3. Mar means red and Yul means
land . The ‘Redland ‘ a unique
piece of natural beauty thought
apparently looks barren yet boasts
of mystical landscape with
snowcapped peak kissing the Blue
sky, Chanting monks, Chiming
monasteries with the sound of
bells and Trumpets . Its umpteen
valleys filled with juniper aroma
along with rich culture , tradition
and colorful costumes of
inhabitants create a magic of its
own .
Ladakh ,The mystical land is commonly known as ‘Maryul’
4. Region
Ladakh constitutes the eastern-most part
of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. This is
one of the most breathtakingly beautiful
parts of the state and its surreal
landscape has often been termed as
"moonscape". Ladakh covers about
117,000 square km and includes the
Karakoram Range and the upper Indus
River valley. Ladakh is one of the highest
places on earth with average altitude
being above 12,000 feet.
7. One of the most beautiful and fertile regions
of Ladakh is Suru Valley which is formed by
the Suru river, an important tributary of River
Indus. Lush fields, green alpine meadows,
cascading rivers and surrounding snow
peaks make this region a trekkers delight.
The area between Panikhar and Prakachik
has some unparalleled views of the great
massif of Nun and Kun and offers some
tough and interesting treks.
8. Ladakh is a land like no other.
Bounded by two of the world's
mightiest mountain ranges, the
Great Himalaya and the Karakoram,
it lies athwart two other, the Ladakh
range and the Zanskar
range. Ladakh is renowned for its
remote mountain beauty and
culture.
Ladakh, the mountain kingdom
10. RELIGION:
Ladakh has a population of about 260,000 which is a blend of many
different ethnic groups, predominantlyTibetans, Monpas and Dards. Like
other Ladakhis, the Baltis of Kargil, Nubra, Suru Valley and Baltistan show
strong Tibetan links in their appearance and language, and were Buddhists
until the last few hundred years.
11. Most Ladakhis in Leh District and Zangskar are Tibetan Buddhist, while
most of the rest of Kargil District is Shia Muslims. There are sizeable
minorities of Buddhists in Kargil District and of Muslims in Leh District.
There are some Sunni Muslims of Kashmiri descent in Leh and Kargil
towns and alsoPadum in Zangskar. The Balti villages in Leh District have
several thousand Nurbakhshia Muslims, followers Muslim Sufi Shah
Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani. There are a less than 40 families
of Ladakhi Christians, who converted in the 19th century. These families
belong to several very small Christian.
13. For centuries, Ladakh enjoyed a stable and self-reliant agricultural economy based on
growing barley, wheat and peas and keeping livestock, especially yaks, cows, dzos, (a
yak-cow cross breed), sheep and goats. At altitudes of 3,000 to 4,300 m (10,000 to
14,000 ft), the growing season is only a few months long every year, similar to the
northern countries of the world. Animals are scarce and water is in short supply. The
Ladakhis developed a small-scale farming system adapted to this unique environment.
The land is irrigated by a system of channels which funnel water from the ice and snow
of the mountains. The principal crops are barley and wheat. Rice was previously a luxury
in the Ladakhi diet, but, subsidised by the government, has now become a cheap staple.
14. LanguagesLanguages
The Ladakhi language also
called Bhoti, is the
predominant language in
the Ladakh region of
the Jammu & Kashmir state
of India. Ladakhi is closely
related to Tibetan, and the
Ladakhi people share cultural
similarities with Tibetans,
including Tibetan Budhism.
Ladakhi and Central
Tibetan are not mutually
intelligible, though they share
a written form dating back
to Old Tibetan.
Ladakhi has several
dialects, Ladakhi proper
(also called Lehskat after
the capital of Ladakh,Leh,
where it is
spoken); Shamskat,
spoken to the northwest of
Leh; Stotskat, spoken to
the southeast in the Indus
valley; and Nubra, spoken
in the north. The varieties
spoken in Upper Ladakh
and zangskari in zanskar
15. The principal language of Ladakh is Ladakhi, a Tibetan language.
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 Zangskaris, but they are all mutually comprehensible.
Due to its position on important trade routes, the language of Leh is
enriched with foreign words. Traditionally, Ladakhi had no written
form distinct from classical Tibetan, but recently a number of Ladakhi
writers have started using the Tibetan script to write the colloquial
tongue. Administrative work and education are carried out in English;
although Urdu was used to a great extent in the past, now only land
records and some police records are kept in Urdu.
16. Ladakhi is usually written using Tibetan script with the pronunciation of
Ladakhi being much closer to written Tibetan . Ladakhis pronounce
many of the prefix, suffix and head letters that are silent in Tibetan. This
tendency is more pronounced to the west of Leh, and on the Pakistani
side of theLine of Control, in Baltistan. For example, a Tibetan would
pronounce sta 'axe' as [tá], but a Ladakhi would say [sta]. While a
Tibetan would pronounce ’bras 'rice' as Ladakhis say [dras], and
the Kargilpa (Burig) say [bras].
17. Culture
One of the most noticeable aspect of
diverse cultural legacy of Ladakh is
their attractive attire which represent rich
culture and tradition from the day of the
Yore . Variety of costumes exist in
Ladakh . These include monastic
garments , particularly worn by the monks
during the festival .
18. The male dress known as
‘butsechas’ and female dress
known as ‘pomeychas’ .
These dresses are
particularly made of
different material like
brocade , velvet , fabric ,
woolen cloth etc. Due to
harsh climatic condition and
the altitude ranging between
9000 to 25000 feet , ladakhi
prefer to wear thick woolen
robe in winter and a silk robe
in summer season .
19. Music !!
Traditional music includes the
instruments surna and daman
(shenai and drum). The music of
Ladakhi Buddhist monastic festivals,
like Tibetan Music, often involves
religious chanting in
tibetan or Sanskrit as an integral
part of the religion. These chants are
complex, often recitations of sacred
texts or in celebration of various
festivals. Yang chanting, performed
without metrical timing, is
accompanied by resonant drums and
low, sustained syllables. Religious
mask dances are an important part of
Ladakh's cultural life.
20. Hemis monastery, a
leading centre of
the Drukpa tradition of
Buddhism, holds an
annual masked dance
festival, as do all major
Ladakhi monasteries.
The dances typically
narrate a story of the
fight between good and
evil, ending with the
eventual victory of the
former.Weaving is an
important part of
traditional life in
eastern Ladakh. Both
women and men weave,
on different looms.
21. The religious dance performed
by the lamas (monks) is called
Chhams. The music
accompanying the Chhams is
generally slow and haunting, and
the musical instruments involved
are the Dungchen (long horn),
Gyaling (oboe), Nga (drums),
Silnyen/bubjal (cymbals),
kangling (shinbone trumpets),
dung (conch shells), Damaru
(skull drums) and Drilbu (bells).
The masked dancers move
around very slowly; the vital part
of the dance being the mask, not
the dance. All dances end with
good triumphing over evil. The
dances are performed not only to
symbolize destruction of evil but
as offerings to the monastery
deity.
22. Typical costumes
include gonchas of velvet,
elaborately embroidered
waistcoats and boots and hats.
The Ladakh Festival is held
every year from September 1 to
15. Performers adorned with
gold and silver ornaments and
turquoise headgear throng the
streets. Monks wear colourful
masks and dance to the rhythm
of cymbals, flutes and trumpets.
The yak, lion
and Tashispa dances depict the
many legends and fables of
Ladakh. Buddhist monasteries
sporting prayer flags, display
of thankas, archery
competitions, a mock marriage
and horse-polo are the some
highlights of this festival
24. Ladakh has a rich heritage of folk
dance. The dances are elaborate,
colourful, and majestic, with
mostly slow and gentle movements
matched by the richly adorned
peraks (head dress), and music.
Among the folk dances are –
The Jabro Dance of the
Changthang people performed
during festive occasions. It is an
integral part of Losar (Tibetan New
Year), and the Jabro songs are sung
to the accompaniment of the
Damian, a guitar-like instrument,
and the flute.
The Tukhstanmo dance of
Zanskar and Bakhamul area.
25. The Spao dance, which is a warrior
dance associated with the legendary
figure Gesar.
The Loshon Dance performed on the
eve of the harvest festival at Shey
village. The Shoudol dance, the only
dance that involves backward steps.
The Mentoq Stanmo dance, a flower
dance and recitation of songs, of Deskit
and Dha Hanu.
The Shon dance, a legacy of the
royalty of Ladakh. Originally a dance
presented in honour of the kings of
Ladakh, now without restriction.
The Koshan dance of Leh, which is
preceded by a horse race. One of the
most important aspects of Ladakhi
culture is the rich oral literature of
songs and poems for each occasion
26. Cuisines!!
Ladakhi food has much in
common with Tibetan Food,
the most prominent foods
being thukpa (noodle soup)
and Tsampa, known in
Ladakhi as ngampe(roasted
barley flour). Edible without
cooking, tsampa makes
useful trekking food. A dish
that is strictly Ladakhi
is skyu, a heavy pasta dish
with root vegetables.
27. As Ladakh moves toward a
cash-based economy, foods
from the plains of India are
becoming more common. As
in other parts of Central Asia,
tea in Ladakh is traditionally
made with strong green tea,
butter, and salt. It is mixed in
a large churn and known
as gurgur cha, after the sound
it makes when mixed. Sweet
tea (cha ngarmo) is common
now, made in the Indian style
with milk and sugar. Most of
the surplus barley that is
produced is fermented
into chang, an alcoholic
beverage drunk especially on
festive occasions
28. CUISINE SPECIALTIES
Ruchotse or Momos:
Ruchotse or momos in soup and
chowmein are the other speciality
dishes here.
Butter Tea:
The special beverage served is the
Tibetan butter tea and unlike the
teas familiar to us, this is made
from Tibetan tealeaf brew into
which milk, yak butter and salt has
been shaken and stirred.
29. Tsampa:
A nutritious powder
eaten for breakfast, given
mainly to children and
the old, is the other
typical Tibetan food that
the ladies have brought
along. Tenzin is also an
expert at making Ting
Mo that is similar to
momos but is shaped
into different designs
and boiled or fried.
30. Pava:
Dough made from boiling
water mixed with tsampa
and ground pea flour;
eaten with cooked
vegetables or lentils.
Cholak:
Tsampa mixed into a
loose dough with ladakhi
tea.
