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Ladakh is a land that abounds in awe-inspiring physical features, set amidst a spectacular environment. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Karakoram in the north and the Great Himalaya in the south, it is traversed by two other parallel chains, the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range.
Today a high-altitude desert, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south-east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul, in the drainage basins or lakes of Tso-moriri, Tso-kar and Pangong-tso. |
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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.
For nearly 900 years, from the middle of the 10th century, Ladakh was an independent kingdom, its ruling dynasties descending from the kings of old Tibet . The kingdom attained its greatest geographical extent and glory in the early 17th century under the famous king Singge Namgyal, whose domain extended across Spiti and western Tibet right up to the Mayum-la, beyond the sacred sites of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar .
Due to its politically stability, Ladakh gradually 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, which developed into a bustling entrepot, its bazars thronged with merchants from distant countries.
The famous pashmina (better known as cashmere) also came down from the high-altitude plateaux of eastern Ladakh and western Tibet, through Leh, to Srinagar, where skilled artisans transformed it into shawls known the world over for their softness and warmth. Ironically, it was this lucrative trade that finally spelt the doom of the independent kingdom. It attracted the covetous attention of Gulab Singh, the ruler of Jammu in the early 19th century, who sent his general Zorawar Singh to invade Ladakh in 1834 AD. There followed a decade of war and turmoil, which ended with the emergence of the British as the paramount power in north India .
Ladakh, with the neighbouring province of Baltistan , was finally incorporated into the newly created state of Jammu & Kashmir. Just over a century later, this union was disturbed by the partition of India , as a result of which Baltistan became part of Pakistan , while Ladakh remained in India as part of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. |
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| The Hidden Kingdom - 18 Days |
| An awesome flight across the Indian Himalayas takes us to the barren landscapes of Ladakh. The stark contrast of these windswept hills and the rest of India are immediately apparent. In this remote area monasteries and ancient palaces have been built in striking locations, and lofty hilltops. The people appear different too - Ladakhis are Tibetan in their religion and culture, making Ladakh one of the world's most remote corners of Buddhism. |
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| Amritsar, Dharamsala & the Desert Cities of Rajasthan - 22 days |
Our trip starts with a visit to the oasis of Pushkar and the remote fortress city of Jaisalmer . From here we travel to the deserts of Rajasthan eventually to the lush green valleys of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
We also stay in the hill-stations of Shimla, Manali as well as in Dharamsala, the present home of the Dalai Lama, where we savour the atmosphere of Tibetan Buddhism. Our journey ends with a visit to the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion. |
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