Cham dance during Dosmoche festival in Leh Palace DSCN5692 1

The culture of Ladakh refers to the traditional customs, belief systems, and political systems that are followed by

Ladakhi people Ladakhis or Ladakhi people or Ladakspa are an ethnic group and first-language speakers of the Ladakhi language living in the Ladakh region in the northernmost part of India. History Culture Religion References

Ladakh Ethnic gro ...

in India. The languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food, and customs of the Ladakh region are similar to neighboring Tibet. Ladakhi is the traditional language of Ladakh. The popular dances in Ladakh include the khatok chenmo, cham, etc. The people of Ladakh also celebrate several festivals throughout the year, some of the most famous are Hemis Tsechu and

Losar Losar (; "new year"William D. Crump, "Losar" in ''Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide'' (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237-38.) also known as Tibetan New Year, is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. The holiday is celebrated on various d ...

Background

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

is the northmost part of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Ladakh shares a border with

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

to the east, the Indian state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

and the union territory of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

to the south, and

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

to the west. It extends from the

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about , just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Kar ...

in the Karakoram range jn the north to the Great Himalayas to the south. Formerly, it was a part of the Indian

state of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir was a region formerly administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019, constituting the southern and southeastern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India, Pakistan and ...

, but after the

Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act (2019) The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 is an act of the parliament of India containing provisions to reconstitute the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Indian-administered union territories (UTs) called Jammu an ...

, it was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and was converted to a Union Territory. Parts of Ladakh have been the subject of dispute between India,

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

since 1947. Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China." Ladakh incorporates parts of the Himalayan and

Karakoram The Karakoram is a mountain range in Kashmir region spanning the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the ...

mountain ranges and the upper

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

valley. It is the only cold desert in India. Its

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

is barren and population sparse inhabited along the river banks of different valleys namely Indus,

Nubra Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan name ...

Changthang The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang or Qangtang) is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India, with vast highlands and g ...

, and

Zanskar Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum (former Capital of Zanskar). Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was brief ...

. Women in Ladakh enjoy high status in comparison to rest of the nation, especially rural areas. Ladakh's

languages Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

, religions, dance,

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

, architecture, food, and customs are similar to neighboring

Language

The

Ladakhi language The Ladakhi language is a Tibetic language spoken in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is the predominant language in the Buddhist-dominated district of Leh. Though a member of the Tibetic family, Ladakhi is not mutually intelligible wi ...

is a Tibetic language spoken in Ladakh, which is also called Bhoti or Bodhi. As per the 2011 census, approximately 110,826 people speak Ladakhi. Ladakhi has absorbed words from the

silk route The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...

trade. It is usually written using

Tibetan script The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system (''abugida'') of Brahmic scripts, Indic origin used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese language, Sikkimese, Ladakhi language, Ladakhi, Jire ...

with the pronunciation of Ladakhi being much closer to written

Classical Tibetan Classical Tibetan refers to the language of any text written in Tibetic after the Old Tibetan period. Though it extends from the 12th century until the modern day, it particularly refers to the language of early canonical texts translated from oth ...

Music

The traditional music of Ladakh includes instruments like linyu (flute), damnyan (stringed instrument) pivang, khakong, (sitar) daph (dafli) daman, surna, and piwang (

shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end. The popular dances in Ladakh include the ''Khatok Chenmo'' which is headed by a respectable family member, ''Shondol'', Some other dance forms include ''Kompa Tsum-tsak'' ''Jabro'' ''

Chaams Chaams (born 17 July 1970) is an Indian actor and comedian who has appeared in Tamil language films. His birth name is Swaminathan. He has predominantly appeared in supporting roles, notably in Crazy Mohan dramas and playing one of the several ...

'': ''Chabs-Skyan Tses'' ''Raldi Tses'' and ''Alley Yaato''. The music of Ladakhi monastic festivals, like various forms of

Tibetan music The music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region centered in Tibet, but also known wherever ethnic Tibetan groups are found in Nepal, Bhutan, India and further abroad. The religious music of Tibet reflects the pr ...

, often involves

chanting A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...

as an integral part of the religion. Traditionally, 360 variants of dances existed in the early times, but today only a few are preserved. These chants are complex, often recitations of sacred texts and manuscripts or in celebration of different festivals. Some forms of dance narrate the story of the fight between good and evil, ending with the eventual victory of the former.

Cuisine

Ladakhi food is much common as Tibetan food, the most prominent dishes being ''

thukpa Thukpa (Tibetan: ཐུག་པ ; ne, थुक्पा; IPA: /tʰu(k̚)ˀ˥˥.pə˥˥/ ) is a Nepali and Tibetan noodle soup, which originated in the eastern part of Tibet. ''Amdo thukpa'' (especially ''thenthuk'') is a famous variant among ...

,'' a type of noodle soup and ''

tsampa Tsampa or Tsamba (; ) is a Tibetan and Himalayan staple foodstuff, particularly prominent in the central part of the region. It is glutinous meal made from roasted flour, usually barley flour and sometimes also wheat flour. It is usually mixed ...

'', known in Ladakhi as ''ngampe,'' which is a type of roasted barley flour. Strictly Ladakhi dishes include ''skyu'' and ''chutagi'', both heavy and rich soup pasta dishes, ''skyu'' being made with root vegetables and meat, and ''chutagi'' with leafy greens and vegetables. As Ladakh tourism and modernization increased in Ladakh, foods from the plains of India are becoming more common.

Festivals and events

Ladakh has several festivals throughout the year, including Hemis Tsechu and

. Ladakh's festivals comprise mask dances performed by people, games such as camel races, river rafting and archery, regional music and dance performances, thangka exhibitions, etc. People of Ladakh also celebrate several festivals throughout the year, some of the most famous ones are Hemis Tsechu and Saka Dawa. A lot of their time is also spent in making stone jewellery, woolen clothes, and mural paintings on the walls of the monasteries. Weaving is considered as an essential part of traditional life in eastern Ladakh. Some festivals of

are: * Hemis Festival -

Hemis Monastery Hemis Monastery is a Himalayan Buddhist monastery (''gompa'') of the Drukpa Kagyu, Drukpa Lineage, in Hemis, Ladakh, India. Situated 45 km from Leh, it was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. The annual Hemis festiv ...

has an annual festival named after it. *

- Losar, also known as Tibetan New Year, is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. * Phyang Tsedup Festival - This festival is celebrated every fifth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. *

Sindhu Darshan Festival Sindhu Darshan Festival is a festival held in Leh, Ladakh, India. The festival is held every year in June on the full moon day of Guru Purnima. On this day, devotees gather near the banks of the Indus River, which is known as the Sindhu River in ...

- It is held on every

Guru Purnima Guru Purnima (Poornima) is a tradition dedicated to all the spiritual and academic Gurus, who are evolved or enlightened humans, ready to share their wisdom, based on Karma Yoga. It is celebrated as a festival in India, Nepal and Bhutan by Hi ...

on the banks of the Indus river. *

Dosmoche Dosmoche is a festival celebrated in Ladakh, India. It is celebrated in Leh, Likir and Diskit monasteries. It is the last festival of New Year Celebrations, the other one is Losar. The two-day Dosmoche festival is a gazetted holiday for Leh dist ...

- It is celebrated every 12th month of the Tibetan calendar every year. * Saka Dawa Festival. * Tak - Tok Festival - It is one of the major festivals of Ladakh. It is celebrated at cave Gompa of Tak- Tok. * Matho Nagrang Festival.

Cultural centers

Buddhist monasteries are often situated on an isolated hillock in the vicinity of villages. These monasteries provide the focus for the faith of the religious Buddhist people. Some monasteries and cultural centers of Ladakh are: *

Thikse Monastery Thikse Gompa or Thikse Monastery (also transliterated from Ladakhi as Tiksey, Thiksey or Thiksay) is a gompa (Tibetan-style monastery) affiliated with the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It is located on top of a hill in Thiksey approximately e ...

Lamayuru Monastery Lamayuru or Yuru Monastery ( "Eternal Monastery") is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Lamayouro, Leh district, Ladakh, India. It is situated on the Srinagar-Leh highway east of the Fotu La at a height of . History A. H. Francke states that, ...

Stok Monastery Stok Monastery or Stok Gompa is a Buddhist monastery in Stok, Leh district, Ladakh, northern India, 15 kilometres south of Leh. It was founded by Lama Lhawang Lotus in the 14th Century and has a notable library including all 108 volumes of the ...

Leh Palace Leh Palace also known as Lachen Palkar Palace is a former royal palace overlooking the city of Leh in Ladakh, India. It was constructed circa 1600 by Sengge Namgyal. The palace was abandoned when Dogra forces took control of Ladakh in the mid-19 ...

* Chemrey Monastery *

Shey Monastery The Shey Monastery or Gompa and the Shey Palace complex are structures located on a hillock in Shey, to the south of Leh in Ladakh, northern India on the Leh-Manali road. Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past. It contains a huge ...

Diskit Monastery Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in Diskit, in the Nubra Valley in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddh ...

Both Leh and Shey monasteries have carved Buddhas, mostly of the

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

.Cultural Heritage of Ladakh Himalaya
Prem Singh Jina, Kalpaz Publication, , pp 67–73

References

{{reflist Ladakh Indian culture