Ladakh

Nature's art gallery:

by Mahendra Kumar Goyal

Ladakh - the land of high passes and gompas (monasteries), the land of virgin beauty so enchanting and yet enigmatic is variously called as 'Moonland', 'Little Tibet' and the 'last Shangrila'. You go there once and it beckons you again and again.

You are bewildered at the juxtaposition: barren ridges and double humped bactrian camels, the snow covered peaks providing backdrop to the greenery of barley fields and lines of popular trees in the valley.

Drass town on Leh-Srinagar national highway is the coldest place in the world after Siberia with temperatures dipping as low as minus 35 to minus 40 degree Celsius. There is almost no rainfall, yet the glaciers keep the local rivers and nullahs flowing throughout the year. It also has the distinction of being the highest altitude inhabitated area.

Ladakh has two major districts of Kargil and Leh, the latter being a major Buddhist centre.

Watch the roaming flocks of young and old monks in and out of the colourful gompas with flags and wheels and listen to their sacred mantras: you will not be the same person, you will be spiritually elated.The period from June to September is the most enjoyable for tourists.

"Sindhu Darshan' and 'Ladakh Festival' are the two events which showcase the culture of the region. During the Ladakh festival, colourful display of dancing sports, rituals and exhibitions are held throughout Ladakh. The festival starts in early September with a spectacular march by people from all over Ladakh through the main streets of the capital city of Leh, a perfect idyll, a tourists' haven.

Ladakh is a treasuretrove of nature's bounty. The beautiful ranges of colourful mountains and snow-covered peaks present themselves as if painted by mother nature - thus turning Ladakh into a natural art gallery.

Keats' famous line - 'A thing of beauty is a joy forever,' couldn't have been more true elsewhere.Ladakh is also a tough terrain and vagaries of weather are far too many.

Since the temperatures in Ladakh are extreme, one needs to carry enough woollens. And don't forget your goggles to save your eyes from sand in the summers and reflection of snow in the winters.

Courtesy of India Perspectives