Capt Suresh

Laddakh

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

Ladakh – ‘moon-land’ – a land of freezing winds and burning hot sunlight. Ladakh is a high altitude cold desert lying in the rain shadow of the Great Himalayas and other smaller ranges. Little rain and snow reaches this dry area, where natural forces have created a fantastic landscape. Surrounded by rugged mountains this land is completely different from the green landscape of many parts of the Himalayas. Bounded by two of the world’s mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the Karokaram, it is a land which has no match. It presents spectacular landscapes.

Its basic contours, uplifted by the unimaginable tectonic movements of the Indian sub-continent, have been modified over the millennia by the opposite forces of erosion, sculpted into the form we see today by wind and water. Huge, wide valleys, bounded by barren snow-capped mountain ranges, is the most common sight in this region.

In geological terms, this is a young land, formed only a few million years ago by the buckling and folding of the earth’s crust as the Indian sub-continent pushed with irresistible force against the immovable mass of Asia. Its basic contours, uplifted by these unimaginable tectonic movements, have been modified over the millennia by the opposite process of erosion, sculpted into the form we see today by wind and water.

Ladakh is rich in both the culture and nature. It has many attractive monasteries and a lifestyle calls more Tibetan than in Tibet given it has remained untouched. It leaves the first time traveler awestruck by its geographical and cultural difference as they land at Leh. The features of Ladakhi people, their clothes and dialects are similar to Tibetan and Mongoloid than Indian. Due to cultural and geographical similarities Ladakh is popular among tourists as Little Tibet. Buddhism is the dominant religion in Ladakh while Kargil district is dominated by Muslims and Buddhist. The approach to Ladakh is invariably marked with many walls that are long up to 2 to 3m, decorated with engraved stones bearing the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” and Chortens which symbolizes Buddha’s mind. The Villages and Mountains are ornamented with gompa or monastery residing thousands of Buddhist monks.

Ladakh offers visual feast and photo opportunities to travelers like no other region.

WILDHISS TOURS offer wildlife tours, herpetological tours, photo tours, cultural tours in Ladakh region.

Note: Photo gallery will come here soon.

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