Ladakh

Ladakh is located in the northern part of India. It is the land of Buddhism and Tantra. Padma Sambhava or Rimpoche came to Ladakh to preach the nuances of Vajra yana of Buddhism to local people. It was said that Avalokiteswar Buddha and Amitav Buddha also visited Ladakh to teach the principles devised by Gautama Buddha and his disciples. The Kingdom of Ladakh came in to being around 900CE. Before that, this region was part of Tibetan Kingdom. Northern part of Ladakh was ruled by Kings of Gilgit and Baltistan. The western part was ruled by Kings of Kashmir.

Ladakh became a vassal state of Kashmir in the past. After the collapse of Tibetan empire Ladakh became an independent Kingdom. A family member of royal family of Tibet founded the first royal dynasty of Ladakh. The rulers of this dynasty ruled Ladakh till 15th Century CE. A descendant of royal family of Tibet came to Ladakh and established the Namgyal dynasty in 1555 CE. Buddhism became the state religion of Ladakh. Leh was established as the capital of this Kingdom. Monasteries were constructed in Leh and other parts of Ladakh. Shey was developed as the second home of royal family of Ladakh. Dalai Lama became the spiritual guide of local people in 13th Century CE. First Buddhist text of this region was produced during this period. Gelug pa sect started in Tibet and followers of this sect came to Ladakh in 15th Century CE. Leh palace was built in 17th Century CE. The golden Buddha statue of Shey was constructed during this period. Islam came to this region with invasion of Islamic rulers from Afghanistan. Invasion also started from east Turkistan in to Ladakh. In the year 1834 CE, Commander Zorabar Singh came with his contigent and occupied Leh.

The King of Ladakh left Leh and retreated to Stok. Ladakh became a vassal state of Jammu and Kashmir. European influence started in 1850 CE in Ladakh. Geologists, explorers, tourists and sports men visited Ladakh. Leh became the administrative center for Ladakh under British protection. Ladakh was governed as Ladakh Wazarat. Skardu was part of Ladakh. Capital was shifted to Skardu in summer months. Ladakh became part of India after the merger of Jammu and Kashmir state with India in 1947. But Gilgit-Baltistan was occupied by Pakistan Army with the help of mercenaries. China occupied the Akshai Chin area after 1962 Indo-China war. Ladakh became a district of Jammu and Kashmir state. It had two Assembly constituencies in the Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh became a Parliamentary constituency for Indian Parliament. Ladakh has two districts as Leh and Kargil. Two Hill Development Councils function at Leh and Kargil. On 5th August 2019, Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and declared as an union territory. The capital city was established at Leh. The union territory is headed by Lieutnant Governor.

The total area of Ladakh is around 117000 sq.km. Out of that around 38000 sq. km area is under the occupation of China. Ladakh is a very high-altitude land of the world. It has high altitude plains, mountain ranges and deep river valleys. High altitude plains are mostly found in eastern Ladakh. Western and northern parts are dominated by high mountain ranges. These ranges spread from north west to south east. Himalayan ranges separate Ladakh from Kashmir. Western Himalayas and Southern Karakoram join each other in Ladakh. Karakoram ranges lies in the north eastern part of Ladakh. It forms the eastern boundary of Nubra valley. Indus river starts from Mansarovar lake near Kailash range in Tibet and enters Ladakh. It passes through Ladakh and forms the Indus valley. It lies at an altitude of 11350 ft above mean sea level. Some of the adjoining peaks reached 22500 ft above mean sea level. Zanskar range lies to south eastern side of Ladakh. There is a marshy land formed closer to Zanskar range. This is a brackish water marsh named as Rupshu lake. This marsh drains in to Zanskar river. Zanskar river flows to north and joins Indus river below Leh town. Shyok river and Nubra river flow through Nubra valley. They join togather and ultimately merge in to Indus river. Indus river flows through Ladakh and enters Baltistan region after crossing Kargil. Most rivers of this region join Indus river system. Other important rivers of Ladakh are Galwan, Suru, Dras , Tsarap and Stod . This region has beautiful lakes scattered in parts of Ladakh. Important lakes are Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, Tso Kar, Mirpal Tso, Chager Tso, Rayul Tso, Suraj Tal, Kyagar Tso, Yaye Tso and Spangur Tso. Most of these lakes are formed due to glaciation. Due to dry climate and increase in salt level most of these lakes have brackish water content. Some lakes connected to rivers have fresh water. Most of these lakes are shrinking every year due to increase in aridity in Ladakh. Migratory birds visit these water bodies in groups in most parts of the year. Glaciers are very important physical features of Ladakh. This region went through some glacial cycles between Pliocene and Pleistocene age. The uplift of Himalayas affected the climatic conditions of this region. Five glacial periods were traced to this region. These are Indus valley glaciation, Leh glaciation, Kar glaciation, Bazgo glaciation and Khaling glaciation. Some important glaciers of this region are still found active and provide water to Ladakh. These are Siachin glacier, Hariparbat glacier, Chongkamdan glacier, Drang-Drung glacier, Kazi N glacier, Machoi glacier, Nubra glacier, Nunkun glacier, Parkachik glacier, Shafat glacier, Shirwali glacier, Rimo glacier and Tayseer glacier. Siachin glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range. This glacier is 76 KM long It is the longest glacier in Karakoram range. This glacier covers around 700 sq.km area. Nubra and Shyok river gets glacial water from Siachin glacier. A portion of this glacier and near by mountains are declared as a wildlife sanctuary. Snow leopard, brown bear and ibex are spotted in this wildlife sanctuary.

Geology of Ladakh region is similar to the geology of western Himalayas. This region was formed by sedimentation and metamorphism of sediments of Paleozoic to Cretaceous period. Meta-sediments and granitic intrusions are important geological activities of this region. Ladakh Batholith is important as the store house of minerals. Volcanic rocks are also identified in Dras valley. Himalayan Batholiths were formed due to subduction activities along plate boundaries. Granite, Gneiss and Schist rocks are found along fault zones. Diorite, Granodiorite, Granite and Leuco granite are found in Nubra valley. Limestone, Sandstone and Shale are found in valleys and uplands. Ladakh Batholith lies to the north of Indus valley. This rock mass is believed to be store house of minerals of copper, tin, tungsten and gold. Deposits of atomic minerals are also traced to batholits. Limestone, Marble and Borax are found in Ladakh region. Gas deposits are also reported from Indus valley region in Ladakh. Granite found in this area is very good material as a building stone. In the ancient period many travelers came to Ladakh to dig gold from various locations. A special type of ant was identified as guide for prospecting gold deposits. Many hot springs are found in various parts of Ladakh. More than 20 hot springs are identified as possible sources of geothermal energy. All these hot springs can be tapped to produce sufficient power to support the development activities and domestic demands of entire population of Ladakh. Fossils were found in some parts of Ladakh. Fossils were detected in tertiary sediments of Kargil area. Fossils were also found from limestone beds near Lamayuru. Vertibrate fossils were reported from some riverbeds near Kargil. Most of the lake beds contains fossils of different ages. Fluvio lacustrine beds in Indus valley contains fossils of different ages. Fossil bearing areas may be potential locations for oil and gas deposits.

Nubra valley is an important area of Ladakh located in the north eastern part of this region. Shyok and Nubra rivers flow through this valley. This valley separates Ladakh range from Karakoram range. Shyok and Nubra rivers join togather and ultimately join the Indus river. Average altitude of this valley is around 10000 ft above mean sea level. Khardungla pass is the gate way to Nubra valley. Siachin glacier lies to the north of Nubra valley. Sasser pass and Karakoram pass lie to the north of this valley. In the past, people used to visit Baltistan and Uyghur region through this valley. Diskit village is the headquarters (HQ) of Nubra valley. An ancient monastery is present near Diskit village. The monastery has a statue of Maitreya Buddha. It was built around 1420 CE. Hunder is another important village of this valley. It was the old capital of Nubra principality. This village has an old monastery. Two humped camesl are found in this area. Sand dunes of Hunder are popular tourists’ attraction of this valley. Ladakh is famous for its lakes. Pangong Tso is most important among all these lakes in Ladakh. It is a brackish water lake located closer to Line of Actual Control between India and Tibet. This lake is around 150 KM long and 3 KM wide. One third of this lake is under the control of India. The remaining part is under the control of China. The lake water has deep blue color. In winter the lake water become ice. The depth of this lake is around 328 ft. Lack of proper drainage from this lake is the reason for the brackish water content of Pangong Tso. This lake is located 225 KM south east of Leh. Tso Moriri is another important lake of Ladakh. It is a glacial lake and located on the Changthang plateau. The lake and its surrounding areas are declared as a wild life sanctuary. It is located at 220 KM from Leh. It has a length of 28 KM and depth of 200ft. Tso Kar is another important lake of this region. It is located on the Rupshu plateau in the southern part of Ladakh. It is located at 160 KM from Leh. It is a brackish water lake. Yarab Tso is located near Panamik village of Nubra valley. It is located 180 KM from Leh. Mirpal Tso is located near Chosul in eastern Ladakh. It is 202 KM from Leh. It is a fresh water lake with sandy shore. Stat Tso and Lang Tso are situated in Zanskar region. Kirgar Tso is an high altitude lake. it is 240 KM from Leh. Wild animals are found grazing on the bank of this lake. Chagar Tso lake a glacial lake located at 200KM from Leh. Kyun Tso and Ryul Tso are twin lakes located near Noyama village. These lakes are located at 255 KM from Leh. Lakes are the spirit of Ladakh and will remain so in future.