| LADAKH
is a mysterious land shrouded in myth and legend. Much of
its ancient history is known only through the mythology of
its people as its written history is of very recent origin.
Known for centuries as the 'land of passes' (La-pass;
Dakh-land), Ladakh was described by Fa-hian, who
travelled across its inhospitable terrain in 399 A.D., as
'The land where snow never melts and only corn ripens'.
A thousand years ago before the control of Tibets rule, Raja
Skitde Nemagon, ruled over Ladakh which was known as
Muryul (Red Country), as most of the mountains and the
soil in Ladakh wears a red tinge. In the 10th Century A.D
Skitday Nemagon, along with a couple of hundred men, invaded
Ladakh where there was no central authority. The Land was
divided in small principalities, which were at war with each
other. Nemagon defeated all of them and established a strong
central authority. Those days Shey, was the capital of
Ladakh became to be known as Nariskorsoom, a country of
three provinces. The present Ladakh was divided into two
provinces while the third comprised western Tibet. The area
of western Tibet slipped away from the kingdom but was
reunited in 16th Century A.D. by the famous Ladakhi ruler
Sengge Namgyal.
During V to XV centuries, Ladakh was an
independent kingdom assigned to Tibet. Little by little, due
to tensions among local kings and the pressure of China over
the Tibet, the relationship got worse. The ancient
inhabitants of Ladakh were Dards, and Indo-Aryan race from
down the Indus. But immigration from Tibet more than a
thousand years ago largely overwhelmed the culture of the
Dards and moped up their racial characters. In eastern and
central Ladakh, todays population seems to be mostly of
Tibet origin.
Buddhism reached Tibet from India via Ladakh. The area
was the stronghold of Budhism before Islam reached Ladakh.
The dependence of Kashmir was greater and
greater until Ladakh, comprising the areas of present Leh
and Kargil districts, became part of the independent India
in 1948. In 1979 when the reorganisation of the districts
was carried out, the Ladakh district was divided into two
full fledged of Leh and Kargil. In the present day it
comprises the 60% of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, but has
an independent and own culture assured by the mountainous
borders that separate Ladakh from the rest of India. In
1995, the ladakhians created in its region the Autonomous
Development Council. This way, Ladakh has an autonomous
organization that will try to improve the economical and
social development of the region, marked by climate and
tradition. For the last two decades, Ladakh has been
increasingly exposed to modern influences, brought on
largely by tourism and 'development'. Find Ladakh
History, Leh, Kargil, Ladakh History Information, Information
About Ladakh, History Guide Ladakh, History Leh Ladakh, Ladakh
Tourism, Leh Ladakh Tourism, Ladakh Adventure Tourism, Ladakh
Tourism Guide, Ladakh India Tourism, India Ladakh Tourism
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