Ladakh and Leh

The stark and rugged landscape, situated amidst multiple-hued mountains, some smooth enough, others scraggly; the town has an overwhelmingly Buddhist character, dotted with gompas and marketplaces swarming with monks.
The land of high passes, Ladakh has been variously described as the Moon land, Little Tibet and even the last Shangri La, because of its hold of Buddhist religion, the innumerable monasteries and its location at one of the remotest regions of India.
History
Earliest inhabitants of Ladakh, were the Khampas - nomads who grazed their yaks on the high, windswept pastures. Deldan Namgyal in circa 1620 - 60, enlisting the assistance of the Mughals, and extended Ladakhi power. In 1834 Zorawar Singh, an Army General, conquered Ladakh and brought the area under the control of the Dogra Maharajah of Kashmir.
The dethroned royal family received the Stok Palace, where they still live today. Following independence of India and partition in 1947, Ladakh, like Kashmir, was divided. Indian and Chinese troops have been stationed on the eastern border, since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950-51.
Since the 1962 war, the Indian army has maintained a very strong presence in Ladakh. The strategic requirements, of better links with the rest of India, were primarily responsible for Ladakh being opened up, to some influences from outside.
Culture
The high culture of Ladakh is Buddhist and this is particularly evident with its whitewashed gompas (monasteries) and forts, perched on top of Sugarloaf Mountains. A miniature version of Tibet, the people are Tibetan in their culture and religion, and share a spiritual center in Tibet.
This spiritual connection, coupled with the tremendous isolation of the area, has created a unique community within the vast democracy of India. The inhabitants are simple smiling people, who greet one and all with the all-encompassing jule, which could mean hello, bye, and thank you and please! While Gompas (Buddhist monasteries), dot the landscape and are central to the life of the villages, many of their monastic festivals take the form of dance dramas.

Leh

Brief Profile

Leh is a lovely town. Nestled along the Indus River, the town lies in a fertile valley surrounded by barren mountains. An important town in the region and the major hub for travelers coming into Ladakh, this high altitude desert is dominated by the imposing Leh Palace and the Namgyal Tsemo.
Lying in the Himalayas watershed, the labyrinthine lanes and pathways of Leh snake around the parti-colored streets of Leh Bazaar and wind on to meet the pretty Sankar and Changspa Villages that fringe the outskirts of Leh While Changspa has important Buddhist carvings dating back to the 8th century when Ladakh was converted to Buddhism, Lehs main Buddhist place of worship is the Soma Gompa, close to the mosque commissioned by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
History
Lehs character changed when Ladakh was opened up to foreign tourists in 1974. Until 1947 it had close trading relations with Central Asia; yak trains would set off from the Leh Bazaar to complete the stages over the Karakoram Pass to Yarkand and Kashgar. Today Leh is an important strategic center for India.
The large military presence is a reminder that the region of Ladakh is situated along India's sensitive borders with both Pakistan and China. Buddhism traveled along the Silk Road and the Kashmir and Ladakh feeder, which have also seen the passage of soldiers, explorers and pilgrims, forerunners of the tourists who today contribute most to the urban economy.
Since the 1962 war, the Indian army has maintained a very strong presence in Ladakh. The strategic requirements, of better links with the rest of India, were primarily responsible for Ladakh being opened up, to some influences from outside.
Culture
Although part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Leh in Ladakh, has distinct cultural geographical terrain, religion and lifestyle. Lying in the Himalaya watershed, this high altitude desert is dominated by the imposing Leh Palace and the Namgyal Tsemo.
The labyrinthine lanes and pathways of Leh, snake around the parti-colored streets of Leh Bazaar and wind on to meet the pretty Sankar and Changspa Villages that fringe the outskirts of Leh. In the month of May, as the first few tourists trickle in, the lazy market streets shrug off their yearly winter slumber, and gear up to entice the innumerable blonde and dark heads that start to bob up and down the towns many alleys.
These streets resonates with smatterings of Hebrew, German, French, Spanish, Swahili, Chinese, English and Ladakhi, to name a few, especially during July and August when Leh turns into a clip from one of the less controversial Benetton advertisements.