Ladakh is located in the northern part of India just east of the Kashmir valley at an altitude varying between 9,000 to 25,000 feet sandwiched between the Zanskar an d Karakoram ranges.
One of the first thing that strikes you when entering the territory of Ladakh is the lush greenery of the valleys contrasting wildly with the surrounding red and brown barren mountains and the unearthly blue of the skies above. Ladakh is a land of caramel mountains ranges, rocky crags, towering snowy peaks, sandy plains and lush green fields lined by willows, dotted with whitewashed chortens and adobe brick houses, giant mountaintop monasteries and ever-fluttering multicolored prayer flags.
Its landscapes are forbidding by any measure. Snow-swathed mountains rise to several thousand feet above one of the most elevated plateux on earth. A treeless wind-swept country, much of Ladakh can be termed as a mountainous, arctic desert, where everything is parched by the rarefied dryness of the atmosphere. Scattered here and there, a few narrow fertile valleys provide a stark contrast to an otherwise barren, beautiful country of intense sunlight and clear sparkling air. The limpidity of the atmosphere, in fact gives the night sky a unique clarity, so full and bright with stars that one feels transported to some etheral setting far removed from earth. For endless years, before man had even discovered this remote land, several hardy animals and birds lived together here in an exquisite equilibrium. Circumstances have now changed as they have almost everywhere else on the subcontinent. Today, Ladakh's flora and fauna are threatened and protection is vital if the ancient ecosystems are to survive the trauma of modern man. Through the fabric of this account runs a strong statement, that the armed forces' possible contribution to conservation remains untapped. Harnessing this vital potential force may be the single most important conservation advance India could make in the battle to save what remains of its natural wealth.
Ladakh is gifted with high mountains, valleys, lakes beautiful ancient Buddhist monasteries on hill top and their resident (monks) chanting prayers, absolutely different culture, courtesy and the smiling faces of the Ladakhis is like an icing on the cake - adding further to its breathtaking landscapes. The charm of its landscape and people will force you to come here time and again. |
