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Ladakh

AI-drafted · awaiting admin review

Union Territory · Capital: Leh

Key facts
TypeUnion Territory
CapitalLeh
Formed31 October 2019
Official languagesEnglish, Hindi, Urdu, Bhoti, Purgi
Population (Census 2011)2,74,289
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsAndhra PradeshArunachal PradeshAssamBiharChandigarhChhattisgarhDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuDelhiGoaGujaratHaryanaHimachal PradeshJammu and KashmirJharkhandKarnatakaKeralaLadakhLakshadweepMadhya PradeshMaharashtraManipurMeghalayaMizoramNagalandOdishaPuducherryPunjabRajasthanSikkimTamil NaduTelanganaTripuraUttar PradeshUttarakhandWest Bengal

Government of India position

The Union Territory of Ladakh includes Gilgit-Baltistan, which is under Pakistan's illegal occupation, and Aksai Chin, which is under China's illegal occupation. The Shaksgam valley was illegally ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963; India has never recognised this. The entire territory is an integral and inalienable part of India.

Known for

  • A high-altitude cold desert between the Karakoram and the Great Himalaya, crossed by the Indus
  • Buddhist monasteries (gompas) such as Hemis, Thiksey, Diskit and Lamayuru, and their masked Cham dances
  • High lakes such as Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri, and high passes such as Khardung La
  • Changthangi goats of the Changthang plateau, the source of fine pashmina wool
  • Apricots, barley and sea buckthorn grown in oasis villages watered by glacier streams
  • The Kargil War Memorial at Dras, honouring soldiers who fell in 1999
  • A Union Territory since 31 October 2019

Main sources of income

With a short farming season and a small population spread over a very large area, tourism and public services are the biggest sources of income.

  • Tourism: Adventure, trekking, monastery and lake tourism around Leh, Nubra, Pangong and Zanskar, supporting hotels, homestays, drivers and guides
  • Government and public services: Administration, defence-related work, roads and other public works employ a large share of people
  • Agriculture and horticulture: Barley, wheat, peas and vegetables in the short summer; apricots, apples and sea buckthorn
  • Animal husbandry: Pashmina goats, yaks, sheep and dzo (yak–cattle cross) raised by herders, especially the Changpa nomads
  • Handicrafts: Pashmina and wool weaving, carpets, wood carving, thangka painting and metalwork

Top 5 specialities

  1. Ladakh apricots: Apricots grown in Kargil and Leh districts and sold fresh and dried; the Raktsey Karpo variety of Ladakh has a GI tag
  2. Changthangi pashmina: Fine undercoat wool combed from goats of the Changthang plateau, the main income of Changpa herding families
  3. Sea buckthorn: A wild, hardy shrub whose orange berries are made into juice, jams and health products by local groups
  4. Woollen and craft products: Hand-knitted and woven woollens, carpets, wood carving and thangka paintings sold to visitors
  5. Homestay tourism: Village families host trekkers and visitors in their homes, adding income in remote areas

Best practices

  • Artificial glaciers and ice stupas: Ladakhi engineer Chewang Norphel built artificial glaciers that store winter stream water as ice for spring sowing, and engineer Sonam Wangchuk developed cone-shaped 'ice stupas' that work the same way.
  • Dry compost toilets: Traditional Ladakhi toilets use no water: soil and ash are added to waste, which becomes manure for the fields, saving scarce water.
  • Community homestays for conservation: In villages near snow leopard habitat, homestays run by local families give herders income from wildlife tourism, encouraging them to protect the animals.

Dance & performing arts

  • Cham (masked dance)
  • Jabro

Festivals

  • Hemis Tsechu
  • Losar
  • Sindhu Darshan
  • Ladakh Festival

Food

  • Thukpa
  • Skyu
  • Butter tea
  • Raktsey Karpo apricot (GI)

Crafts & heritage

  • Pashmina from Changthangi goats
  • Thangka painting
  • Buddhist chanting (UNESCO)

Top 5 problems in Ladakh

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More from Ladakh

Traditional recipes (13)

  • Ladakhi thukpa

    A warming noodle soup with mutton or vegetables, eaten through Ladakh's long, cold winters.

  • Thenthuk

    Hand-pulled flat noodle pieces cooked in a vegetable broth, a quick home meal of Ladakh.

  • Skyu

    Thumb-shaped wheat dough pieces cooked with root vegetables in a broth, often finished with milk.

  • Chhutagi

    Bow-shaped pieces of wheat dough cooked in a vegetable broth, a Ladakhi favourite for family meals.

  • Mok mok (Ladakhi momos)

    Steamed dumplings filled with spiced minced meat, served with soup and chilli sauce.

  • Tingmo

    Soft, folded steamed bread rolls eaten with meat curries and vegetable dishes.

  • Khambir

    A thick, round brown bread of whole wheat flour, baked on a griddle and eaten with butter tea at breakfast.

  • Paba

    A firm, nourishing dough of roasted barley and pea flours, eaten with tangtur (curd and greens) or curry.

  • Tangtur

    A cool, tangy mix of curd or buttermilk with chopped greens and vegetables, served with paba.

  • Gur gur cha (butter tea)

    Salted tea churned with butter and milk, drunk many times a day to keep warm at high altitude.

  • Kholak (ngamphe with butter tea)

    Roasted barley flour (ngamphe, or tsampa) kneaded with butter tea into a quick, filling dough.

  • Chhurpe (dried cheese)

    Cottage cheese from buttermilk, dried in the sun and wind until hard, chewed as a snack or added to dishes.

See all 13

Traditional dances (4)

  • Cham (masked monastery dance)

    Slow, solemn masked dances performed by monks in monastery courtyards at festivals such as Hemis Tsechu.

  • Jabro

    A lively folk dance of the Changpa nomads of the Changthang plateau, performed at Losar and other celebrations.

  • Shondol

    A graceful dance once performed for the kings of Ladakh, often called the royal dance of Ladakh.

  • Brokpa dance

    Dances of the Brokpa people of the Dah–Hanu villages, performed in flower-decked headdresses at their harvest festival.

Festivals and New Years (2)

  • Losar

    The Buddhist New Year of the Himalaya. In Ladakh it is celebrated in the eleventh month of the Tibetan calendar (December–January), earlier than elsewhere; Buddhist communities of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh also mark Losar.

  • Hemis Festival

    A two-day festival at Hemis Monastery marking the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. Monks perform the masked Cham dances in the courtyard.

Pilgrimages and sacred places (1)

Famous places (7)

  • Pangong Tso

    A long, narrow high-altitude lake whose waters change from blue to green to grey with the light.

  • Hemis Monastery

    One of the largest and wealthiest monasteries of Ladakh, known for its summer festival of masked dances.

  • Thiksey Monastery

    A hilltop monastery of tiered white buildings, often compared to the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

  • Nubra Valley

    A wide valley of the Shyok and Nubra rivers, with sand dunes, double-humped camels and old monasteries, reached over Khardung La.

  • Leh Palace

    The nine-storey former royal palace of the Namgyal kings, overlooking the old town of Leh.

  • Tso Moriri

    A remote high-altitude lake in the Changthang region, a wetland of international importance and a breeding ground for rare birds.

  • Kargil War Memorial, Dras

    A memorial at Dras to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the Kargil War of 1999 (Operation Vijay).

Heritage (1)

Sources