ladakh
Ladakh is popularly known as “Little Tibet” "The land of High Passes", "The Land of Lamas", "The Broken Moon Land" and "The Last Shangri-La". Ladakh is situated in Jammu and Kashmir State and is surrounded by the world’s highest mountain ranges, Karakoram and Great Himalayas, and it lies transversely two others, the Ladakh range and the Zanskar range.Ladakh is an ancient kingdom in north - west India. Leh Valley lies at an altitude of about 3,500 metres and surrounding mountains rise to over 6,000 - 8000 meters. Ladakh is remote area which remains cut off from rest of India due to heavy snow on Leh – Manali Highway and Zojila pass on Srinagar – Leh Highway. Ladakh is high-altitude desert environment where water is very precious. Being Ladakh as dry, agriculture depends on water when snow melts, which flows towards the Indus River. Traditionally most Ladakhis were subsistence on farming, growing mainly barley and vegetables, or they were nomads tending goats and yaks.
The private sector, local business, local crafts, is small comprising mainly seasonal tourism - related activities. Ladakh is the 3rd province of Kashmir Valley with population of more than 3 Lakh. Majority of the population in Ladakh are predominantly Tibetans, Dards and Muslims (Both Shia and Sunni). In the year 1979 it was divided into Leh District and Kargil District.
Ladakh is known for its high Pass, Cold Weather, High altitude Lakes, Glaciers sand dunes & Culture. The vestiges of which still exists on its South - East plateau of Rupshu and Chushul - in drainage basins with evocative names like Tso-Moriri, Tso -kar and Pangong Lake. With Drass, Zanskar and the Suru Valley on the Himalayan's Northern flan.
Ladakh is a region of festivals, mostly due to being home to two of world major religions - Hindu and Buddhism. Among the most popular festivals include; Hemis Festival, Dosmoche Festival, Losar Festival, Sindhu Darshan Festival, Ladakh Festival, and Tak-Tok Festival. It is the highest settlement in India and is served by River Indus. Due to its high altitude, it is one of the last places in India that retains its natural beauty. It is home to Tsomoriri Lake which measures 28 km long with 7 - 8 km at the widest points. It is a paradise for wild animals and here you can spot cranes, wild ducks, and some other small birds and marmots. The area is dotted with monasteries and Pagodas and tourist can commune with the monks in such monasteries as Hemis Gompa, Thiksey Gompa and Shey Palace. Ladakh is arid but home to 225 species of birds such as finches, robins, redstarts and Hoopoe. It never ceases to amaze the tourists who venture this far up that the region could retain so much of its natural beauty. The unimaginable happens in Ladakh. Imagine how surprised you will be to see a lake at 4350 meters above the sea level. Well, Pangong Lake is the highest salt lake and it is situated high up in the Ladakh Mountains. Due to its high altitude and clear skies, the region has emerged as an important astronomy center. The Udaipur Solar Observatory and 2-Meter Himalayan Chandra Optical and Infrared Telescope are some of the Indian Astronomy studying facilities that are situated in Ladakh.