Ladakh
LEH, LADAKH - So, I talked about how we got to Ladakh.. now, a little about Ladakh. First, I didn't really know much about this place... other than it's mostly Buddhist. Through the experiences we've had, the people we've met, and through our readings (I read 7 Years in Tibet, while Sampat read Dalai Lama's Autobiography... Ladakhi culture is similar to Tibetan), we've learned a little bit about this place.
Ladakh is a region within the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India. However, it's culture is much more similar to Tibetan culture (as it borders Tibetan China), and is often known as "Little Tibet". They also follow the Dalai Lama and "Tibetan" Buddhism. This "way of life" can also be found in Nepal and parts of Eastern India that border Tibetan China, like Sikkin. The people of Ladakh speak Ladakhi... and sometimes a little Hindi and/or English. For years, they were an isolated region surrounded by the Himalayas. The region is very dry, but they get the water for their farmlands from the streams that come down the Himalayas. They have a good system of channelling their water.
Here's a brief summary of the things we did in Leh (the largest city in Ladakh):
Leh is about 10000 feet above sea level (around there), so it takes awhile to get accustomed to the elevation. I woke up with a slight headache, so we kept it pretty light on the first day we got here. They suggest that for the first 24 hours that you get plenty of rest. I'm now pretty much completely adjusted.
We got here on the night of Sept 15th. Unfortunately, the huge Ladakh Festival, which is held from Sept 1 to Sept 15 just ended!!! Also, the Dalai Lama had visited the region, and had just left on Sept. 7th. Our timing wasn't the best, but there is still plenty to do around here!
We visited the Women's Alliance Center, which gave us a good overview of this region, and its lifestyle, and the effects of "modernity" and "tourism" on this region. I wrote more about this in the previous blog.
We visited the Leh palace which was used way back when Ladakh was its own kingdom (not sure when). Pretty phenomenal place with a nice view perched atop a hill that overlooks the city.
We visited a couple of "Gompas". Gompas are monasteries.. where Buddhist monks live. It's interesting, because being a "monk" isn't something extremely rare. Before, about one boy in each family would become a monk.. it doesn't seem as prevalent anymore... but it still seems a part of the "lifestyle". We kept trying to go to the Gompa when something was happenning (a pooja, a lecture, a meal.. anything!)... but everytime we want, it ended up being a couple of monks wandering around... and us just going into the mandhir and doing "darshan".
The city of Leh is mostly Buddhist, but also has a Muslim population. From what I've seen and heard, I don't think there has ever been any kind of conflict. There are a couple of masjids in the city as well. The Hindu population is minimal.
There also is a huge army presence in Leh, and Ladakh in general. The army here isn't here for the India-Pakistan dispute... but is here for the disputed border region with the Chinese. The Chinese invaded in 1962, and ever since then, India has made sure that it wouldn't be caught off-guard again.
It's interesting to see their culture... because you see things that we normally consider "Chinese", and there are other things that we consider "Indian". For example, their food.. which we've had a great time enjoying. Their basic diet includes noodles, soups, etc... very Chinese like. But, it also includes roti, chaaval (rice), and subji (vegetables)... very Indian like. Most Tibetans and Ladakhis eat meat... due to the weather conditions they live in (cold, and dry) and that they don't really have alternate sources of protein that grow here. Here in Leh, they also have "Tibetan" food... which includes the famous "momo"... haha, Sampat and I tried some Veggie Momo.. and it was too bad. We tried it "steamed" once, and didn't really enjoy it, but when we had it "fried"... it was like "eggrolls".
Ladakh is a region within the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India. However, it's culture is much more similar to Tibetan culture (as it borders Tibetan China), and is often known as "Little Tibet". They also follow the Dalai Lama and "Tibetan" Buddhism. This "way of life" can also be found in Nepal and parts of Eastern India that border Tibetan China, like Sikkin. The people of Ladakh speak Ladakhi... and sometimes a little Hindi and/or English. For years, they were an isolated region surrounded by the Himalayas. The region is very dry, but they get the water for their farmlands from the streams that come down the Himalayas. They have a good system of channelling their water.
Here's a brief summary of the things we did in Leh (the largest city in Ladakh):
Leh is about 10000 feet above sea level (around there), so it takes awhile to get accustomed to the elevation. I woke up with a slight headache, so we kept it pretty light on the first day we got here. They suggest that for the first 24 hours that you get plenty of rest. I'm now pretty much completely adjusted.
We got here on the night of Sept 15th. Unfortunately, the huge Ladakh Festival, which is held from Sept 1 to Sept 15 just ended!!! Also, the Dalai Lama had visited the region, and had just left on Sept. 7th. Our timing wasn't the best, but there is still plenty to do around here!
We visited the Women's Alliance Center, which gave us a good overview of this region, and its lifestyle, and the effects of "modernity" and "tourism" on this region. I wrote more about this in the previous blog.
We visited the Leh palace which was used way back when Ladakh was its own kingdom (not sure when). Pretty phenomenal place with a nice view perched atop a hill that overlooks the city.
We visited a couple of "Gompas". Gompas are monasteries.. where Buddhist monks live. It's interesting, because being a "monk" isn't something extremely rare. Before, about one boy in each family would become a monk.. it doesn't seem as prevalent anymore... but it still seems a part of the "lifestyle". We kept trying to go to the Gompa when something was happenning (a pooja, a lecture, a meal.. anything!)... but everytime we want, it ended up being a couple of monks wandering around... and us just going into the mandhir and doing "darshan".
The city of Leh is mostly Buddhist, but also has a Muslim population. From what I've seen and heard, I don't think there has ever been any kind of conflict. There are a couple of masjids in the city as well. The Hindu population is minimal.
There also is a huge army presence in Leh, and Ladakh in general. The army here isn't here for the India-Pakistan dispute... but is here for the disputed border region with the Chinese. The Chinese invaded in 1962, and ever since then, India has made sure that it wouldn't be caught off-guard again.
It's interesting to see their culture... because you see things that we normally consider "Chinese", and there are other things that we consider "Indian". For example, their food.. which we've had a great time enjoying. Their basic diet includes noodles, soups, etc... very Chinese like. But, it also includes roti, chaaval (rice), and subji (vegetables)... very Indian like. Most Tibetans and Ladakhis eat meat... due to the weather conditions they live in (cold, and dry) and that they don't really have alternate sources of protein that grow here. Here in Leh, they also have "Tibetan" food... which includes the famous "momo"... haha, Sampat and I tried some Veggie Momo.. and it was too bad. We tried it "steamed" once, and didn't really enjoy it, but when we had it "fried"... it was like "eggrolls".
posted by Raj Kanani | 5:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home