October 2, 2007

Brown Mountains, Blue Sky

Ladakh is well known for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhist culture. Ladakh is inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. Ladakhi culture is similar to Tibetan culture. A majority of Ladakhis are Tibetan Buddhists, while the majority of the remainder are Shia Muslims. There is a very small percentage of followers of the Bon religion, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity. Ladakhis have a distinct religious and cultural difference from the rest of the inhabitants of the State of Jammu & Kashmir and for that reason, have also recently called for Ladakh to be constituted as a union territory of India.

Vegetation is quite sparse in Ladakh except along streambeds and wetlands. Some vegetation is also found on high slopes that receive more snow, and in irrigated places, for eg., the Leh Valley. Leh, the capital of the Himalayan Ladakh region, is at an altitude of 3,650 metres (11,975 feet).

Here are a few pictures of the mostly barren and gray-brown landscape of the Leh, Ladakh region:












13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Splendid pictures:) I'm on my way to rediscover your blogs!

Crazy Me said...

Wonderful photos.

Keshi said...

here I am wondering how different and quiet some other parts of the world r compared to the city I live in! WOW nice shots!


Keshi.

Pijush said...

Another set of interesting photos. This place is awesome, so as your capture. Wonderful.

indicaspecies said...

priyank: Thank you. Hope the last postings of September did not dispirit you.

crazy me: Thank you.

keshi: Thank you. It's calm, peaceful and an out-of-this-world kinda experience at those mountains.

pijush: Thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

WoW...some really STUNNING shots. Ladakh is one of my favourite places & you have captured this place beautifully...EXCELLENT!

Trée said...

Strange as it may sound, those pics look so peaceful, a place with the voice of wind and the kiss of sun, a place where one could be friends with one's thoughts. Celine, thanks for sharing and thanks for the very kind words. Much appreciated. :-)

soumya mukerji said...

Breathtaking! Your shots sure know how to capture beauty beautifully.

indicaspecies said...

kalyan: Thanks. A compliment from you means much to me.

trée: Thank you for the beautiful words. Sounds poetic. And you are absolutely right.

soumya mukerji: Welcome, and thanks very much.

Lakshmi said...

great pictures..oh my ! I love the ones with the ponies ..btw, where are they headed ?

indicaspecies said...

backpakker: Thank you. I love those pictures too. They are heading towards the Jing Chan trekking area carrying the paraphernalia of the trekkers. I explored right up to the trekkers lodge there.

My Unfinished Life said...

nice pics...mean to go visit ladakh soon..................

indicaspecies said...

shooting star: Thank you very much. Do visit Ladakh. It's an awesome place. I shall be posting more pictures in days to come.