NEPALESE AGENCY FOR TREKKINGS,  EXPEDITIONS AND CULTURAL CIRCUITS

   

     

      

 

     

 Ladakh is the largest district of the Indian State of Jammu-Kashmir, located in its oriental party and of which it occupies more half of the surface. However, it is one of the least populated districts country. Sometimes called Small Tibet, it is famous for its mountainous landscapes and its Buddhist culture Tibetan. Its capital is the town of Leh.
 Ladakh was formerly a kingdom independent of Buddhist religion. To the XVII ^E century, following a rupture of her relations with Tibet, the fifth Dalaï Lama tries to invade it. The Cashmere then helps Ladakh in the restoration of its sovereignty, but this help has a price, the conversion of the king ladakhi to Islam and the construction of a mosque in its capital, Leh.
The Cashmere will end besides up invading the fine kingdom putting at its independence and involving, in the long term, its integration in British India.
The original territory of the kingdom is now divided between India, Pakistan and Aksai Chin, a district conquered by China following the conflict sino-Indian of 1962

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LADAKH

Climate
  In India: tropical climate. Season dries from October at February, season of monsoons from June to September, very hot summer from March at the end of May.
  In Ladakh: continental climate. Short and hot summer, long and rigorous winter. Springs and autumn reduced to 1 month.

TEMPERATURES MINIMA AND MAXIMUM

  In India: from 6 with 21°C in January and 27 with 35°C in July during monsoon.
  In Ladakh: Leh, of -25 with -10°C in January and 10 with 30°C in summer.
Curiously, the lowest temperatures during the nights of winter are recorded in the lowest valleys.

Culture
While Rupshu, Zanskar, the valley of Shyok and that of Nubra are of culture Tibetan, Purig in the west is inhabited by of Baltis speaking a dialect Tibetan but converted with Islam. It is besides in Purig, in the area of Kargil, which end takes the Himalayan surface Tibetan. It is estimated that approximately 60% of the population of Ladakh are of culture Tibetan. Buddhism Tibetan is at this point enraciné in Ladakh that it is called sometimes small Tibet.
In Ladakh, the gompas are present everywhere. One finds them generally perched with mountainside. The most important place of the gompa is of-khang
or room of the prayers. The monks gather there for the morning puja, offerings and prayers
The monastery of Lamayuru is undoubtedly oldest and most famous of all. That of Phuktal with Padum, chief town of Zanskar, is as for him, most picturesque. As everywhere in country Tibetan, the landscapes of Ladakh are strewn with chortens, flags with prayers and walls mani.  

 Religion
Culture and religion are narrowly frays in Ladakh, as in Tibet. The near total of art refers to the religion, that it is through the thangkas (religious paintings on fabrics) or the sculpture. The dominant religion is lamaïque Buddhism, there are also many Moslems, and some Hindus.
Lamaïque Buddhism is an adaptation typically tantric Tibetan of Buddhism, which can be explained only by taking again the history introduction of Buddhism to Tibet. This religion initially encountered a savage resistance of the old worship chamanic bön-Po, and it would have perhaps disappeared if, in 747, the Thi-srong-det-san king had not made come from India the famous guru Padmasambhava, which overcome the old demons. But its genius is due especially to the fact that, to convert the population, it could integrate the old rites bön-Po into the new religion. It is what makes the principal characteristic of lamaïque Buddhism.
Another characteristic, shared with Buddhism tantric, is the worship of the saints, like Padmasambhava or Milarépa, as well as an automatic appeal with the recitation of will mantras, use of and other engraving prayer wheels of basket. Those are justified by the fact that, as the world which we perceive only is thought, the Verb and the Writing can have a power able to act on this mental representation which we think concrete

Bouddha,
mean literally in Sanskrit “which woke up”. The title of Buddha nominates a person having carried out “the pure and perfect awakening”, having reached “the nirvana”. There exists several Buddha, most known is the founder of Buddhism” Siddhârta Gautama ", born in Nepal with Lumbini into 624 before JC and died at the 80 years age into 544 before JC with Kusinagar in India (Uttar Pradesh).

Population
  One can divide the population of Ladakh into 2 principal linguistic groups:

   Indo-European languages
Dart Aryan stock, inhabitants of the valley of Drass and area of Gilgit, they are Moslem
Dogpas, of Aryan stock, remained Buddhist

   The languages tibeto-Burmese
Ladakhis (most)
Zanskaris
Baltis
Inhabitants of Puring

The majority of Ladakis are Buddhist, but have finds small Muslim communities schites and sunnites with Leh and in the valleys of Zanskar and Kargil

Lamayuru

Geography
Ladakh occupies a vast area (97 872 km ², are twice Switzerland) between the two higher assembly lines of the world, the Himalayas
and Karakoram. These desert high plateaus between 2500 and 5000m of altitude (with tops with 7000m) are cut into two by Indus, which already traversed 500km since its source in Tibet. Administratively, Ladakh is a district of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. The capital is Leh, and the under-district of Bas-Ladakh has as a Kargil chief town. For a few years, following many claims to separate from Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian State has granted the creation of the Hill Council Development off Ladakh, which includes/understands a kind of Parliament, but not of true autonomy.
One can distinguish five different areas composing Ladakh:  chains of Ladakh and Zanskar, but the river and its affluents irrigate

  Ladakh strictly speaking, made up of the broad valley of Indus upstream of Khalse and small perpendicular valleys. It is there that is the capital, Leh, as well as the large monasteries of the area and the majority of the population. The climate is rather dry, because the valley is wedged between the chains of  Ladakh and of Zanskar, but the river and its affluents irrigate many green oases.

  Purig, or Bas-Ladakh is downstream from Khalse, always in the valley of Indus. The landscapes are more wild, the valley more boxed often, but altitude is lower, authorizing more cultures. It is from there that come the majority from apricots of Ladakh. The chief town, Kargil, have a population with Moslem majority, announcing the very close Cashmere.

Nubra, made up of the valleys of Shyok and Nubra. Isolated in north from Leh by the chain from Ladakh, it is necessary to reach it to pass the most road collar in the world, Khardung It (5600m). Its altitude being less, the cultures are more abundant
and diversified that in Ladakh. Some camels (two bumps!) point out the proximity of the Central Asia and its large caravans

   Rupshu (also called Changthang) is an area of desert high plateaus in the south-east of Leh, close to the border Tibetan. Average altitude is above 4000m, too high for cultures, but perfect for the pastures. The inhabitants, called Champas, are mainly wandering and follow their herds of goats, sheep, yaks and dzos (crossing of the yak and the cow). One of their principal means of subsistence comes from wool of their goats, famous Pashmina (improperly called wool of the Cashmere): it is the hottest wool and softest in the world, one of most expensive too.

  Zanskar, between Indus and the Himalayas, was at one time a small independent kingdom, its extreme insulation having a long time protected it from its neighbors. Only a track on the basis of Khalse has made it possible to go there by car for a few years, except the winter. During this season, an original way opens during a few weeks, on the cold Zanskar river (it is called then Tchaddar) and allows a traffic with Leh. A highway design is in hand in these very boxed throats, but of many engineering problems and geological move back the expiry unceasingly.

Language
Ladakhis speak… Ladakhi, language connected with the Tibetan.   Majority of the young people English (with the inevitable Indian accent!), their elder speaks about it only about the bits and it is useful to include/understand and know to use some basic formulas.
The official language of the State de Jammu and Kashmir is the Urdu, little spoken in Ladakh, except by Cachemiris (and they are numerous to hold shop during the tourist season!).

Julay (djou-breadth), it is a word to be retained. He wants to say, hello, good evening, please and thank you. It is the derivative of tashi delek

To 125 km of Leh, Lamayuru is in the middle of grounds eroded at the entry of a throat. According to the legend, it was formerly the bed of a deep lake. A Buddhist saint who kept the lake would have addressed
a prayer to the spirits which kept the lake and water it miraculeusement would miraculeusement
be evaporated.
Its gompa, oldest from the Lac, dates from the 10th century. Perched at the top of an abrupt cliff. The rooms of prayer shelter crimped chortens jewels, statues of bodhisattvas and old masks of chaam.

The cliff is dug of cave which comprises some frescos.