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| Home » Cultural Tours » Ladakh |
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Ladakh |
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Ladakh is beautiful place surrounded by mountains. It is covered by snow all the year round and is some times known as “Little Tibet”. You will find a strong influence of Tibetan culture in every corner of Ladakh. Tourism in part of India has been greatly encouraged by the Government of India since 1974. Lots of films have also captured this beautiful state. 
Ladakh is famous for Buddhist monasteries which form the major cultural or heritage sites. The monasteries are the main attractions of central Ladakh and Zanskar. The sites can be well reached from Leh which is also the main city. You will find regular bus and taxi services, however, taxis are expensive in Leh and have fixed tariff. You can book a taxi to visit a group of monasteries. This will make your journey comfortable, convenient and time taken will be less.
The main gompas of Leh and Ladakh are open all round the day. There is a caretaker lama who will help you in visiting the place in a best way. You will be charged a nominal fee at the entrance. Places like Namgyal Tsemo, Shey Palace and the Stock Palace Museum are opened for restricted period of time. So visit the tourist information center to known about the exact time of opening.
The monasteries and gompas are highly influenced by Tibetan and Indian culture. In the monasteries, you will find the Buddhist wheel and two dragons. This is a common feature of Likir, Tikse, Hemis, Lamayuru, Alchi and Ridzong Gompas. These are built on elevated lands and are mainly south facing. These ancient structures are made of rocks, earth and wood. 
As the monasteries are an important part of the religion of the people here, the tourists should respect them. You should enter these places after removing your shoes. Even smoking is not allowed here. Speaking loudly is not permitted here as it destroys the quiet atmosphere of this place.
While enjoying the cultural tours in Ladakh, do not forget to taste the Ladakhi. Some of the common Ladakhi food includes thukpa which is a kind of noodle soup and tsampa (also known as ngampe) which is a kind of roasted barley flour. Apart from this, another popular dish which you can try is “skyu”. It is a kind of heavy pasta dish which is cooked with root vegetables.
Ladakh is also known for its monastic festivals. Music plays a great role here which mainly includes religious chanting in Sanskrit as well as Tibetan. This is an important part of their religion. These chanting are also accompanied by resonant drums. The religious mask dances is also an interesting aspect of their religion and culture. These dances are mainly held at the Hemis Monastery which is a center of Drukpa Buddhism. A masked dance festival is held here every year. These dances actually tell a story which is dominated by the fight between good and evil where the good wins over the evil.
Archery and Polo are two popular sports played in Ladakh in the summer months. You will find a large number of Archery competitions being held in the summer months. Apart from this, there is an important feature which distinguishes Ladakh from other states is the emancipation of women. The freedom enjoyed by women is greater than any other part of India.
To know more about cultural tours in India, browse through the pages of Adventure Asia.
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