|
Ladakh Places of Interest
Scattered
along the Indus Valley, both east and west of Leh, are other fascinating towns,
villages, monasteries and palaces. Some are visited by almost every traveller
who comes to Ladakh while others remain the preserve of the dedicated few.
Alchi
The Chaskor, or religious enclave, is one of the most
important cultural sites in Ladakh.
Built in the 11 th century, it is a treasure
trove of early Buddhist art in the Kashmiri tradition, a style quite different
from the Tibetan art found in Ladakh's other monasteries.
Also unlike other
gompas, it is hidden down by the river rather than in the more usual elevated
position.
This may explain why it wasn't destroyed by the various invaders who
have passed by throughout the centuries.
It was constructed under the
supervision of Kaldan Shesrab, a follower of Rinchen Zangpo |
|
The man responsible
for reviving interest in Buddhism at that time. Alchi is one of the few
remaining examples of that era. As this is a popular stop on the tourist circuit
there are a variety of places to stay.
The village and gompa are reached by
crossing the Indus just beyond Saspol and doubling back on yourself for about
2km. If you are walking it takes about one hour from the bridge. There are daily
buses from Leh at 4pm .
|
|
They return to Leh the following morning, leaving Alchi
at 7am.
Zanskar
About 20 kms. South of Rangdum stands the Pazila
watershed across which lies Zanskar, the most isolated of all the trans
Himalayan Valleys.
The Panzila Top (4401 m) is the picturesque tableland
adorned with two small alpine lakes and surrounded by snow covered peaks.
As the
Zanskar road winds down the steep slopes of the watershed to the head of the
Stod Valley, one of Zanskar's main tributary valleys, the majestic "Drang-Drung"
glacier looms into full view.
|
A long and winding river of ice and snow, the
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 River, the main tributary of river Zanskar, rises. Zanskar
comprises a tri-armed valley system lying between the Great Himalayan Range and
the Zanskar mountain;
The three arms radiate star-like towards the west, north
and south from a wide central expanse where the region's two principal
drainage's meet to form the main Zanskar River. It is mainly along the course of
this valley system that the region's 10,000 strong, mainly Buddhists population
lives.
Spread over an estimated geographical area of 5000 sq. kms. High rise,
mountains and deep gorges surround Zanskar.
The area remains inaccessible for
nearly 8 months a year due to heavy snowfall resulting in closure of all the
access passes, including the Penzi-la.
To-day, Zanskar has the distinction of
being the least interfered with microcosms of Ladakh, and one of the last few
surviving cultural satellites of Tibet.
Within the mountain ramparts of this
lost Shangrila stand a number of ancient yet active monastic establishments. |
|
Some of these religious foundations have evolved around remote meditation caves
believed to have been used by a succession of famous Buddhist saints for
prolonged meditation in pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment.
The 240
km long Kargil-Padun road, of which the first 90 km stretch is paved, remains
opened from around mid July to early November. In June, the summer is at its
height in the region and the climate is ideal for trekking along the route free
from vehicular traffic of any kind and when the countryside is freshly
rejuvenated into life after months of frigid dormancy.
Lamayuru
An old foundation associated with the Tibetan Yogi, Marpa, Lamayuru is
now the second largest monastic establishment of Zanskar, inhabited by the
resident community of about 60 Gelukpa monks. The sprawling whitewashed complex
has a number of temples, each a repository of the region's rich monastic legacy.
Lamayuru can be reached by foot in about 4 hours along the recently laid rough
road. The climb up to the monastery is rather strenuous, but it is worth the
trouble for the breathtaking scenery of the valley available from here.
Kargil
Kargil is the most important town in the Suru Valley. It
is the headquarters of Kargil District and has the most modern amenities,
although not of the level of those found in the plains of India. There are a
number of other settlements of significant size in the Suru Valley. Kargil is a
fairly busy town servicing the villages of the surrounding region. The important
Srinagar-Leh road passes through Kargil.
KARGIL (2704 m), 204 kms from
Srinagar in the west and 234 kms from Leh in the east, is the second largest
urban centre of Ladakh and headquarters of the district of same name. A quite
town now, Kargil once served as important trade and transit centre in the
Pan-Asian trade network. Numerous caravans carrying exotic merchandise
comprising silk, brocade, carpets, felts, tea, poppy, ivory etc.
transited in
the town on their way to and from China, Tibet, Yarkand and Kashmir. The old
bazaar displayed a variety of Central Asian and Tibetan commodities even after
the cessation of the Central Asian trade in 1949 till these were exhausted about
two decades back. Similarly the ancient trade route passing through the township
was lined with several caravanserais.
Situated 45 kms East of Kargil on
the road to Leh, Mulbek (3230 m) in an area dominated by the Buddhists. It is
situated along either banks of the Wakha River, which originates. Many monuments
of the early Buddhists era dot the landscape and are accessible from the road.
Shrey
This was the old capital and the home of the kings of
Ladakh before the new capital became established in Leh. The palace sits in a
strategic position on a spur jutting out into the Indus Valley. The main temple
contains a large Buddha statue sculpted by Nepalese craftsmen. It is believed
that after its completion they settled in the area of Chiling and started the
now famous metal-working industry there.
In the courtyard there's an impressive
gold-topped stupa, best viewed from above. The top of the palace is reached by
some very dilapidated steps and from here there are wonderful views across to
Stok and Spituk, and also of the hundreds of stupas on the desert to the
north-east.
Rizong
The
solitary Gelukpa monastery at Rizong lies up a remote side valley to the north
of the main road between Nuda and Saspol. Take any bus from Leh going to Khalsi
or beyond and get off at the turning to the gompa. If coming from Alchi this is
20 minutes by bus or truck from the Alchi bridge. A taxi from Leh will cost
Rs1138 one way, Rsl330 return. From the turn-off it's a nice 11/2 hour walk to
the gompa.
Follow the rough motorable track lined with poplar, willow and
apricot trees and after about 50 minutes you'll reach the small Chulichan
nunnery. Continue up the valley for about 40 minutes taking the left fork where
the valley divides and climb up a desolate gorge until you reach the magnificent
monastery which spans the narrow valley.
Salt Valley
The Salt
Lake Valley is one of the widest open areas in Rupshu. It can be approached from
Leh across the Tanglang La pass. The valley has a length of about 20 km and a
maximum width of about 7 km. Its average elevation is 5,000 m.
Thuggi is
the main settlement of the Salt Lake Valley. There are two lakes in this valley
-- the fresh water Panluk Lake with an area of about 2 square kilometers and the
salt-water Tsokar Lake with an area of about 10 square kilometers. Deposits of
impure salt occurring on the northern shore of the Tsokar Lake are collected by
the Changpas and used as barter to obtain goods from other parts of
Ladakh.
|
|
