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History

The main aspects of the culture of Ladakh are its fascinating history and Buddhist heritage. For many centuries, its history has been inextricably connected with events on the Tibetan plateau, and culturally it has closer links with Tibet than with other parts of India. Ladakh existed as a separate kingdom for nine centuries, from the middle of the 10th to the 19th when the borders changed: a turbulent period, with the region as a buffer state between Muslim empires in the west and Buddhist Tibet in the east.

An autumn evening near Hanamur village (Treks 5 and 6): the moon is rising over the peak, which is lit by the warm rays of the setting sun

The Mon were probably the earliest inhabitants of Ladakh and Zanskar, possibly migrating by way of Manali before the third century BC. Another group, the Dards, also migrated into Ladakh; their descendants still live along the Indus River in the villages of Domkhar and Skurbuchan. They could have originated from Afghanistan or even have descended from the Aryans, who migrated to India from Eastern Europe. The adventurer AH Francke, who explored Ladakh in the early 20th century, discovered what he thought were royal graves close to modern-day Leh. The Dards worshipped fire, earth, sun, moon, water, animals and the like, similar to the Bon of early Tibet.