It has been said that the word Ladakh, means “Land of Light” because its clear and rarified air electrifies sunlight. Once an independent Buddhist kingdom, Ladakh has been part of both Tibet and Kashmir; the latter finally ended its independence and, in the long run, made it part of British India. The kingdom’s former empire is now divided between India, Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China. Nevertheless, Ladakh is one of the least populated districts in India. Renowned for it’s remote and rugged mountain beauty and Tibetan Buddhist culture which has been allowed to flourish under British and Indian rule. Sometimes called “Little Tibet,” Leh Palace, a miniature version of the Potala in Lhasa, towers above the capital city of Leh. Ladakh is the highest inhabited plateau in the world, much of it being above 10,000 feet. It straddles the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River, which flows into Ladakh from nearby Mount Kailas in western Tibet. Ladakh consists of a number of distinct areas: the fairly populous main Indus River Valley, the more remote Zanskar to the south, and the Nubra Valley to the north of the Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world at 18, 380 feet. On a clear day, K2 is visible from Ladakh’s high passes.
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