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Lording it over the old town from the top of a craggy
granite ridge is the derelict palace of the 16th century ruler Sengge
Namgyal. A scaled down version of the Potala in Lhasa, it is a textbook
example of medieval Tibetan architecture, with gigantic sloping buttressed
walls and projecting wooden balconies that tower nine storeys above the
surrounding houses.
Since the Ladakhi royal family left the palace in the 1940s, damage
inflicted by 19th century Kashmiri cannons has caused large chunks of it
to collapse. Bring a flashlight, and be careful while walking in spite of
restoration work, holes gape in the floors and dark staircases.
Catch The View From The Top!
Apart from the flaking murals that decorate the ruined royal apartments
and staterooms on the upper levels, very few remnants of the palace's
former splendour survive. The main reason to pick one's way through its
gutted interior is to reach the roof terrace, which offers spectacular
views over the mud brown rooftops of the old town to the wrinkled flanks
and snow covered ridges of the Stok Kangri mountains.
Dukhar Temple
Also worth a look as one passes is the Dukhar temple on the fourth
storey. The gloomy shrine, whose centrepiece is a thousand armed image of
the Goddess Tara, houses eerie masks, musical instruments and weapons -
props for the recitals and religious ceremonies once held in the courtyard
outside.