|
|
|
Ladakh -
Roof Top Of The World |
|
- Leh -
Kargil - Zanskar - |
 Leh
is breathtaking. Towering
over the city is the tall
nine storeyed palace built
by Ladakh’s ruler Sengge
Namgyal in the early 17th
century. It is said to have
served as the model for the
Potala palace in Lhasa.
Another palace in Lhasa.
Another palace built by King
Tashi Namgyal in the 16th
century stands above it on
the Namgyal Tsemo peak. Down
below, the town is a maze of
little box like buildings
bristling with brushwood
stored on the roof for
winter, set in an oasis of
green fields.
Attractions In Leh
Within the town of Leh
itself there is plenty to
see and do. An easy walk
away through the interesting
coppersmith’s quarter, past
the Moravian Church, the
Ladakh Ecological Centre and
across the fields, is the
Sankar Gompa. Another
interesting walk to the
Ladakh Shanti Stupa goes
through the picturesque
village of Changspa. In the
colourful bazaar are
fascinating little shops
with everything from semi
precious stones - Lapiz,
Coral, Turquoise and Pearls
to fine curios and artefacts.
It is a marvellous shopping
experience. Skara another
pretty village and the
ramparts of the old Earthern
Fort of Zorawar Singh makes
another little expedition.
Eating out is fun at open
air garden and sidewalk
restaurants that offer
Tibetan, Indian and even
Continental cuisine.
Buddhism & Monasteries In
Leh
Though Leh has been capital
of this region since the
17th century, strewn around
it along the Indus valley
are earlier capitals of he
region. From Leh one can
wander off on marvellous day
expeditions to get a glimpse
of some of the treasures of
Ladakh.
Not far from Leh, Shey is
the oldest capital of Ladakh
from where its earliest
Tibetan kings ruled. Perched
on top of a huge rock are
the royal palace and temples
adorned with brilliantly
coloured murals and a 7.5
metre gold statue of the
Buddha. Basgo and
Tingmosgang with their forts
and palaces were also
capitals of Ladakh. Stok
Palace across the river from
Leh is the home of the
erstwhile royal family. The
Palace Museum here has
collections of beautiful
royal costumes and jewellery,
exquisite Thangkas,
porcelain, jade, weapons and
armour.
Within easy reach of Leh is
the Spituk Monastery with
its commanding view of he
indus. It has fine Thangkas
and a collection of ancient
masks. Thikse Monastery one
of the most impressive in
the area is spectacularly
located and is noted for its
beautiful murals. Hemis is
of course the biggest gompa
in Ladakh and the best known
for its magnificent summer
festival that celebrates the
birth anniversary of Guru
Padmasambhava. The largest
thangka in Ladakh is to be
found here. It is unfolded
only once every 12 years.
 Other
magnificent gompas located
in the vicinity include the
splendid Lamayuru, Likir,
Phyang, Rizdong, Stakna,
Matho and Chemrey Gompas,
all easily accessible from
Leh. Alchi no longer an
active religious centre, is
among Ladakh’s most
beautiful monasteries. Over
a thousand years old, its
wall paintings like those of
Tabo in Spiti are
reminiscent of the Ajanta
style of painting.
Around Leh in the upper
Indus valley is the cultural
heartland of Ladakh, where
the old capitals of the area
are located and where many
of the splendid palaces and
Gompas are also to be found.
The people of Ladakh are
predominantly Buddhist and
practise ‘Mahayana’ Buddhism
tempered with the old Bon
animistic faith and Tantric
Hinduism. It was brought
Buddhism to Tibet and Ladakh
during his travels in the
7th century AD. In the 11th
century the Buddhist scholar
Rinchen Tsangpo established
108 monasteries in the
region. The Gompas at
Lamayuru and Alchi are said
to date from that time.
The living Buddhist heritage
is manifest in the villages
where ‘Mani’ walls are
engraved with the mantra ‘
Om Mani Padme Hum’ and
stones are piled into
commemorative mounds known
as ‘Chorten’. The Gompas
precariously perched on
steep hillsides or rock
faces seem an integral part
of the rugged landscape.
In Western Ladakh, in Drass,
Kargil and the Suru valley
where the Muslim Shia faith
prevails there are mosques
and imposing Imambaras in
the Islamic style,
surmounted with domes.
Kargil
The second largest town in
Ladakh marks the mid point
of the journey from Srinagar
to Leh. Kargil is also the
take off point for
excursions into the Suru
valley and the remote
Zanskar Valley with their
exciting opportunities for
mountaineering, camping,
river rafting and trekking
trails into Himachal
Pradesh, Jammu and the Indus
valley.
Kargil was once at the cross
roads of a network of trade
routes that led to kashmir,
Baltistan, Afghanistan,
Central Asia and Tibet and
an air of romance still
lingers around its narrow
cobbled streets and bazaars
spilling over with locally
crafted curios. The town
retains its conservative
Balti Shia Muslim culture
and has two fine mosques
built in the Turkish style.
Nestling in the Suru valley,
Kargil is set amidst green,
richly cultivated hill
sides. The two tributaries
of the river suru the Drass
and Wakha meet there. There
are pretty walks around the
town breathtaking views of
the mountains. A day long
excursion into the Suru
valley goes past the
picturesque Imambara of
Trespone.
Suru Valley
The Suru Valley one of the
prettiest areas of Ladakh,
runs for 140-km beyond
Kargil to the Penzi La pass,
the point of entry into the
Zanskar valley. Its verdant
hills are intensively
cultivated. Enough snow and
water during the year
sustain two crops annually.
The valleys are especially
picturesque in spring when
they are the Sankoo-Panikhar
tract is magnificent. The
open valley adorned with
undulating alpine meadows
strewn with wild flowers,
groves of poplars and
willows are set against the
majestic backdrop of the
Himalayan peaks dusted with
snow.
At Thangbu, a little
village, the traveller gets
a first glimpse of the
spectacular Nun - Kun
massif. Panikhar 12-km
beyond this is the base for
treks to Kashmir and
Kishtwar. The road goes past
the glaciers of the Nun -
Kun massif to descend to
Rangdum set in wild and
beautiful surroundings. It
is located at the furthest
end of the suru valley
before the Penzi La pass.
Set high on a central
hillock the Rangdum gompa
with a little stream forming
a moat around it, looks like
an ancient fort protecting
the valley.
Travel Facts - Leh
-
Altitude:
Altitude range from
9,000 ft at Kargil to
25,170 ft at Saser
Kangri in the Karakoram
-
Temperature:
-
Summer: Upto
270C
-
Winter : -200C
and below in the
higher reaches.
-
Best Season:
Early June to October.
-
Clothing:
-
Summer: Light
woollens
-
Winter: Heavy
woollens with wind
proofing.
|
|
|
Top |
|
 Kargil
:: MyKashmir Tours offers you
information on travel and tourism in the
Kargil district of the state of Jammu
and Kashmir.
Kargil is one of the far-flung areas of
the Ladakh area. It is a mountainous
district that is accessible only through
mountain passes and is the second
largest area in Ladakh. Tourists who
travel to Kargil realize that this area
is very sparsely populated, as this
region is extremely cold. Kargil lies at
a great height and is an excellent area
for those who love Trekking and
Mountain Climbing. Thus tours
to Kargil are incomplete if one does not
go trekking.
There are several popular trekking
trails; some of these are the
Padum-Phuktal Trek, the Nun-Kun Trek,
the Hemis-Zangla-Padum Trek and the
Lamayuru-Leh Trek.
Tourists who travel to Kargil must visit
the several monasteries in and around
this region. Some of the important
tourist destinations in Kargil are the
Shargole Monastery, the Pangong
Lake and the Holy Site of Sani.
Kargil can be reached only by road. Thus
tours to Kargil are usually include car
rental and other travel-by-road options.
There is no other way of reaching this
mountainous region. There are several
places where tourists can stay over; the
most popular are Caravan Sarai, Kargil
Continental, Greenland and Ruby.
MyKashmir Tours provides a unique
opportunity for travel and tours to
Kargil. Interested tourists can find out
about the various travel options
available to them in Kargil, Ladakh in
Jammu and Kashmir. |
|
Top |
|
Zanskar ::
About 20 kms south-east of
Rangdum stands the Panzila axis,
across which lies
Zanskar, the most
isolated of all the
trans-Himalayan valleys.
The Penzila pass (4,401m) is a
picturesque tableland surrounded
by snow-covered peaks.
As the Zanskar
road winds down the steep slopes
of Penzi-la to the head of the
Stod valley, the majestic "
Drang-Drung" glacier looms into
full view. A long and winding
river of ice and snow, "Drang-Drung"
is perhaps the largest glacier
in Ladakh, outside the Siachen
formation. It is from the
cliff-like snout of this
extensive glacier that the Stod
or Doda tributary of the Zanskar
River rises.
The spectacular Himalayan
landscape and the lifestyles of
the inhabitants attract many
tourists to the hidden kingdom
of Zanskar
Sight Seeing (Zanskar)
Padum
once the capital of the ancient
kingdom of Zanskar, Padum (3505
m) is the present-day
administrative centre of
Zanskar Sub-Division of
Kargil district. Its
older section, comprising of
inter-connected adobe houses and
several high-rise chortens,
surround a boulder-strewn
hillock, site of the erstwhile
palace and fort.
The new, upcoming township is
fast encroaching upon the
cultivated expanse, and a small
market is coming up along the
newly built road. With a
population of nearly 2000, Padum
can be described as the most
populous settlement of Zanskar,
which is otherwise a very
scarcely inhabited valley.
Sani
This picturesque village is 6
kms west of Padum, on the road
to Kargil. The main attraction
here is the castle-like
monastery, which unlike other
monasteries of Ladakh, is built
on level ground. By legend its
origin is associated with
Kanishka (Kushan ruler of 2nd
century AD) on account of the
Kanika Stupa, which stands in
the backyard of the walled
complex. The main building
comprises a huge multi-columned
central prayer hall housing an
array of statues of popular
Buddhist divinities and Kargud-pa
high lamas, while the walls are
covered with frescoes and
adorned with Thangkas. The most
interesting frescoes, however,
can be seen in a small,
neglected chapel, at the back of
the main building whose walls
are adorned with stucco murals
depicting landscapes and floral
designs based on the life of
Padmasambhava. Immediately
outside the monastic complex is
an old cemetery surrounded by a
ring of ancient rock-carvings,
which reflect Indian artistic
influence.
Sani is also associated with the
famous Indian Yogi Naropa, who
is said to have sat in
meditation for some time under
the Kanika Stupa. This site is
now occupied by a small room
housing a veiled bronze figure
of the Yogi, which is unveiled
once a year in late July on the
eve of the Naro-Nasjal festival.
People from all over Zanskar
valley participate in this
festival during which lamas from
Bardan Monastery perform masked
dances as ritual offering.
Karsha
The largest monastery of Zanskar,
Karsha Gompa is an imposing
complex of neatly white washed
building blocks comprising
several chapels, besides
residential cells for its nearly
150 lamas, who belong to the
Geluks-pa sect. Built
picturesquely along the steeply
rising mountainside above Karsha
village, the monastery can be
seen from far. The central
building is a large assembly
hall housing an array of figures
and the ornate throne of the
Head Lama-incarnate. Three
adjoining chapels contain
numerous statues and other art
objects, among which a set of
exquisite silver and copper
chortens are worth noting for
their beauty. Of particular
interest in the complex is the
Lhabrang, a large temple
accessible through a vent in the
roof, whose partially damaged
walls are still adorned with the
original frescos believed to be
more than 300 years old. The
event to witness at Karsha is
the 3-day Gustor festival held
in early July when thousands of
devotees throng the monastery to
witness the mask dances
performed by the lamas.
Other places of interest in the
Karsha area include an old
nunnery called Dorje Dzong,
occupying a hilltop to the west
of the main monastery. The ruins
around this nunnery are believed
to be the original monastic
foundation of Karsha: the
present monastery was founded
during the 14th century. An old
stupa surviving among the ruins
is still adorned with the
original murals, which reflect
Indian artistic influence.
Nearby is the ancient temple of
'Chukshik-jal', which houses an
exquisite figure of
Avalokitesvara as the main
image. Its smoke covered wall
frescos are the finest example
of Himalayan art.
Karsha can be approached from
Padum by the 9 km long link
road, across an iron bridge over
the Stod river. It can also be
approached directly from the
Tungri bridgehead along a 17-km
link road that branches off from
the Kargil-Padum road at Tungri,
about 12 kms before Padum.
Stongdey
Perched on a rocky outcrop
overlooking the oasis-like
village below, the picturesque
monastery of Stongdey lies 18
kms to the north of Padum, on
the Padum-Zangla road. An old
foundation associated with the
Tibetan Yogi Marpa, Stongdey is
now the second largest monastic
establishment of Zanskar, which
is inhabited by a resident
community of about 60 Geluks-pa
lamas. The sprawling white
washed complex has a number of
temples, among which the
Gon-Khang containing several
fierce-faced veiled deities is
of particular interest. The
climb up to the monastery from
the roadside is rather
strenuous, but it is worth the
trouble for the breathtaking
scenery of the valley available
from here.
Zangla
Situated 35 kms further ahead of
Padum in the northern branch
valley of Zanskar,
Zangla was ruled by a titular
king till his death about two
decades back. The old castle,
now in ruins except for a small
chapel, occupies a hill
overlooking the desertic valley
below. Nearby is an old Buddhist
nunnery worth a visit to observe
the austere lifestyle of the
small community of nuns. An old
monastery situated in the nearby
village of Tsa-zar, midway
between Stangdey and Zangla, has
exquisite frescoes that should
not be missed.
Zangla is the take-off point for
the Padum-Lamayuru and the
Padum-Markha treks, as well as
for the 'Chaddar' trek over the
frozen Zanskar river to Nimu,
which becomes feasible only
during the middle of the winter.
Bardan(Zanskari villagers)
Located 12 kms south of Padum,
Bardan is an isolated monastery
with about 40 Dugpa- Kargyud
lamas in residence. Founded
during the 17th century as the
first ever centre of the
Dugpa-Kargyud monastic order in
Zanskar, Bardan controls several
smaller establishments in the
region, including the famous
Sani monastery.
The large assembly hall, around
which all other structures are
organised, contains beautiful
statues of Buddhist divinities
and small stupas in clay,
bronze, wood and copper. Perched
atop a rocky crag rising
vertically from the Lungnak
riverbed, Bardan falls right on
the trekking trail to Manali.
Nearby is the smaller monastery
of Muney, also worth a visit for
appreciating its art treasures.
Phugthal(Phugthal Monastery)
By far the most spectacularly
located monastic establishment
anywhere in Ladakh, the Phugthal
complex spills out of the mouth
of a huge cave, high up in the
vertical mountainside of the
lateral Shadi gorge, through
which a major tributary of the
Lungnak or Lingti-Tsarap river
flows. Perhaps the most isolated
monastic establishment of
Zanskar, its foundation dates
back to the early 12th century.
At least one old chapel, among
the several of which it is
composed, has frescos and
ceiling decorations reflecting
strong Indian artistic and
iconographic influence, which
are almost contemporaneous to
those found in the Tabo and
Alchi monasteries. Phugthal is
accessible from the Padum-Manali
trekking route via a 7-Km long
trail that branches off from the
main trekking route at Purney
Bridge. A visit to Phugthal,
including Bardan and Muney
monasteries enroute, makes a
good 5-day round trek from Padum.
Alternatively, one can add one
extra day to the Padum-Manali
trekking itinerary to include a
day return visit to this unique
monastic establishment which was
a resident community of about 40
Geluks-pa lamas.
Zongkhul
The other spectacular cave
monastery of Zanskar,
Zongkhul falls on the
Padum-Kishtawar trekking trail,
just before the ascent to the
Omasi-la pass begins. Built like
a swallow's nest on the rock
face in the Ating gorge, the
monastery is associated by
legend with the famous Indian
Yogi, Naropa, who is believed to
have used for meditation the two
caves around which the monastery
has been developed. A footprint
on a stone near the ingress of
the lower cave is highly revered
as that of the yogi. The
frescoes on the cave walls are
very old and reflect a high
degree of artistic achievement.
These are believed to be the
original murals executed by
Zhadpa Dorje, the famous
scholar-painter of Zanskar who
was active in the same monastery
about 300 years ago
Weather
Owing to the altitudes the
Zanskar valley
is accessible only during the
summer months. The winter months
are too harsh for travel in
Zanskar. It is noteworthy that
in the winter months the water
of the River Zanskar
freezes and becomes the
Chador road.
Location
The Zanskar valley
is situated across the Suru
Valley and over the Pensi La in
the Ladakh region of
Jammu and Kashmir.
Zanskar is situated 235 km away
from Kargil.
Getting there
There are several high passes
that need to be crossed in order
to reach Zanskar.
Padum in the Zanskar
valley may be joined but the
track is not really smooth
Road & Rail
It is noteworthy that the road
that links Zanskar with Kargil
is open from mid July to early
November. Buses. Jeeps, gypsies
and taxis are easily available
for transport to Zanskar
from Kargil.
Kargil is approximately 235 km
away from Zanskar. During the
months of June and July you may
trek into Zanskar
from Panikhar or Parkachik
onwards.
Accommodation
A accommodation is not a problem
in Zanskar. You
may stay at the Tourists complex
or be economical and opt for the
camps in the tents. There are
few hotels too in Zanskar that
provide basic facilities.
Monasteries and village houses
are the other stay options in
Zanskar
|
Top |
| |
|
*
Srinagar *
Jammu *
Ladakh * |
| |
|
|
|
Enquiry Form |
|
|
|
|
|
|
