In the past, Ladakh had two provinces while the third province formed western Tibet.
Ladakh is also known as Khapa-chan which means land of snow. Nyima-Gon, a family member of ancient Tibetan royal house founded the early Ladakh dynasty.
The Kingdom of Ladakh came to power with the collapse of the early Tibetan Empire. Independent kingdoms rose to power who came from Tibetan royal family.
Skyid Lde Nyima Gon was the first King of Ladakh who comes from the Tibetan royal family settled in Western Tibetan province of Ngaris Skor Soom,
Early settlers of Ladakh are said to be the descendants of mix race of Mons from North India, Dards from Baltistanand Mongols from Central Asia.
Ladakh is known as "Little Tibet" as there is a strong Tibetan cultural influence with Buddhist religion playing a vital role in cultural diversity in the region.
The area of western Tibet dis-integrated from the kingdom however was reunited by the famous Ladakhi ruler Sengge Namgyal.
Ladakh is mirror of Tibetan architecture. House is made of wood carvings on beams, column base, wooden door, furniture that is an identity of Tibetan art and architecture.
Traditional houses in Ladakh are made of mud, stone, and lime. Mud is used in various forms, like sun-dried mud bricks and rammed earth for plastering floors and roofs.
The roofs are made of willow twigs and wooden beam. Houses in Ladakh are small, with flat roofs used to store animal fodder for the dry and long winter months.
The houses are made almost 10-12 feet above the ground on stone pillars. Buildings are mostly 2-storied.
The main living room is always sun-facing. Houses have shelter for their cattle and cows on the ground floor and Buddhist altar rooms on the top floor.
Demographic Location
Ladakh is a mountainous union territory of India. The place is situated at a great height with snow capped mountains and rugged terrain.
This region is the northern frontier of India where several lakes are formed which freeze in the colder months.
Ladakh lies near to the Karakoram and westernmost Himalayan mountain ranges known for their altitude and great deep valleys.
Leh is the capital of Ladakh which was part of many trade routes in central and south asia.
Indus river and Zanskar river are the main rivers of Ladakh. Famous Pangong lake is found in the region of Ladakh with salty and and blue colored water.
Excess of snowfall over several years and low rainfall has made Ladakh a "Cold Desert" with several small to large glaciers in the higher reaches.
Due to lofty and difficult terrains this region acts as a major natural barrier to the foreign invasions since old days.
Season and Climate
The climate of Ladakh is cold and dry. Heavy snowfall and very less rainfall makes some of the places in this region as almost treeless.
High level of aridity makes vegetation limited. Animals have very little to graze from the scanty patches of grasses and shrubs.
Groves of willows and poplars are all over the descends of the spectacular valleys. Apples, Apricots and Walnut are grown here in the summers.
Average annual precipitation is roughly 3 inches (80 mm); fine, dry, flaked snow is frequent and sometimes falls heavily.
Due to its high altitude, temperature in Ladakh mostly reaches freezing point in a large portion of the year.
The air is thin due to high altitude. Oxygen level is also quite low in this region making the life harsh.
The high mountains play a vital role to obstruct the path of the flying clouds to bring back rainfall in the plains though rain is very low in ladakh.
Ways of farming are innovative due to scarcity of basic needs of agriculture like water,scarcity heavy snow and lack of seeds.
Culture & Education
People of Ladakh belong to an ancient Aryan race known as Dards. These people follow and practice Buddhism.
Ladakh has been home of people living in tribes leading nomadic pastoral life with their livestock.
Most of the people of Ladakh earn their livelihood by ways of agriculture. People of Ladakh also earn by means of trade and travel taking their produces to far areas for better price.
Education is still a distant achievement in the region. There are several challenges in the education system.
Far and distant areas are cut off from the facilities of education. Affordibility factor is another reason of low rate of literacy in the region of Ladakh.
Lot of efforts are indeed required for the training of teachers and promotion of education needs for the poor and backward rural population in Ladakh.
Local government need to lift the education budget and implement strategies to slow down drop out from primary and middle schools.
Famous Spots
Ladakh is a place of open skies and vast stretch of lakes and mountains.
People come to Ladakh for trekking and travelling adventures. many travellers come to ladakh in bikes and cars for weeks and enjoy winter sports like skiing and paragliding.
Some of the well known spots in Ladakh are :
Zanskar Valley
Nubra Valley
Spituk Gompa
Hemis National Park
Magnetic Hill
Shanti Stupa
Hemis Monastery
Khardung La Pass
Magnificient lakes, ritual monastries and high peaks are some of the attraction points in theland of ladakh.
Many groups of travellers reach here to visit buddhist monasteries. they come here for eternal peace and enjoy freedom to life.
Aqualife, Flora & Fauna
Ladakh lacks in vegetation due to lclimate and lack of natural source of water supply however narrow Valleys have patches of green vegetation made of grass and shrubs.
River banks have abundance of natural Willow Groves , Juniper Yew , Wild Roses and herbs. .
Around 23 species of flowering plants are dominant in Ladakh. This region has alpine and high alpine zones dominated by annual and perennial herbs, shrubs and bushes.
Wheat and barley are major crops grown as the staple food of the people. Cereals are grown for twin purpose of food and fodder.
Wild animals like Yaks, Ibex, Tibetan hare, Blue sheep, wild ass, Bharal, Marmot, the Tibetan antelope and the Snow Leopard are spotted in the open and far high grasslands.
One of the most popular wildlife sanctuary in Ladakh is Hemis National Park, which is the largest national park in India.
This national park in Ladakh is famous for its population of snow leopards and 15 species of mammals and 73 species of birds.
A high altitude wildlife stretch in Ladakh, Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary is in Leh District, another cherished wildlife reserve.
It is home of the migratory population of Tibetan Antelope. The park is rich for medicinal plants out of which 15 species have been recognized as rare and endangered.
Changthang Plateau wildlife reserve is located in Ladakh. It ia slso home to around 200 species of wild plants.
Indus River has more number of fishes than Zanskar and Shoyok rivers. Kinnaur Snowtrout and Tibetan snowtrout are in abundance in water of ladakh.
32 species of Fishes are available in Ladakh that includes snow trout, Tibetan trout, and Kinnaur snow trout, Rainbow trout, Brown trout, and some other minor fish species.
