Category: Ladakh

Nubra Valley: Unique Attractions and Scenic Beauty

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Ladakh

The Nubra valley lies to the north of Leh between the Ladakh and Zanskar ranges of the Himalayas. In contrast to the rest of Ladakh ; it is more green with lots of wild flowers and shrubs .The word Nubra is derived from the Ladakhi word Ldumra meaning an orchard or garden.

The villages that make up Nubra lie on the banks of the Shyok river that originates in the Karakoram ranges and merges into the Indus. The other important river is the Nubra river (Siachen). These rivers make the valley a fertile region where wheat, barley, peas, mustard, apples, walnuts and apricots are grown. This makes the general ecosystem of Nubra more green unlike the rest of Ladakh which is primarily a cold desert

The Shyok river

Apart from the natural beauty of the lush green valley against the backdrop of the snow clad Himalayas, Nubra has a lot to offer the tourists.

While driving from Leh to Nubra, one crosses the Khardungla Pass at a height of 5359 mts and is the second highest motorable road in the world. Khardungla has already been covered in detail earlier in an episode on the Himalayan passes.

The road to Khardungla Pass

Khardungla Pass

The Diskit Monastery (often called Diksit)

Diskit village is the most important village of the valley and it hosts the Diskit monastery that sits on top of a hill providing magnificent views of the valley and the Shyok river.

A giant Maitreya Buddha ( Buddha of compassion) statue standing 32 mts high looking towards Turtuk, the last village on the Indian side close to Baltistan in Pakistan. This statue was consecrated by the Dalai Lama and it is believed to bring lasting peace to the region which has seen turbulent times.

Diskit Monastery

The giant Maitreya Buddha

The Hunder sand dunes

The sand dunes located at Hunder village stretching over a few kilometers were formed after a historical flood in 1927. They provide a desert landscape with the snow capped mountains in the backdrop and highlights the diverse ecology of Ladakh.

The sand dunes

A small stream was flowing along and we relaxed by soaking our legs in the icy waters…

Relaxing in the icy stream

Double humped Camels( Bactrian Camels)

These camels are a tell tale sign of the trade that took place hundreds of years ago on the Silk Route. The caravans travelling between central Asia and Kashmir used to stay in the villages at Nubra . After the closure of the silk route, these hapless animals found themselves left behind here. Their descendants entertain tourists in the Nubra valley with camel rides which sustain them.

The double humped camels

Camel rides at Nubra

Nubra valley also has ATV rides and zip lining as entertainment activities for tourists.

ATV Rides

Enroute, we had lunch at a local restaurant where we were served the local Seabuckthorn juice. The unique Seabuckthorn berry also called the Leh berry is widely found here all along the way among the shrubs.

Seabuckthorn berries and the juice.

After a long day on the road we reached our resort at Nubra where we were put up in Swiss tents. Some pictures from the resort.

Our resort at Nubra and a typical Swiss tent

That night we had a bonfire and cultural show with local ladies entertaining us with graceful dances. Some pictures and videos..

Bonfire

The dancers in vibrant costumes

Click on the video to enjoy the dance

And finally we posed with the dancers…

The night of rejoicing came to an end after sometime as temperatures dropped and we hastily retreated to our tents to catch some sleep.

Next morning we bid goodbye to Nubra and started our journey towards Pangong .

Hope you enjoyed this journey through the Nubra valley. See you next week with more from Ladakh.

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Adventures in Ladakh ; Rafting, ziplining and more

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Ladakh

Ladakh with its unique ecosystem provides ample opportunities for adventure sport which are highlighted here.

The Indus River (Sindhu)

The Indus river literally flowed in and out of our lives during our stay at Ladakh. Our visit to Ladakh was just a month after the deadly terror attacks at Pahalgam. The military, political and diplomatic developments following this had caused the Indus river to come into focus and there was a certain connect that we felt with this mighty river that is the lifeline of Ladakh.

We first saw the river on our way from the Hemis monastery and we did have a photo session .

The Indus river with a monastery perched on a hill in the backdrop

Close to this point we had an opportunity to zipline across the Indus river. Some pictures from that wonderful experience…

Geared up to zipline…

Ziplining across the Indus river (click on video)

Sangam Point

This is the point of confluence of the Indus (Sindhu) and Zanskar rivers at Nimmu ; 35 kms from Leh on the Srinagar Leh highway. It is visible from a height from the road and after a short walk down some steps, we can reach the Sangam point.

The confluence looks stunning with the two rivers of different colors merging together. Both these rivers hold religious significance to the locals and a dip here is believed to rid one of his sins!!

The muddy Zanskar meets the clear Indus at the Sangam point (view from top)

At close quarters also, the two colors can be seen

A bridge across the river is seen from Sangam point…


The bridge across the Indus and the roads going parallel to it on either side

At the Sangam, we did river rafting on the Zanskar river. We were eight people in a raft with a guide . He instructed us initially and then guided us as we tried to manoeuvre the raft.

Few pictures from the rafting experience…

All set to go

The rafting expeience on the Zanskar

After the rafting experience, we had lunch where we got to savour some local Ladakhi dishes.

Ladakhi restaurant and our group at lunch

Thenthuk is a noodle soup where the noodles are flat and made of wheat flour . Mixed with vegetables or meat, it is a thick soup that is often a complete meal for the locals.

Thenthuk with momos, rice and dal

Post lunch we set off to the moon….yes ; our next destination was Lamayuru, where the landscape resembles the surface of the moon.

Lamayuru and the moonland

Known as the moonland of Ladakh, the rugged landscape and unique geographical formations make it an interesting spot. The views here reminded me of Bryce Canyon national park in the US but to a much smaller scale . The views during sunrise and sunset must be quiet captivating with changing angles of light.

How moonland was formed

This area was a lake some forty thousand years ago caused by damming of the Lamayuru river by a tectonic shift causing a landslide. Over the years the lake dried up leaving the sedimentary deposits which have been eroded by wind and water resulting in these gullies , ridges and hoodoos. This has given it the appearance of the moon surface.

The drive to Lamayuru itself was beautiful with cliffs overhanging the road on one side and the Indus river flowing down below on the other side.

The drive to Lamayuru ( click on video)

The general landscape at Lamayuru

The rugged landscape and unique geographical formations

Lamayuru is also home to a famous monastery.

By now we were quite tired and headed back to our hotel with memories of an adventurous day…

Do subscribe, like and comment till I come back with the next episode.

Ladakh’s Stunning Buddhist Monasteries

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Ladakh

Think Ladakh and the picture that arises in your mind is of a landscape of snowclad Himalayan peaks dotted by those quaint architectural buildings ; many of them on hills with winding roads and steps leading to them. Well , these are the Buddhist monasteries of Ladakh which add unique charm to the Himalayan landscape.

These monasteries of Ladakh have an old world charm about them and are remnants of Tibetan culture that has been retained here. Most monasteries are complexes that comprise of prayer halls, temples, courtyards, stupas and the living quarters of the monks.

They have typical architectural features with white exteriors , windows lined by delicately carved woodwork and painted in red, black and yellow colours , stupas in the courtyard, and multi colour prayer flags fluttering all over. Prayer wheels of different sizes adorn both the exterior and interior and the soothing chants of Buddhist hymns calms our minds as we explore them. Monasteries are store houses of ancient manuscripts, thangka paintings and house beautiful statues.

In most monasteries , bowls filled with water are seen offered at the altars in addition food, flowers and incense.

Let us walk through some of these monasteries…

Hemis Monastery

Hemis monastery is one of the largest and wealthiest of the monasteries and is located about 40 kms from Leh. One needs to climb a flight of stairs to reach the monastery and there are beautiful arches and prayer wheels along the passage.

The stairs with decorated arches leading to the monastery.

The stairs lead us to an open courtyard with the monastery building right ahead. The balconies and windows have delicate wooden carvings on them painted in attractive colours.

The courtyard and monastery building

The Hemis monastery is most famous for the Hemis festival held in this courtyard in the month of July. The famous Cham dances are enacted here with the dancers wearing colourful masks.

File picture of Hemis festival

We had a wonderful experience when we reached the monastery. It suddenly started snowing and we enjoyed the experience along with views of the monastery.

This also acquainted us with how fickle the weather in Ladakh can be as it had been bright and sunny earlier on

Snowing at Hemis….click on video to enjoy the experience!!

Thiksey Monastery

This largest monastery of Ladakh is built identical to the Potala Palace in Lhasa in the 15th century overlooking the Indus Valley and is often called mini Potala.

This monastery has 12 floors and houses 10 temples with precious and rare statues and stupas .

Thiksey Monastery

Thiksey Monastery

Our group in front of Thiksey monastery

Here too, there stairs adorned with colourful arches that lead to the main monastery building.

A huge prayer wheel

The main monastery building

One of the main attractions here is the beautifully decorated and adorned Maithreya Buddha statue that is 40 feet tall. He is known as the future Buddha or Buddha of Compassion and was consecrated by the Dalai Lama.

Maitreya Buddha statue

Photography restrictions were minimal here and hence here are some pictures from inside the monastery…..

Some pictures from inside the monastery.

Tara devi who is believed to be the mother of Buddhas has a temple dedicated to her here.

There are beautiful murals on the walls of the monastery

Beautiful murals

Views of the Indus River and valley and the Himalayan peaks from the top of the monastery are beautiful…

Beautiful view of the Himalayas, Indus river and valley from Thiksey

This monastery is home to about 80 monks.

Some of the monks in traditional attire

Alchi Monastery or Alchi Choskor

Alchi monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh built in the 11th century by Lama Rinchen Zangpo on the banks of the Indus river. He is believed to have travelled from Kashmir across the Zojila pass and translated many texts from Sanskrit to the Bodhi language. Due to this, this monastery has a mix of Indian and Tibetan cultures.

Built on level ground and surrounded by brick walls, this simple structure, escaped attention of invaders and survives till date.

A walking stick belonging to the lama from which a tree has grown is preserved at the complex. It is decorated with the traditional Ladakhi white scarf .

This monastery is unique in that it is a conglomerate of small buildings and wooden structures . There are three main buildings here : the Assembly hall, the Sum-tsek and the Manjushri temple. The Sum-tsek is a three storey structure with the statues of Bodhisattva, Avalokiteshwara and Manjushri.

It is well known for the beautiful paintings and frescoes that adorn its walls. They depict Buddhist teachings, celestial beings and Mandala art in great detail. Many of the murals have faded and restoration work is on at the monastery. The beautiful murals and vivid Mandala art in the monastery cannot be brought to you as photography is prohibited in those areas.

Here are some pictures from the exteriors which will clearly show the difference between Alchi and the pomp and splendor of the other monasteries. Take a look…

The walking stick of Rinchen Zangpo from which a tree has grown

The exterior of the buildings at Alchi monastery

The prayer wheels

The Indus river which flows right behind the monastery

Dikshit Monastery

This monastery is located in the Nubra Valley on a hill and houses the giant Maithreya Buddha statue. The views of Nubra valley from atop the monastery are beautiful.

Dikshit Monastery

The giant Maithreya Buddha statue is placed facing the direction of Baltistan in Pakistan and it is believed that the Buddha will bring peace to the region.

The giant Maithreya Buddha statue

View of Nubra valley from Dikshit monastery

These are some of the monasteries that we visited in Ladakh. There are many more and each one has a legend of it’s own.

I hope you enjoyed the ambience and culture of these monasteries.

See you with more from Ladakh.

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment…

Khardung La & Chang La: A Guide to Ladakh’s High Passes

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Ladakh

The Himalayas form a continuous mountain chain to the north of India and have several passes spanning the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh ,Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and several North Eastern states. A pass is a path that passes through or across a mountain range and provides access to areas surrounding the mountain. Typically they are formed by glaciers, rivers and melting snow that erodes the mountain range.

The major mountain passes located in Ladakh are, Khardung La, Chang La, Zoji La ,Umling La, Tanglang La, Imis La and Bara Lacha La. The word La means pass.

We visited Khardung La and Chang La passes during our trip to Ladakh and those will be our focus in this episode.

Khardung La Pass

Khardung La lies in the Ladakh range, 39 kms. north of Leh connecting the Indus and Shyok river valleys. At a height of 5359 mts ( 17,982 ft ) Khardung La serves as a gateway to the Nubra Valley and is a crucial point in transporting supplies to Siachen glacier.

Historically, Khardung La lies on the silk route to Central Asia and was used by caravans of horses and camels

Today, there is a road that takes one to this pass. The construction of this road was started in 1972 and completed by 1976. This road was open to the public in 1988. The BRO (Border Roads Organisation) maintains this road today and it is the second highest motorable road in the world. The initial part of the road is paved but there are areas along the road that is mainly loose rock and dirt , partly caused by the extreme weather conditions of the area. All along the route we can see road construction work going on with heavy duty equipment maneuvering the difficult terrain.

Road to Khardung La-the second highest motorable road in the world

The difficult mountain road to Khardung La

As we drive along, we find a lot of adventurous bikers from all over the world on their way to Khardung La . Many of them have the national flag on their bikes giving a lot of patriotic feel.

A group of bikers on their way

One can see snow round the year at Khardung La but during the winter months and after sunset, the drive may be very risky due to frost leading to slippery roads.

Reaching Khardung La

At Khardungla Top , the snow, the summit markers and colored Buddhist flags welcome us. The view from there is simply breathtaking with snow covered mountains all around.

The milestone on the top

At Khardung La top

The amazing views from the top

And not to miss this cryptic message from the BRO…

A cryptic and meaningful message from BRO

The high altitude is a deterrent to spending more time here and after the photos and enjoying the views for some time, we came down to a less crowded spot to enjoy ourselves by playing in the snow.

Playing with the snow

After some exciting time at Khardung La, we drove down to Nubra valley . More on Nubra valley later.

The other Himalayan pass that we traversed during the Ladakh trip was the Chang La.

Chang La

Located on the route to Pangong lake, Chang La has an elevation of 5391 mts (17,688 ft) and offers beautiful views of the Himalayan ranges. Chang La which means “Pass towards the South” is the third highest motorable pass in the world.

The drive to Chang La is equally challenging with steep , winding roads which have been damaged at places due to landslides and extreme weather conditions. Most of the road is asphalted but at places it is loose soil and stones.

The steep winding roads to Chang La

Interspersed with snow fields and azure lakes in the distance, the drive is heavenly indeed!!

The snow fields and azure lakes enroute

Click on the video for an experience of the drive…

After this breathtaking drive we arrived at Chang La where the prayer flags and summit markers greeted us to wonderful views.

Some pictures from Chang La…

At Chang La

Our group at the Chang La summit marker

Right at the summit is a temple dedicated to a sadhu known as Chang La Baba.

Temple dedicated to Chang La Baba

The Indian Army has significant presence at Khardung La and Chang La. The most obvious reason of course is security. The passes are particularly vulnerable areas close to our borders and the security forces are on constant vigil and they also oversee the safety of the tourists arriving there.

There are many sign boards depicting the work of the Indian Army at the summits.

Another Message from The Indian Army

Problems of altitude

Due to the low oxygen saturation of the air in these high altitudes, breathing difficulties may be encountered and hence, we stayed there only for a few minutes. People with heart conditions and breathing problems must take proper medical advice and carry necessary medical supplies while traveling to these destinations.

Our vehicles were equipped with oxygen cylinders and necessary supplies during this trip.

Take a Bow

When we visit these areas where life can be a challenge at every point, we really feel indebted to the defence personnel manning these places. All along the difficult route small camps of the services can be seen. The personnel who work here stay away from their families and live through the extreme and unpredictable weather conditions with constant danger of the enemy. They do a lot of sacrifices so that we can live a peaceful life.

Apart from the main Defence forces, The Border Roads Organization (BRO) does a great job of building the roads and maintaining them. We are able to travel to these places only because of the great work they constantly do.

There is also a DRDO research station close to Chang La.

I hope the trip through the mountain passes was thrilling. See you next week from other destinations in enchanting Ladakh.

I close this episode with a sense of gratitude to the Indian Army and the allied services and with a sense of pride to be an Indian. Jai Hind.

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Exploring the Beauty of Pangong Lake in Ladakh

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Ladakh

This week we start the Ladakh series. With each destination in Ladakh competing with the other in the uniqueness of the experiences they provided; it was a difficult choice to make. Well ; finally I settled for Pangong to start the series with a bang!!

Welcome to Pangong...

Hidden in the lap of snow clad mountains and high altitude plateaus, Pangong Tso with its deep blue and green colors provides a contrast to the barrenness of the hilly landscape around.

A visit to the Pangong lake located at an altitude of almost 14000 ft. is one of the highlights of a visit to Ladakh. Stretching over a distance of 134 kms, only 30% of the lake lies in India; the rest being located in Tibet. At its broadest point, the lake is 5 kms wide and is separated from the Indus river basin by a small ridge.

It is the largest brackish lake in Asia and is an endorheic lake meaning it is a basin that retains water and does not allow outflow to other external water bodies. Movement of tectonic plates many years ago is believed to have created this lake.

The lake is divided into 5 sub lakes connected through narrow water channels and the western most of these is Pangong Lake which in Tibetan means high grassland lake. The grasslands along the edges of the lake feed the pashmina goats , yaks and other livestock found here. The whole group of lakes is referred to as Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo.

The deep blue and green color of the lake against the backdrop of the barren mountains is indeed a sight to behold!! The lake is open to tourists between May and September.

The lake is a Himalayan wetland reserve and an important breeding ground for a variety of migratory birds. Spangmik is a small village near the lake where pashmina goats are reared.

The best time to visit the lake is of course in summer between May and September. During the winter months the lake is completely frozen and if you are adventurous enough, you can walk on the lake!!

My Trip

The drive to Pangong Lake itself was very picturesque. The winding snow capped mountain roads with clear glacier water streams gurgling along is beautiful. The varying features of Ladakhi landscape with mountain slopes showing streaks of varying colors resembles a painting.

The rugged mountains with the glacial streams flowing along

The mountain roads with snow capped mountains as a back drop

The mountain slopes showing streaks of various hues like a painting

The Changla pass lies on the route from Leh to Pangong Tso. This high mountain pass at a height of more than 17500 ft, is covered with snow and appears pristine white.

The snow closer to Changla Pass

Driving down those lovely vistas, we were in for a surprise when we encountered a herd of pashmina goats being herded by a mother and daughter across a bridge. It took us some time to cross them but we enjoyed the sight nevertheless. Take a look at the video below..

When the goats decided to slow us down!!!

After the goats decided to give us way, we headed further on awaiting the first views of Pangong Lake and finally Dorje, our driver announced that we were there. Eagerly we turned our eyes to watch the first glimpses and here was what we saw…

The lake slowly comes into view from behind the mountains

The mesmerizing colors of the lake as we drove along…

Driving further down we met up with the others of the group on the banks of the lake.

The ladies pose by the Pangong Tso

A group picture by the lake was followed by some free time for us to explore the area.

As we walked along the shores of the lake this is what we saw….

Take a look…

The beautiful colors of the lake

The clarity of the water was simply unbelievable.

Yak rides were available on the banks of the lake …

Yak rides on the banks of the Pangong Tso

We were totally mesmerized by the colors of the lake from different angles. Take a look at this video…

The different hues of Pangong (click on video to enjoy)

We lost track of time as we stood admiring the beauty of the lake and soon had to go to our resort. Our rooms were overlooking the lake and the views from the resort were also awesome.

Our Hotel overlooking the lake and views from our room

After tea and some snacks we sat outside our rooms taking in the beauty of the place.

There was a skylight in our room and at night the stars were visible from our beds. That was another unique experience!

The skylight that helped us stargaze from bed….

Hold your breathe for the next surprise…

We saw the milky way in all its glory that night on the banks of the Pangong. In the pitch dark sky, that amazing cloudy mass was a sight to behold!!. Standing there we kept looking at it as it slowly seemed to change its outlines. Unfortunately, we could not capture it for you. But I must tell you, it was a once in a lifetime moment…

A picture from Pexels just to illustrate what we saw…

A host of satellites were also visible crisscrossing the sky.

Next morning, we woke up to see the sunrise…take a look..

Sunrise views…

And the grass that feeds the pashmina goats and gives the lake its name…

As the golden rays illumined the snow capped peaks behind our resort..

The sunlit snow capped peaks behind our resort

After sumptuous breakfast at the resort, we bid farewell to this highlight of our tour to Ladakh thinking of the truly diverse destinations our country has.

But not before a shot on the banks with our national flag….

Jai Hind

This trip was undertaken soon after the Pahalgam terror attack giving rise to fears and uncertainty and has to be viewed with that backdrop.

I end this episode with a respectful bow to the armed forces guarding our borders and the allied services like BRO that made this amazing trip possible.

See you next week at another amazing destination. Meanwhile do subscribe, like and comment…