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The
Bazaar And Old Town
After settling into a hotel or guesthouse, most visitors spend their
first day in Leh soaking up the atmosphere of the bazaar. Sixty or so
years ago, this bustling tree lined boulevard was the busiest market
between Yarkhand and Kashmir. Merchants from Srinagar and the Punjab would
gather to barter for Pashmina wool brought down by nomadic herdsmen from
western Tibet, or for raw silk hauled across the Karakorams on Bactrian
camels. These days, though the street is awash with kitsch curio shops and
handicraft emporiums, it retains a distinctly central Asian feel. Clean
shaven Ladakhi Lamas in sneakers and shades rub shoulders with half
bearded Baltis from the Karakoram and elderly Tibetan refugees whirring
prayer wheels, while now and again, snatches of Chinese music crackle out
of the shopkeepers transistor radios. At the bottom of the bazaar, women
from nearby villages, stovepipe hats perched jauntily on their heads, sit
behind piles of vegetables, spinning wool and chatting as they appraise
the passers by.
Atmosphere Of Shopping
Even if one is not hopping for trekking supplies, check out the provision
stores along the street, where bright pink, turquoise, and wine-red silk
cummerbunds hang in the windows. Inside, sacks of aromatic spices, dried
pulses, herbs and tea are stacked beside boxes of license, soap and spare
parts for kerosene stoves. Jami
Masjid
When one had enough of the bazaar, head past the new green and white
painted Jami Masjid at the top of the street, and follow one of the lanes
that lead into the old town. Apart from the odd electric cable, nothing
much has changed here since the warren of flat roofed houses, crumbling
'Chortens', 'Mani' Walls and narrow sandy streets was laid down late in
the 16th century - least of all the plumbing.
Chamba Temple
One place definitely worth walking through the putrid smelling puddles to
visit, however, is the Chamba temple. It's not easy to find on your own;
ask at the second row of shops on the left after the big arch for the key
keeper (gonyer), who will show you the way. Hemmed in by dilapidated
medieval mansions, the one roomed shrine houses a colossal image of
Maitreya, the Buddha to come, and some wonderful old wall paintings.
Leh
Palace
The old palace of the kings of Ladakh overlooks the town from the
southwest slope of the Tsemo hill. It has eight storeys and was built by
King Sengge Namgyal in the 16th century, at much the same time as the
famed Potala of Lhasa - which it resembles. The damage to the palace, one
side is gaping open, stems from the Kashmiri invasions of the last
century. Like the Shey palace the Leh palace still belongs to the Ladakhi
royal family, who now live in their palace in Stok.
Leh Gompa
The Leh Gompa stands high above the palace and also overlooks the ruins
of the older palace of the King of Tagpebums. The Red Gompa also known as
Namgyal Tsemo Gompa was built in 1430 by King Gvags-Pa-Bum-Ide and has a
fine three-storey high seated Buddha figure flanked by Avalokitesvara on
the right and Manjushri on the left. In all there are three Gompas at the
top of the hill, the topmost one is in a very ruined condition but offers
extremely fine views over Leh and the surrounding countryside. To the
right of the palace one can see a Buddha painted on the rocks, a remnant
of an earlier monastery.
Other Leh Gompas
There are a number of lesser Gompas in the old town of Leh - such as the
Guru Lakhang to the left of the palace, beneath the large Chorten. The
Chamba Lakhang, south of the palace, and the Chenrezig Lakhang, to the
southeast, are similarly less famous since they contain little of interest
compared to other more splendid Gompas around Leh. In the centre of Leh
the Buddhist association of Ladakh in 1957 built the new monastery or
Gompa Soma or Jokhang. It contains an image of the Buddha Sakyamuni that
was brought form Tibet. Meetings of the Buddhist association are held in
this monastery.
Leh Fort
The Leh fort, built by Zorawar Singh, contains three temples but cannot
be visited because it is within the military camp area.
Shanti Stupa
A relatively new addition to the rocky skyline around Leh is the
toothpaste white Shanti Stupa above Changspa village, 3-km west of the
bazaar. Inaugurated in 1983 by the Dalai Lama, the "Peace Pagoda",
whose sides are decorated with gilt panels depicting episodes from the
life of the Buddha, is one of several such monuments erected around India
by a "Peace Sect" of Japanese Buddhists.
The Ecology Centre
Five minutes' walk north of the main bazaar, the Ecology centre
(Monday-Saturday 10.00 am - 5.00 pm) is the headquarters of LEDeG (the
Ladakh Ecological Development Group) - a local non governmental
organization that aims to counter the negative impact of western style "development"
by fostering economic independence and respect for traditional culture.
This involves promoting "appropriate" technologies such as solar
energy, encouraging organic farming and cottage industries, and providing
education on environmental and social issues through village drama,
workshops and seminars.
The garden hosts an open-air exhibition of solar gadgets, hydraulic
pumps, water mills and other ingenious energy saving devices that have
proved successful throughout Ladakh. There's also a small library, and a
handicraft shop, selling locally made clothes, 'Thangkas', T-shirts, books
and postcards.
Special Screenings
Try to catch a screening of LEDEG's short video Ancient Futures: Learning
from Ladakh (Monday-Saturday 4.00 pm), shown to a minimum of ten people,
which gives an insightful account of Ladakhi culture and the sweeping
changes of the past thirty years, many of them direct results of tourism.
The film is an excellent introduction to the civilization, traditions and
serves ecological and cultural problems facing Ladakh.
SECMOL
SECMOL (The Student's Educational And Cultural Movement Of Ladakh) was
founded in 1988 by Ladakhi university students through a problematic
educational system. At present the curriculum, devised in
Srinagar and
taught in Urdu and English, does not cover subjects of local relevance. In
the hope of maintaining pride in Ladakh's traditions, SECMOL teaches local
history and runs workshops on handicrafts, agriculture and technology.
Volunteer help from TEFL qualified visitors is appreciated at the summer
schools run just outside Leh. If one likes to help, or want to meet
members of SECMOL, write in advance (To - SECMOL, Chubi Katpa, Leh), or
drop into their office on the northern outskirts of town (Monday-Saturday
2.00-6.00 pm), ten minutes' walk up the hill from Ali Shah's Postcard
Shop.
Sankar
Gompa
This is small but more interesting place to visit than the Leh Gompa and
can easily be visited on foot. The Sankar Gompa is an under Gompa of
Spitok Gompa. At the most only 20 monks live here and few are permanently
in residence although the monastery itself is fairly active. Thus the
Gompa is only open to the public from 7.00 am to 10.00 am and from 5.00 to
7.00 pm. It is, however, well lit, so an evening visit is worthwhile. At
these times the monks will welcome the visitors and may offer one yak
butter tea, 'Tsampa' and boiled and spiced mustard plant.
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