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 Leh, headquarter of Leh District is the largest town of the region. It is located to
the north of the Indus River at an elevation of 3600m above the
sea level. The town is dominated by the Namgyal Tsemo (victory
peak) built by King Tashi Namgyal in 16th century, as a royal
residence and the nine-storey Namgyal Palace built by King
Sengge Namgyal on his victory in reunification of the Upper and
Lower Ladakh in 17 century. Leh became the capital of Stod
(upper Ladakh) during the reign of King Graspa Bum- Lde, who
ruled Ladakh from 1400 to 1430 AD. In the later period, Leh
became an important center for trade in Central Asia, along the
Indus Valley between Tibet to the east, Kashmir to the west and
ultimately between India and China.
Sightseeing in Leh Ladakh
Sankar Gompa
This is small but more interesting place to visit than the Leh
Gompa and can easily be visited on foot. The Sankar Gompa is an
under Gompa of Spitok Gompa. At the most only 20 monks live here
and few are permanently in residence although the monastery
itself is fairly active. Thus the Gompa is only open to the
public from 7.00 am to 10.00 am and from 5.00 to 7.00 pm. It is,
however, well lit, so an evening visit is worthwhile. At these
times the monks will welcome the visitors and may offer one yak
butter tea, 'Tsampa' and boiled and spiced mustard plant.
Leh Palace
The old palace of the kings of Ladakh overlooks the town from
the southwest slope of the Tsemo hill. It has eight storeys and
was built by King Sengge Namgyal in the 16th century, at much
the same time as the famed Potala of Lhasa - which it resembles.
The damage to the palace, one side is gaping open, stems from
the Kashmiri invasions of the last century. Like the Shey palace
the Leh palace still belongs to the Ladakhi royal family, who
now live in their palace in Stok.
Chamba Temple
One place definitely worth walking through the putrid smelling
puddles to visit, however, is the Chamba temple. It's not easy
to find on your own; ask at the second row of shops on the left
after the big arch for the key keeper (gonyer), who will show
you the way. Hemmed in by dilapidated medieval mansions, the one
roomed shrine houses a colossal image of Maitreya, the Buddha to
come, and some wonderful old wall paintings.
Leh Gompa
The Leh Gompa stands high above the palace and also overlooks
the ruins of the older palace of the King of Tagpebums. The Red
Gompa also known as Namgyal Tsemo Gompa was built in 1430 by
King Gvags-Pa-Bum-Ide and has a fine three-storey high seated
Buddha figure flanked by Avalokitesvara on the right and
Manjushri on the left. In all there are three Gompas at the top
of the hill, the topmost one is in a very ruined condition but
offers extremely fine views over Leh and the surrounding
countryside. To the right of the palace one can see a Buddha
painted on the rocks, a remnant of an earlier monastery.
Other Leh Gompas
There are a number of lesser Gompas in the old town of Leh -
such as the Guru Lakhang to the left of the palace, beneath the
large Chorten. The Chamba Lakhang, south of the palace, and the
Chenrezig Lakhang, to the southeast, are similarly less famous
since they contain little of interest compared to other more
splendid Gompas around Leh. In the centre of Leh the Buddhist
association of Ladakh in 1957 built the new monastery or Gompa
Soma or Jokhang. It contains an image of the Buddha Sakyamuni
that was brought form Tibet. Meetings of the Buddhist
association are held in this monastery.
Leh Fort
The Leh fort, built by Zorawar Singh, contains three temples but
cannot be visited because it is within the military camp area.
The Bazaar And Old Town |
