HISTORY OF LADAKH

According to historical evidence, Ladakh was a part of the Kushan Empire in early 1st century. In 8thcentury pious prince of Tibetan descending king Nyima-gon migrated to Ladakh after the collapses and disintegration of Tibetan empire and established the first independent Buddhist kingdom in Ladakh. Its Political fortunes ebbed and flowed over the centuries. The kingdom was at its greatest in the early 17th century under the famous king Sengge Namgyal, whose rule extended across Spiti and Western Tibet up to the sacred sites of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar. He managed to rebel many external aggression from neighboring kingdoms. He built the palace in Leh Town, which is the biggest palace in the Ladakh, which still dominated the Leh town. 

Leh Town for centuries trade centre for pashmina wool (once worth its weight in gold) yak and pony caravans brought in pashmina from Tibet, turquoise, coral and silver from Yarkand and Kashgar, silk and porcelain cups from China, spices, fabrics from India and Leh town was busy entrepot, thronged with caravan merchants from far countries of central Asia, exchanging their goods and ideas. During the reign of King Daldan Namgyal in 17thcentury Tibet-Mongol Army invaded Ladakh. King Deldan Namgyal sought the help of Moghul Empire of Kashmir to rebel the invasion. Moghul troops reached Ladakh from Kashmir and inked peace treaty with 5th Dalai Lama’s representatives and the entire Guge and Purang of Ladakh went to the Tibetans and Ladakh’s eastern frontier was fixed ever since. 

The main Sunni mosque in Leh Town was constructed in the latter half of the 17th century as part of an agreement with the Mughul Empire. In 1834 J&K king Raja Gulab Singh sent his Commander-in-Chief Zorawar Singh to invade Ladakh, after years of war king of Ladakh was defeated and King Tshepal Namgyal was dethroned and Ladakh came under the Dogra rule and it was incorporated into the Kingdom of J&K in 1846. However, Ladakh was allowed to maintain considerable autonomy. In 1947, India got independent, and together with J&K, Ladakh also became a part of Democratic Republic of India.

GEOGRAPHY

Ladakh is the highest plateau of the Indian state of Kashmir with much of it being over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). It spans the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River valley. The mountain ranges in this region were formed over a period of 45 million years by the folding of the Indian plate into the more stationary Eurasian Plate. The peaks in the Ladakh range are at a medium altitude close to the Zoji-la (5,000–5,500 m or 16,000–18,050 ft), and increase towards south-east, culminating in the twin summits of Nun-Kun (7000 m or 23,000 ft). 

Ladakh comprises of several valleys L. The first is Leh and Upper Indus Valley. This is the cultural heartland of Ladakh where ancient monasteries and palaces reflect the heritage of the region. Leh has been the center of Tibetan-Buddhist culture since ages. The Zanskar Valley is the second region. It's a comparatively isolated valley to the south of Indus Valley and its high culture is also Buddhism. The third main region of Ladakh includes Kargil & Suru Valley, west of Leh down the Indus Valley. It supports an Islamic culture that can be traced back to the 15th century.

The Indus River is the backbone of Ladakh. Most major historical and current towns — Shey, Leh, Basgo and Tingmosgang are situated close to the Indus River. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, the stretch of the Indus flowing through Ladakh is the only part of this river, which is greatly venerated in the Hindu religion and culture that still flows through India. 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE 

The earliest inhabitant of Ladakh was Indo-Aryan known as Mons and the Mongolian early Later in 5thand 6th century, these groups were frequently accompanied by Aryan race origin known as the Dards. They migrated Southeast alongside the Indus valley, bringing with them the idea of irrigation and settled agriculture. With the passage of time other races too met and inter-mingled. It ultimately forms a new community with its own characteristics.

Tibetan-Buddhism in Leh and Zanskar, and Islam in Kargil are the dominant religion. Small number of Christianity in Leh town. The principal language of Ladakh is Ladakhi. Educated Ladakhis usually know Hindi, Urdu and often English. Within Ladakh, there is a range of dialects, so that the language of the Chang-pa people may differ markedly from that of the Purig-pa in Kargil, or the Zanskaris, but they are all mutually comprehensible.

Ladakhi culture is quite similar to Tibetan culture so the Ladakhi food has much in common with Tibetan food, the most prominent foods being Thukpa, Momo, noodle soup; and Tsampa, known in Ladakhi as Ngampe, roasted barley flour. A dish that is strictly Ladakhi is Skyu, and Chhutagi both like a heavy pasta dish with vegetables and mutton.  As Ladakh moves towards less sustainable, cash based economy, foods from the plains of India are becoming more common. Like in any other parts of Central Asia, tea in Ladakh is traditionally made with strong black tea butter and salt.