Namgyal Chortens near Shey.

Namgyal Chortens near Shey., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Hundreds of crumbling chortens dot the landscape in Ladakh, the largest array is to be found in the desert east of Shey, the former capital of the Namgyal Kings who ruled Ladakh from the mid 1500's to the late 1800's

These Chortens are the Tibetan equivalent of the North Indian stupas & Chattris in Rajasthan - large hemispherical burial mounds-cum-devotional objects, prominent in Buddhist ritual since the third century BC. Made of mud and stone (now also concrete), many chortens were erected as acts of piety and remembrances by Ladakhi nobles

Some contain sacred manuscripts that, like the chortens, wither and decay in time, illustrating the central Buddhist doctrine of impermanence.

It is customary to pass a chorten in a clockwise direction: the ritual of circumambulation mimics the passage of the planets through the heavens, and is believed to ward off evil spirits.

A short way downhill from the big chorten, near the radio station, stands an even more monumental symbol of devotion. The 500-metre Mani Ringmo ( A wall made of up discarded Mani Stones), erected by King Deldan Namgyal in 1635 for his father Senge Namgyal one of the most successful of the dynasty who is still revered as he built many important monasteries (Hemis,Stakna and Chemre) & also built the Leh Palace.

Mani Ringmo
Ranging from a couple of meters to over a kilometer in length, these walls are made of hundreds of thousands of stones, each inscribed with prayers or sacred mantras - usually the invocation Om Mani Padme Hum: "Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus". They are hand carved and then discarded no matter how fine the carving again to show the impermanence of things and the curtailment of desire.

Such stones should never be removed and visitors should resist the urge to climb onto the walls to have photographs taken.

Alpenglow on Kang Yatze

Alpenglow on Kang Yatze, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Sunset on the north face of Kang Yatze (6,400 mtrs) one of the highest peaks in the Zanskar Ranges rising above the idyllic Nimaling Plains in the Markha Valley, Ladakh, India.

Along with Stok Kangri , Kang Yatze is also one of the more popular trekking peaks in the region and as it offers little technical difficulty its quite popular destination for both experienced trekkers and amateur mountaineers. Lately a lot of ski touring parties have made merry on these long gently undulating slopes

The first ascent of Kang Yatze I was made in 1982 by an Irish Team led by Trever Mitten who climbed the East Ridge to the top.

Kang Yatze II was first climbed in 1981 by a team from Nanzan Alpine Club, Japan led by Seigo Inaba. They tackled the north west ridge to the top.

Zanskar Landscape

Zanskar Landscape, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Constantly shifting Cloud Shadows reveal the Myriad colors of the Zanskar Valley as a half frozen Zanskar River meanders by..

Across The Changthang 2

A group of Bactrian camels across the Changthang.

These twin humped camels of the domesticated variety are found all over the Changthang and also in Ladakh from Nubra Valley onwards.

They are different then their wild cousins who are now only found in the Gobi Desert and less than 700 are said to be alive making them one of the most endangered species in the world.
The wild Bactrian camel has a special place in evolutionary history. The herds remaining in China and Mongolia are the remnants of herds which crossed from North America on the Bering Strait land bridge 3-4 million years ago. Some Bactrian camels were domesticated 4,000 years ago, but the wild Bactrian camels in the Gashun Gobi (Lop Nur) area, and Mongolia avoided domestication and are now genetically different from the domestic Bactrian camels. Moreover, research has shown that in their embryonic stage, one-humped camels have a small second hump that does not develop further. This suggests that the ancestors of all camels on earth looked like the wild Bactrian camels of today.

The Bactrian (two-humped) camel is adapted to arid plains and hills where water sources are few and vegetation is sparse. Shrubs constitute its main source of food. Herds of these wild camels move widely, their distribution being linked to water. The animals tend to concentrate in and around mountains, because most springs are there and snow on the slopes may provide the only moisture in winter. Concentrations of up to 100 camels occur near the mountains, but most herds contain 2 - 15 members



Wild and domestic Bactrian camels readily interbreed, but physically they are quite different. The wild camels have a sandy, gray-brown rather than a predominantly dark brown coat; and their body form is small and slender, rather than large and bulky like that of the domestic Bactrian camel (The Mongolians call the wild camel "havtagai", which means "flat."). The most important difference, however, is in the humps. The humps of a wild camel are small and pyramid-shaped, with a round base and a pointed end. The humps of a domestic camel are distinctively large and irregular.

*** Approximately 2.5 million domestic Bactrian camels occur in Central Asia

In recent years scientists have been taking keen interest in this species to study their biological and evolutionary make up as they survive in the most harshest of terrains, where there is little or no water, are not effected by viruses like other 4 hoofed species and often are not susceptible to extreme temperature differences. In Winter when there is no water these camels survive by eating snow along with the shrubs they can dig up given their cloven hooves

Mystical Light in Zanskar

Mystical Light in Zanskar, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The Old Zangla Castle, Zanskar Ladakh

.The old castle now in ruins except for a small chapel and nearby nunnery , it sits on a precarious aerie overlooking the valley below and offers some spectacular views on the surrounding countryside. Sometimes it seems that it has become as much a part of the rocks on which it stands. (there are around 34 Chortens around this castle spread all over the route to the top)

Until 1989, Zangla had its own ruler but for more than a century prior to that the king had held only a nominal title, his lineage was traced back to when the royal lineage in Zanskar was split. One side of the family ruled from Padum(the old capital some 35 kms away), and the other from Zangla

Both factions were able to reach an accord which allowed the King of Zangla to retain a nominal rule over the nearby villages of Honia and Chazar, and the villages of Hanumil, Pidmu and Pishu on the far side of the valley.

The head monk at Spitok is related to this family, and also administrators the Zangla monastery, which is situated in the nearby village of Tsa-zar & houses some exquisite frescos dating from the 16th century and some refurbished in the 18th century . The monastery is run my monks of the Gelugpa sect. This village lies mid-way between Thongde (Stongdey) and Zangla.