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Its landscape, sky, shooting, silence,
wizened faces, rosy cheeks, dragons and Zen everything makes Ladakh
a unique place to visit. This ethereal cold desert that goes by
names such as `The Last Shangrila`, Moonscape, Little Tibet and
so many others all of which ring true, is a land that seldom fails
to baffle or surprise.
The stark and rugged landscaped
is situated amidst multiple - hued mountains, some smooth enough
to rub your cheeks on, others scraggly as though termites have
had a go at them for breakfast ~ Ladakh is a land like no other.
Bounded by two of the wold`s mightiest mountain ranges, the Great
Himalaya and the Karakoram, it lies atwart two other, the Ladakh
range and the Zanskar range.
DAY
1 : Delhi - Leh (flight)
Arrive Leh, transfer to hotel. Overnight in hotel.
Afternoon walking tour of the city to get acclimatize. Ladakh
is far too kaleidoscopic to be dismissed with a string of platitudes.
Its people, even the meanest peasant, are imbued with a culture
handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.
Ladakh is the most interesting country to visit that one could
possible imagine. It fulfills almost all the expectations of the
traveler who is prepared to see it through his own eyes, to experience
it through his own emotions, to comprehend it through his own
sensibility.
DAY
2 Leh
Full
day sightseeing with guide and picnic lunch to SHEY, THIKSEY,
HEMIS.
SHEY:
Situated on a hillock 15km. Upstream from Leh was once the residence
of the royal family . According to tradition, it was the seat
of power of the Pre Tibetan kings. A 7.5 meter high copper statue
of Buddha, plated with gold, and the largest of its kind is installed
here.
THIKSE:
Spectacularly sighted, Thikse is one of the largest and architecturally
most impressive Gompa. There are several temples in this Gompa,
containing images stupas and wall paintings of Buddha which are
exquisite.
HEMIS:
It
is the wealthiest , best known and biggest Gompa of Ladakh. Its
popularity stems from the major annual festival held here in summer.
The festival is in honor of Guru Padma Sambhav's birth anniversary.
It also has the largest Thanka in Ladakh, which is unfurled once
in 12 years ( next in 2004 ). Hemis was built in 1630 during the
reign of Sengge Namgyal , an illustrious ruler of Ladakh. It flourished
under the Namgyal dynasty for the royalty favored for Drugkpa
Sect, which managed the monastery. It is divided into two, the
Assembly Hall on the right and the main temple on the left. The
hall, Dukhang, is also used as a ' Green room ' by the dancers
during the festival. The temple is known as Tshogkhang. The verandahs
have a surfeit of frescoes among them the Buddhist Wheel of Life
( Kalachakra ) and the Lord of the four quarters, besides rows
of prayer wheels.
DAY
3 : Leh - Khardungla - Leh (drive / 39 kms / 2 hrs)
DAY
4 : Leh - Tsomoriri (drive / 220 kms / 7 hrs)
Day
5 : Tsomorini - Tsokar lake - Leh (drive / 220 km / 7 hrs)
Day
6 Leh - Delhi (Flight)
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