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Current population

Some 290,000 people live in Ladakh, a population comparable to a medium-size European city, similar to that of Utrecht in The Netherlands, Bradford in England or Bialystok in Poland. Their ethnic roots are found in the Dards, the Tibetans and some other groups. The Dards are an Indo-Iranian group, but the Tibetans who migrated to the region during the 8th–10th centuries belong to Burmo-Mongolian stock. Other different groups from the south, west and north of Ladakh continually passed through the region over the centuries along old trading routes.

Ladakhi people are predominantly Buddhist, but Muslims (both Shia and Sunni) are an important part of the community too, forming the majority of the population in Kargil District, in the western part of the region. Hindus, Sikhs, Bonpo and Christians are also represented, although not in significant numbers.

Buddhism in Ladakh

The nature of Buddhism in Ladakh is closely enmeshed with the Vajrayana Buddhism of ancient Tibet. It has all the accoutrements that Tantra has brought to Tibetan Buddhism; some of its aspects can be traced far back to the Bon faith of the earliest periods of Tibetan history. Look in any Ladakhi gompa and you will be dazzled by the proliferation of Buddhist artistry and iconography. The sheer number of Buddha figures, bodhisattvas and idols, whether as paintings or statues, is astonishing. Even the most confirmed atheist will surely find something uplifting about Ladakh’s rich and colourful Buddhist heritage.