|
||||
|
Home
:: Ladakh Holidays ::
Ladakh Information
Ladakh Information General Information of Ladakh
Location : Jammu & Kasahmir (North India). Area : 97,000 sq kms out of which nearly 38,000 sq. kms are under Chinese Occupation since 1962. Districts : Leh and Kargil. Population :Approx. 2.40 lakh in the 2 districts of Leh & Kargil. Main Tourist Attractions : Trekking ToursinLeh Ladakh,White Water Rafting Tours in Ladakh,Mountaineering in Leh Ladakh, camping Tours in Leh Ladakh, Buddhist Monasteries in Ladakh, Wildlife Tours in Ladakh. Trans Himalayan Regions :Leh, Ladakh, Zanskar, Lahal & Spiti. Languages :Ladakhi including Balti / Purgi, Shina or Dardic, Urdu / Hindi. Ethnic Composition :Mongoloid/Tibetan, Dardic and assorted Indo-Aryan elements. Altitude :2500 to 4500 m. Temperature : Summer 250 C Max. 80 C Min. , Winter (-)50 C Max (-)200 C Min. Rain-Fall : 15cm, 6" (annual average). Clothing : Cotton & light woolens in summer and heavy woolens including down-filled wind proof upper garments in winter Geographical Introduction In geographical terms Ladakh is a young land formed only a few millon years ago. It is a unique land in itself, abounding in awesome physical features, set in an enormous and spectacular environment. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges the Great Himalaya in the south and the Karakoram in the north, it is traversed by two other parallel chains, the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range. Its basic contours, uplifted by tectonic movements, have been modified over the millennia by the process of erosion due to wind and water, sculpted into the form that we see today. Today a high-altitude desert, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south -east plateau of Rupshu and chushul in drainage basins with evocative names like Tso-Moriri, Tso-kar , and grandest of all, Pangong-tso. The main source of water in Ladakh is winter snow fall. Dras, Zanskar and the Suru Valley on the Himalaya's northern flanks receive heavy snow in winter, this feeds the glaciers from which melt water, carried down by streams, irrigates the fields in summer. For the rest of the region, the snow on the peaks is virtually the only source of water. As the crops grow, the villagers pray not for rain, but for sun to melt the glaciers and liberate their water. Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 ft (2,750 m) at Kargil to 25,170 ft (7,672m) at Saser Kangri , in the Karakoram Range. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 27C in the shade, while in winter they may at times plummet to minus 20C even in Leh. Surprisingly though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitudes. It is said that only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time! Restricted Areas In Ladakh Since Ladakh is on India's sensitive north western border, the movement of foreign tourists is restricted in some areas of Ladakh. Entry of tourists is restricted beyond one mile north of the Zoji -la-dras -Bodhkarbu -Khalatse road except to visit the monasteries of Tia-Tingmosgang, Rizong, Likir and Phyang . Similarly, tourists are allowed to visit Shey , Thikse, Chemrey and Tak- Thok lying north of the Leh - Upshi road. The Leh Manali road is also open up to one mile east of its general alignment. Although the north -eastern and northern regions of Ladakh are now partially open for foreign visitors, they are required to obtain permission from the Deputy Commissioner of Leh. This is only subject to several conditions including the condition of traveling along certain identified tour circuits in a group of 04 or more. History of Ladakh Top Bound by two of the worlds mightiest mountain ranges Great Himalayan and Karakoram, Ladakh was an independent kingdom f or nearly 900 years from the middle of the 10 th century The kingdom attained its greatest geographical extent and glory in the early 17th century under the famous king Sengge Namgyal, whose rule extended across Spiti and Western Tibet up to the Mayumla beyond the sacred sites of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar. Ladakh together with the neighboring province of Baltistan, was incorporated into the newly created state of Jammu & Kashmir, just over a century later, this union was disturbed by the partition of India, Baltistan becoming part of Pakistan, while Ladakh remained in India as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Gradually, perhaps partly due to the fact that it was politically stable, Ladakh became recognized as the best trade route between the Punjab and Central Asia. For centuries it was traversed by caravans carrying textiles, spices, raw silk, carpets, dyestuffs, narcotics, etc. On this long route, Leh was the midway stop and developed into a busy spot, its bazars thronged with merchants from distant countries. The ancient inhabitants of Ladakh were Dards, and Indo-Aryan race from down the Indus. But immigration from Tibet more than a thousand years ago largely overwhelmed the culture of the Dards and moped up their racial characters. In eastern and central Ladakh, today's population seems to be mostly of Tibet origin. Budhism reached Tibet from India via Ladakh. The area was the stronghold of Budhism before Islam reached Ladakh. Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet at Kargil to 25,170 feet at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram. Thus summer temperatures rarely exceed about 27 degree in the shade, while in winter they may plummet to minus 20 degree even in Leh. Surprisingly though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitude, it is said that only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time. Religion Of Ladakh Buddhism is the dominant form of religion in Ladakh with a mixture of animistic Bon faith and ancient Hindu tantric practices. Buddhism reached in Ladakh from various part of India and soon in the very beginning it got deeply entered in the region evidences of this can be found in the monasteries of Ladakh which are available in almost every village of Leh Ladakh . Most of the people in Ladakh are the followers of Tibetan Buddhism. Buddha is worshiped here by the people and also in the monasteries of Ladakh. Muslims population can also be found in the region from Kashmir. The Buddhist community of Ladakh deeply believe in His Holiness Dalai Lama and they accept him as their supreme spiritual leader. Ladakh Tour and Travel Tips When you plan your travel to Leh Ladakh India, you must have an idea of basic travel tips and information for Leh Ladakh tour. Since Leh Ladakh is the highest hill station in the world, the visitor to Leh Ladakh need to be fit physically when they visit Leh Ladakh in India. To fully acclimatize to the high attitude of Leh Ladakh It is advisable to relax in Leh Ladakh for around 12-24 hours before starting your tour of Leh Ladakh India. In the condition of shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, fatigue etc it is advisable to take rest immediately. It is also advisable to carry Medicines, Moisturizers, sun screen lotion, good drinking water, energy bars or chocolates, a torch while you tour of Leh Ladakh in India. To add spice to your Leh Ladakh Tour and carry the memories of your wonderful tour of Ladakh photography of the beautiful locations and monasteries in Leh Ladakh can be more enjoyable. So carry your camera with many film rolls. Some monasteries in Leh Ladakh do not permit to take pictures from inside and it is advisable to follow their rules when you tour of Ladakh. Communication Facilities In Ladakh Top Though Ladakh is slowly modernizing in every way, communication facilities there are still almost medieval. Telephone facilities are now moderate, a far cry from what they were a couple of years ago, when the owner with a stopwatch monitored calls. Email and Internet facilities are available in the main market and shops around the Fort Road. For postal assistance, it makes sense to walk down to the General Post Office, as the sub-post office on the Bazaar street in Leh has very lengthy lines. Money Exchange The State bank of India and Jammu and Kashmir Bank have Money Exchange facility in Leh. Some of the hotels in Leh also have the money exchange license to deal with foreign currency. It is always advisable to exchange the money through approved money changers only who carry a money changers license from the Govt of India. However best rates can be available at Delhi. If you are not entering the city and have an immediate connection to Leh from Delhi, you can exchange the money from any of the money exchange counters at Delhi airport. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
