Leh Travel Guide
Start Point for Treks in Ladakh
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Leh is the capital of Leh District in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The town is still dominated by the now ruined Leh Palace, former home of the royal family of Ladakh. The palace was built in the 17th century was the home of the royal family until they were exiled to Stok in the 1830s. Above the palace, at the top of the Namgyal hill, is the Victory Tower, built to commemorate Ladakh's victory over the Balti Kashmir armies in the early 16th century.
The Namgyal Tsemo Gompa was built in 1430 and contains a three-story high Buddha image and ancient manuscripts and frescoes. The views of Leh from here are stunningly beautiful. The Sankar gompa, located about 2kn north of the town belongs to the Gelukpa order and has an impressive impression of the Buddhist deity Avalokiteshwara Padmahari or Chenresig, with 1,000 arms and an equal number of heads. The Shanti Stupa was opened by the Dalai Lama in 1985. From the top there are fantastic views of the area.
Leh became the regional capital in the 17th century, when King Sengge Namgyal came to the town and built the royal palace, known as Leh Palace. The palace was later abandoned when Kashmiri forces besieged it in the mid-19th century and the royal family moved south to their current home in Stok Palace on the southern bank of the Indus.
Leh was an important stopover on trade routes along the Indus Valley between Tibet to the east, Kashmir to the west and ultimately between India and China. The town blossomed into one of the busiest markets on the Silk Route however its prosperity came to an abrupt end with the closure of the Chinese border in the 1950s.
Today Leh is the start point for treks in Ladakh, and sees many adventurers head of by 4WD to Spiti and Lahaul.
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