| THE LAND
Ladakh, the land of jagged peaks and barren landscape
is alluring and awe-inspiring. Hidden behind this harsh
and forbidding façade is an ancient civilization
and captivating people. Beyond the old frontiers lies
the land of wilderness with its unaltered character
and overwhelming natural beauty beckoning the more intense
and adventurous of travelers. This awesome wildness
and magic belongs to that great land of towering mountains
and Buddhist simplicity—Ladakh.
The largest of the 10 provinces of Jammu and Kashmir,
Ladakh is bordered by the Karakoram chain of mountains
in the north and the Himalayas in the south. With the
great Indus flowing right through Ladakh, the province
is divided into Leh, the capital, Nubra, Zanskar, lower
Ladakh and Rupshu. The many distinctive features of
Ladakh are its uplands, craggy, barren cliffs and plateaus.
Governed by a climate that provides about 50mm of rainfall
each year, Ladakh is cold and dry. One, therefore, will
be faced with a long and bitter winter of frozen landscape
but yet very beautiful, and a short, hot summer when
the precious glaciers melt.
THE PEOPLE AND THEIR CULTURE
With the strong prevalence of Buddhism, the Buddhist
monastery or gompa is a pivotal force in Ladakhi life.
Besides being centre-stage during all celebrations and
ceremonies, a gompa and its lamas are involved in education,
medication and many such social activities. Then there
are the lovely Ladhakis. Cut off yet content, their
most winning feature is a total absence of urbanity.
How reassuring it is to meet a Ladakhi—simple,
cheerful and so incredibly industrious. Against the
harsh backdrop of barrenness, the famous Ladakhi spirit
shines like a beacon. With a total population of less
than 150,000, the people of Ladakh belong to a variety
of races such as the Hunja, Daradas, Mons and Droks.
The latter have the distinction of being survivors of
pure Aryan stock and the men of this race are called
Drokpas.
Among the various attributes of Ladakhi life that strike
an outsider as strange is the headgear that is worn
by the women—the perak. Studded in close rows
on this long article of skin from the black lamb, are
a dazzling variety of precious stones with turquoise
the most striking. Coming back to the gompas and lamas,
these monasteries may be either of the Mahayana or the
Hinayana sect of Buddhism. The head lama is called a
kushak meaning reincarnation. The gompas of Ladakh are
what give the region its unique flavor and beauty. Typically,
most gompas are built so that they perch precariously
on lone rocks or craggy mountain faces. Hemis, the largest
monastery in Ladakh, is a surprise to the traveler,
as it cannot be seen from the road. Impressive and intriguing,
Hemis is different from other important monasteries
of Ladakh. The annual festival commemorating the birth
anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava is held for two days
in June-July, enlivening the courtyard of the monastery.
The festival of dances where good triumphs over evil
in a colorful pageant is also the annual ‘bazaar’
where Ladhakis from remote areas buy and sell wares.
However important these festivals may be to the native
of Ladakh, he or she is really most at home while working,
be it in the fields during the short summer or in the
house during the arduous and extremely cold months of
winter. Most of the local people are farmers. A specific
variety of barely—girm –is grown and eaten.
The dzo, a hybrid between the yak and cow and hardy
enough for the climate of Ladakh, is used to plough
fields. Beautiful, exotic flowers such as the iris and
larkspurs are common during the warmer months. Production
of the famous pashmina and other varieties of wool is
a major profession since sheep, goats and yak are in
plenty. Synonymous with Ladakh is the yak; its meat,
horns, hooves, hide, hair and even tail are useful.
The Ladhakis believe in hard work. The long bleak and
cold months of winter find them busy weaving wool into
garments, making local handicrafts to be sold during
festival and manufacturing ropes, bags and other such
useful articles. These simple folk also follow a special
social structure. Interestingly, the eldest son of the
family inherits all the property, gets married and must
also shoulder responsibility for looking after the rest
of the family. In a further attempt to retain the original
family unit, another peculiar custom is practiced. The
younger sons may either live on in the family and also
be husbands to their sister-in-law or they can become
lamas and get recruited into a monastery. These customs
are still prevalent though attempts are being made by
the law to make the situation morally more acceptable.
The lamas, on the other hand, like most servants of
God the world over, are totally set apart from worldly
affairs. There must be close to 5,000 lamas in Ladakh.
Hemis monastery alone can house 150 lamas at any one
time. There is a gompas in every village with its income
coming from gifted land and donations. The monastery
land is tilled by peasants and not the lamas who are
not supposed to do such work. Valuable works of art—tangkhas
–and masks, musical instruments of a typical kind
and various precious figurines are housed in the gompas.
Hemis is especially renowned for a huge painting of
the Buddha which is displayed once in 11 years. Thikse
monastery, near Leh, is considered an architectural
wonder whereas Shey monastery has a huge gold-plated
copper statue of the Buddha. Alchi, Likir and Lamayuru
are amongst the oldest gompas of Ladakh. Alchi was built
1,000 years back and Likir in the 11th century. Each
monastery, distinct and attractive, imparts to Ladakh
that specially intense culture where simplicity is so
intricately interwoven with color and industry.
CULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA
Every year the city of Leh welcomes
visitors as it prepares to launch into a weeklong festival
of Ladakh to showcase its dances, sporting skills and
handicrafts. The cultural extravaganza starts with an
impressive ceremonial parade through the streets of
Leh. Two long lines of prominent citizens, participants
and school children march in file to the festival venue,
the Polo Grounds. Every now and then the procession
briefly stops as dancers break into impromptu display
of footwork. The women holding vases of colorful flowers
serenely parade through the streets as traffic grinds
to a halt. The dancers twirl and sway as the rhythmic
drumbeats and the sounds of trumpets and pipes fill
the air. Preceding the ceremony is the traditional welcome
invoking the gods. Heavily ornamented and dressed in
the rich traditional silk brocades or gonchas with colorful
headgear, the dancers take slow measured steps to the
beat and rhythm of drums. Other dances follow—the
Spavo, the joyous peacock, Argon and the Shon—all
of which feature prominently in the festival opened
with much fanfare.
ADVENTURE SPORTS
The Ladakh Festival organized on a large
scale is now a regular tourist event on the tourist
calendar. There are several schemes to promote tourism
to the Ladakh region. These include opening up of inner
line areas such as the beautiful Pangong Tso lake on
the Indo-China border, Baima, whose villagers trace
their descent to the early Aryan settlers and Nubra
Valley which is situated near the strategic Siachen
glacier on the Indo-Pak border. Along with the Ladakh
festival, adventure tourism will figure prominently
in the tourism package. A white water river rafting
expedition along the 26-kilometre stretch from Fhey
to Nimo along the mighty Indus River is a thrilling
experience. It the highest point where river rafting
is possible in the world. The high altitude and mountains
make it an ideal spot for paragliding, mountaineering,
trekking and even skiing. The Ladakhis are keen sportsmen
and archery contests are frequently arranged at the
village level, which draws all aspiring marksmen. Another
popular game, polo, is played with great gusto reminiscent
of the Mongol horsemen. The no holds-barred, robust
game is far removed from the watered down version seen
in today’s polo circuits.
NEAR By
Visitors to Skara village near Leh are
treated to a local archery contest. As the contestants
draw bow and arrow, bowls filled with the delectable
apricot, apple and dry fruits are served to the visitors
followed by chang, a heady brew made of barley and gur
tea, a regional favorite. There is a change of scene
as the Festival shifts to the Nubra Valley. The sleepy
pastoral countryside of Nubra which has recently been
thrown open to tourism is located on the Indo-Pak border.
A trip by helicopter over flies an intricate network
of mountains including the Khardungla Pass, the highest
motor able pass in the world. The mountains have a reddish
hue.
Nubra boasts of a more liberal and progressive attitude
having been on the ancient silk route and thus open
to outside influence. The people are educated and speak
fluent Hindi. Nubra is also the home of the double humped
Bactrian camel rarely seen elsewhere in Ladakh. It is
in Nubra that one sees the co-existence of water, mountain
and desert—a rare sight. But then as many will
testify, Ladakh is indeed a rare destination.
VISITING LADAKH
GETTING
THERE
By Air: The nearest
airport is Leh. There are flights from Delhi, Chandigarh
and Srinagar.
By road: It is a two-day journey from
Srinagar to Leh (434 kilometers) with an overnight halt
at Kargil. The road is open from June to October. There
is also a road from Manali to Leh via Keylong open from
June-October.
WHERE TO EAT
The hotels mentioned above have their
own restaurants. Good food is also available at Dreamland,
Chopsticks and Our Restaurant.
LOCAL TRANSPORT
There is an extensive bus network to
reach places around Leh. Jeep can also be hired on a
per day basis.
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