If you ask any person, you would get the response that the best time to visit this extremely beautiful cold desert region of our country is during summer or Autumn and that’s absolutely true, but Ladakh in winter is a digital detoxification trip where time and space bear no relevance. A million emotions erupted as I stood admiring the Frozen Ladakh's incredible beauty.
Unlike other hill towns, Ladakh is not geared up with amenities to have comfortable winters. But it is the time when you get to see the genuine beauty of the roof of the world. The only way to enjoy this beauty is to acclimatize to the local culture and habits as fast as you can.
We came to this extreme cold region of our country in February to experience the heavenly Chadar trek through frozen Zanskar River and we didn’t really have any plan to roam around Leh. Since we couldn’t reach Tibb and had to return from Tilad Sumdo, we got three days extra to plan something. Few of us rescheduled their flights and flew back to their cities but my incorrigible curiosity kept nagging me to explore this place some more. We started our journey from Shingra at 10 AM and we reached Leh around 5 PM on 10th February. We checked few hotels in the evening but stayed at Bimla (where we stayed first two days) for that night.
11th February 2017
We didn’t have any concrete plan today for sightseeing and we also had to take a decision that we would continue in Bimla Hotel or check in some other hotels as the facilities in Bimla Hotel was not that good and other group of trekkers are also there, so accommodating everyone in that hotel would be difficult.
We checked few hotels after having breakfast and we decided to move to Hotel Tso Kar which is a pretty nice. Our initial plan was the local sightseeing but finding a descent hotel and move our luggage took lot of time.
We hired a car from Leh taxi stand around 2:30 PM and our plan was to visit Hemis and Thiksey Monastery. Hemis Monastery is 47 km from Leh on the west bank of the Indus. This monastery belongs to Dugpa Kargyutpa order, built on a green hillside surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery, is hidden in a gorge. It is the biggest and richest monastery in Ladakh. There are to be seen a copper-gilt statue of the Lord Buddha, various stupas made of gold and silver, sacred thankas and many objects within the monastery.
The monastery was founded by the 1st incarnation of Stagsang Raspa Nawang Gyatso in 1630, which was invited to Ladakh by the king Singay Namgial and offered him a religious estate throughout the region.
A pleasant 3 Km walk, on the side of the mountain above the monastery there is a sacred hermitage founded by the great Gyalwa Kotsang. This Kotsang is an old hermitage, which was founded many years before the Hemis Monastery. Though we didn’t stay in the monastery but a stay in Hemis overnight enables you to attend early morning prayers, an enthralling experience and strongly recommended.
Our next destination was Thiksey Monastery. Thiksey is the most beautiful of all monasteries I have ever seen in Ladakh. The view of the vast landscape from the top of the Thiksey Monastery is just astounding. The white blanket of snow all over the landscape and sunset in the backdrop is just an amazing gift for any photographer.
Thiksey Monastery belongs to the Gelukpa order. The Gonpa was first build at Stakmo by Changsem Sherab Zangpo of Stod. Later the nephew of Sherab Zangpo, Spon Paldan Sherab, founded the Thiksay Gonpa on a hilltop to north of Indus river in 1430 AD. There are many sacred shrines and precious objects to be seen. We have spent almost 2 hours in the monastery, learning the history of Ladakh and these monasteries from a monk. It was a great day for us, spending quality time in two ancient monasteries in Ladakh. Our plan for the next day was to visit Khardung La pass.
12th February 2017
We started early today, around 8 AM for Khardung La. Leh is at an elevation of approx. 11,500 feet and Khardung La is at 18,500 feet. The distance between the two places is just 40 kms. So, you gain an immense amount of altitude in a very short span of time - the fastest way to get altitude sickness! Each one of us popped a Diamox (alt sickness med) and crossed our fingers. The view is breathtaking, and the air just keep getting thinner and thinner. The roads are decent till South Pullu, but after that it’s the highway to hell.
We were here to experience the hospitality of the army of our nation and listen the stories of their ‘war with nature’ in this remote place. Khardung La is supposedly the highest motorable pass (sure felt like it!), but someone mentioned that Tibet has a higher one. The Rinchee cafetaria there almost cured us with hot black tea and Maggi that tastes so good, it brought us back to life.
One army personnel showed us their bunkers and told many stories about their survival in this extreme cold region of the country. The pride came from the core of our heart to have such gentlemen for our protection, who are fighting the enemy to protect our country, in such a place where we couldn’t even breathe properly.
We came back to Leh around 1:30 PM and had delicious Tibetan food at Amdo Café. Pritesh had some connections with one of the administrative personnel of Secmol School who confirmed that the great scientist Dr. Sonam Wangchuk is in town and he made an appointment with him in the afternoon at the ice stupa, the greatest creation by the scientist. We were so excited that we were hurried back to our vehicle once Pritesh confirmed the appointment.
We met him at the ice stupa around 4:30 PM. The man with the vision, Sonam Wangchuk is actually the real Phungshuk Wangdu, the character played by Amir Khan in the movie ‘Three Idiots’. He is not only the great scientist; he is a great teacher too. Physics seem to be very easy when he described the concept of his current project ‘ice stupa (artificial glacier)’. “I would have told you if you are in your city, but here, the stupa is in front of you, go and check the structure and let me know what you understand” – he told when he was asked questions about the structure of the stupa, and we realized that we are fortunate enough to meet a great teacher.
Most villages face acute water shortage, particularly during the two crucial months of April and May when there is little water in the streams and all the villagers compete to water their newly planted crops. By mid-June there is an excess of water and even flash flooding due to the fast melting of the snow and glaciers in the mountains. By mid-September all farming activities end, and yet a smaller stream flows throughout the winter steadily but wastefully going into the Indus River without being of use to anybody.
The problem is getting worse with time as Himalayan glaciers are disappearing due to global warming and local pollution. The scientist came up with a solution for this. “The idea behind artificial glaciers is to freeze and hold the water that keeps flowing and wasting away down the streams and into the rivers throughout the winter. Instead, this ice will melt in the springtime, just when the fields need watering. The concept of artificial glaciers is not new to Ladakh. “Our ancestors used to have a process of ‘grafting glaciers' in the very high reaches of mountains. In recent years, one of our senior engineers Mr. Norphel, has been working on a similar idea for water conservation. However, since these are based on horizontal ice formation, they need very high altitude locations (above 4,000m), constant maintenance and a north-facing valley to shade the ice from the spring sun” – Sonam said. Seeing these problems and after discussions with Mr. Norphel, Sonam Wangchuk started working on a new approach in which the glaciers would be free of location, frequent maintenance and shading requirement etc. In the new model, this is achieved by freezing the stream water vertically in the form of huge ice towers or cones of 30 to 50m height that look very similar to the local sacred mud structures called Stupa or Chorten.
These ice mountains can be built right next to the village itself where the water is needed. Very little effort or investment would be needed except for laying one underground pipeline from a higher point on the stream to the outskirts of the village. Normally the head difference is easily 100m over a distance of roughly one to three kilometres.” It was a great day for us. We were roaming around and experiencing the winter Ladakh and the icing on the cake was to get a chance to meet a great personality.
13th February 2017
Today’s plan was to visit the moon land in Ladakh. Lamayuru is a small village in Ladakh, midway between Kargil and Leh on NH1-D, the Srinagar-Leh highway. Moonlike landscapes carved into the Greater Himalayas are its claim to fame. The journey to Lamayuru was enthralling. Lamayuru is roughly 115 km from Leh, right after Fotu la, the highest pass on the Srinagar Leh highway. The roads on Fotu la are in an excellent condition and it was a pleasure to drive through this pass.
Mountains always surprise them who loves to be in mountains. We missed the big frozen waterfall in Nerak, felt heartbroken as we couldn’t finish the chadar trek, but we have seen one similar big frozen waterfall on our way to Lamayuru and the sight of the waterfall was just fascinating.
Lamayuru is a Buddhist village with around 242 houses. The houses here are generally made out of mud and have prayer flags around in the compound and terraces. The significance of the prayer flags is to show one’s belief in Buddhism and its teachings. The village has a certain charm about being one of the oldest settlements in Ladakh.
The most famous attraction in Lamayuru is the monastery which was founded in the 11th century by Naropa. Other than the monastery one can explore the village and the places around it on foot. The Lamayuru or Yuru monastery as it is often called is also one of the oldest and largest monasteries in the whole of Ladakh. The word Lamayuru means eternal in the Tibetian language and hence the monastery is known as the eternal one.
Every year during the second and fifth month of the lunar Buddhist calendar the monks perform an annual mask festival. The monks perform dances with colourful robes, masks and musical instrument that depict ancient Buddhist history and mythology. Lamayuru is a must visit if you are planning your trip to Ladakh. The enchanting sight of the monastery surrounded by the small village consists of few small houses made out by mud made us fall in love with the place instantly.
14th February 2017
Valentine’s Day in Leh was indeed a unique experience. Kids wearing red on the white snowy carpet was an unbelievable sight. We visited Shanti stupa and Leh Palace, then we were having some lazy time strolling around the Leh market and the nearby places.
The Shanti Stupa is said to be the most famous tourist attraction around Leh, though its architectural style is different from the traditional Ladakhi style. The Shanti Stupa overlooks the city of Leh, providing panoramic views of the city, the village of Changspa, Namgyal Tsemo in the distance and the surrounding mountains. The beautiful positioning of this stupa provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.
This has become a primary reason for Shanti Stupa to become a tourist attraction, apart from its religious significance. The Shanti Stupa was built by both Japanese Buddhists and Ladakh Buddhists. The original idea to build it was stated in 1914 as part of Nichidatsu Fujii’s mission to build Peace Pagodas and temples over the world and try to resurrect Buddhism back in India.
It was in 1983, when the actual construction of the Shanti Stupa began under the supervision of Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura, a Japanese Buddhist and Kushok Bakula, a lama of Ladakh from New Delhi. Ladakhi and Japanese Buddhists offered voluntary labour to construct this monument. In 1984, Indira Gandhi, (the Prime Minister of India during the time), sanctioned the construction of a road to the stupa. In 1991, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th and current Dalai Lama, inaugurated the Shanti Stupa. Another attraction in Leh is the Leh Palace. This nine-storey dun-coloured edifice is Leh's dominant structure and architectural icon. It took shape under 17th-century king Singge Namgyal but has been essentially unoccupied since the Ladakhi royals were stripped of power and shuffled off to Stok in 1846.
Today the sturdy walls enclose some exhibition spaces and a small prayer room, but the most enjoyable part of a visit is venturing to the uppermost rooftops for the view. This grand royal palace overlooking the Namgyal hill lying atop the old Leh city seated in the midst of beautiful landscapes and mountain ranges has managed to retain its mystique. It has become a popular tourist destination in Leh apart from being an important hub of Buddhist culture and religion. It not only provides spectacular views but also let one walk through the rich past. A statue of Lord Buddha is seated inside the monastery of the palace. Old pictures and paintings are displayed in the exhibition halls of the palace that include Tibetan thangka or sooth paintings showcasing fine designs. These paintings that are over 450 years old were created using colours derived from powdered stones and gems and till date amaze all with their rich and vivid appearance. The palace is also a house to a rich collection of crowns, ceremonial dresses and jewellery among others. The palace looks even more ravishing on a full moon night raising the mystic charm. The time to visit the Leh palace is 7 AM to 4 PM.
After visiting the two most attracted possession of Ladakh, we had an awesome lunch at Red Sauce, which is in Leh market. The food was delicious, and you must try this restaurant if you are in this beautiful place. Another mind-blowing café in Leh market is Neha Snacks where we used to have our breakfast.
15th February 2017
Dream came to an end and we had to fly back to our daily routine. It was hard to leave this beautiful place. I have been in many places, but this is the place which I never wanted to leave. These two weeks in Ladakh was remarkable memorabilia of my life.
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