze
of little box like buildings bristling with brushwood
stored on the roof for winter and set in an oasis of
green fields.
Tso Moriri Lake
The Leh – Manali road leads through an area which is
inhabited only by the nomadic Chang-pa herdsmen famous
for Pashmina Goats. The Tso Moriri lake is located in
the middle of the higher plateau of Rupso region at a
height of around 20,000 feet. The surrounding dusty
mountain provide an ideal background for the lake. The
water of the lake is bright and blue and the this lake
provides an ideal breeding ground for the variety or
water birds – some of them are the great crested grebe,
brown headed gull, brahminy duck & bar headed goose. Not
far from the location is a picturesque village of Karzok
where around one hundred families stay. On the top of
the village there is a monastery which belongs to yellow
sect. The best time to visit Tso Moriri Lake is from
July to September.
Stok Palace
Stok Palace across the river from Leh is the home of the
royal family. The palace museum offers a collections of
beautiful royal costumes and jewellery, and exclusive
thangkas (religious themes and icons mostly giving a
message and painted and embroidered on cloth).
Monasteries in Leh
Leh is the town of Buddhist monasteries. A look at the
monasteries gives a visitor an idea of the inside life
of the people of Ladakh. The most visited monasteries by
tourists are Shey, Thiksey and Hemis. All of them are
spread along the Indus river and are easily accessible
so that within manageable time the visits can be
organized. The ideal time to visit the monasteries is
early morning or late evening when the priests are
saying their prayers and doing their mystical chanting.
The ringing of bells and blowing of long brass horns
lend a magical touch to the whole atmosphere.
Shey, which is also not far from Leh, is the oldest
capital of Ladakh from where its earliest Tibetan kings
ruled. Royal palace and temples are built on a huge
rock. Shey is the oldest of the three monasteries but at
the same time it is not being used regulary and
therefore opens only till nine in the morning. The
monastery has a two storied 7 metre high gold statue of
Lord Buddha sitting in meditation posture and
brilliantly coloured murals. Above and below are the
almost ruined walls of the old summer capital of Ladakh.
The Shey Palace was also the summer palace of the former
Raja of Leh.
Thiksey is situated on a hill-top in ideal
surroundings. It offers a magnificent enjoyable view of
the Sindh Valley. The monastery has rooms full of
stautes, stupas and Thangkas and religious paintings of
all kinds. It is 17 kms. from Leh and one of the largest
monasteries. Thiksey is known for its beautiful murals.
Hemis Gompa is the biggest and very richly endowed
monastery of Ladakh. It is about 40 km. from Leh on the
Leh-Manali Road. It is not visible from the road as it
is located in a side valley. The Hemis Gompa (Monastery)
is known for its magnificent summer festival. This
festival is celebrated every year for three days. Many
visitors come to watch it. Various rituals and mask
dances are held to celebrate the birth anniversary of
Guru Padmasambhava. The Hemis Gompa is also proud to
offer the largest Thangka of Ladakh. This great Thangka
is unfolded only once in every 12 years. The monastery
also has an impressive collection of Thangkas, gold
statues and stupas embedded with precious stones.
Spituk is another interesting monastery, about 8 kms.
from Leh on Srinagar road. It has totally new Gompa
within the monastery as well as the old Gompa which has
been restored. Spituk Monastery offers wonderful views
of the Indus. The monastery offers fine thangkas and a
collection of ancient masks.
Other magnificent Gompas located near Leh are the Alchi,
Lamayuru, Likir, Phyang, Rizdong, Stakna, Matho and
Chemery. All these Gompas are easily accessible from Leh.
Festivals of Leh
Some of the festivals which are celebrated in Leh are
the Hemis Festival and Losar Festival. Hemis Festival is
celeberated in the month of June on the occassion of the
birth of Guru Padmasambhava. Guru Padmasambhava is
believed to have fought local demons to protect the
local people. The famous mask dances are the part of the
celebrations. Young and old, males and females, Lamas
and common people take part in the mask dances. Stalls
are also set up selling handicrafts and other wares. For
3 days there is joy and worship. The Losar Festival
dates back to the 15th century and is celebrated in the
11th month of the Buddhist year. It was held before a
battle against the evil powers protection for the people
of Ladakh.
How to reach Leh
By Air:
The airport is 8 km from the city centre. Leh is
connected to Srinagar, Delhi and Jammu by air.
By Rail:
The nearest rail station is Jammu (739 km)
By Road:
Leh is about 434 km. from Srinagar and 739 km. from
Jammu by road. There is a motorable road between
Srinagar and Leh via Kargil. However, we recommend that
the best way would be to go by road to Leh and return by
air. |