The Amdavad Wanderlust - Adalaj Vav

Stepwells known as Vav in Gujarati was built in ancient times to manage the source of ground water to the extent to make water available all-round the year to the public at large. An innovative retort to the water scarcity .The wells were dug deep into the earth and the walls were lined with blocks of stone without mortar and stair line developed leading down to the ubiquitous source of water. These Step wells being dug deep down and covered provided relief to the daytime heat. In course of time it became a happening place for leisure especially for the women folk and as time went by, the Vav became a place for religious and social gatherings.

Stepwells mainly consist of two parts, a vertical shaft from which water is drawn out and the adjacent environs having passageway and steps leading to the well. This lead to the building the surrounds of the step wells with decorative and architectural features associated with  prevailing times and thus ensured the survival of  Stepwells as monuments. It is believed that villagers would come every day in the morning to fill water, offer prayers to the deities carved into the walls and interact with each other in the cool shade of the Vav. These also turned as resting place for the travellers, pilgrims, traders and  merchants along their trade routes, as the place was well protected from natural and human elements and also cool and a quiet retreat during the hot summer months. The Stepwell offered them a place to bathe, rest, eat and remain protected. The Mughal ruler encouraged the building of Stepwells, but it was during the British Raj who found the concept unhygienic and hence had forced abandonment of the Step wells.

Adalaj Stepwell, perhaps Gujarat’s finest Vav is situated in the village of Adalaj,  18 KM from the City of  Ahmedabad in Gandhinagar district.

During 15th century, the region was known as Dandai Desh and ruled by a Hindu king, Rana Veer Singh of Vaghela dynasty. King Veer Singh had commenced the building of the Step Well at Adalaj, during which time  the Muslim King Mohammad Begda attacked and defeated the King. Mohammad Begda  proposed to the beautiful widow of King Veer to marry him. Queen Roopba agreed to the proposed nuptials on condition that the Stepwell will be completed prior to the marriage.  The Step well was completed in 1499 by Muslim king Mohammed Begda to win over Queen Rani Roopba.

On completion of the well, the Queen killed herself, hence fulfilling the dreams of her husband of building the Stepwell. This led to the  Adalaj ni Vav  being carved with various architectural style, merging Hindu and Islamic designs.

The Adalaj Vav is intricately carved was not just a cultural and utilitarian space, but also a spiritual refuge. The Vav is five stories deep with a remarkable feature of having three entrance stairs.  All three stairs meet at the first storey, which has an octagonal opening on top. 

There is an opening in the ceilings above the landing which allows the light and air to enter the octagonal well. However, direct sunlight does not touch the flight of steps or landings except for a brief period at noon. The  atmosphere inside the well is many degrees cooler than the outside and one finds the difference on a hot summer afternoon. 

The harmonious play of intricate Islamic floral patterns seamlessly coalescing into Hindu and Jain symbolism embody the culture and ethos of those times. All the walls carved by ornamentation, mythological scenes along with everyday scenes of women churning buttermilk, dancers accompanied by musicians, women adorning themselves. What mesmerise and captivates the visitors is the Ami Khumbor (a pot that contains the water of life) and the Kalp Vriksha (a tree of life) carved out of a single slab of stone. There is a belief that the small mural of navagraha (nine-planets) towards the edge of the well protects the monument from evil spirits.

The Crraft of Arts, host the annual Music Fest during the World Heritage Week at the site of Adalaj Stepwell. The sound and light effects are enjoyed by both the heritage and music lovers. The fusion of the sound of classical musical instruments with the modern keyboard, guitar and the drums amidst the environs  of the magnificently lit  structure of the 15^th century Stepwell draw crowds in large numbers.  

This not only creates awareness of the historic monument but promotes efforts in conserving the heritage of yester years. The annual Water festival has become an annual ritual at the Adalaj Vaav, and it calls for appreciation to the organizers.

The Amdavad Getaway - Balaram Palace

Balaram Palace, a weekend retreat and hunting resort of the Lohanis Nawab of Palanpur, who ruled  Jalore in southwest Rajasthan for nearly fourteen generations from the late 14th century onwards is situated amidst the Aravallis, a 542 sq Km of Balaram Ambaji reserve forest at the tip of North Gujarat,  bordering Rajasthan. The palace was built by Lt Colonel His Highness Zubd-Tul-Mulk Dewan Mahakhan Nawab Shri Taley Mahummad Khan Bahadur, the 29th Ruler of Palanpur State. The foundation was laid in 1922 and the construction of the palace was completed in 1935.

The palace is a gracious work of neo classical and baroque architecture with 13 acres of private woods and lands terraced upland rising from a hilly stream and formally landscaped gardens with Mexicans lawns, exotic flowerbeds, modern fountains, Nawabi style plush gardens and elegant rooms.

The Balaram Palace is located 167 KM from Ahmedabad, a offshoot of 9 KM from the Toll gate on the road to Abu bordering Gujarat and  Rajasthan. The first sight of the resort is majestic, amidst the background of the Aravalli range, which offers a calm and peaceful environ with a tranquil and soothing ambience. The best time to visit the palace is during the monsoons when the greenery around is at its best. However, if one wants to experience the chill and icy wind evenings, the winters will be an ideal time.  

The palace has hosted many a Prince and Nawabs of the yester days,  with  English personalities, as famous as Lord Mountbatten was a guest at the Balaram Palace. Supposedly hunting persisted in the environs of the forests of  Balaram and Ambaji  75 years before but today the guns have been replaced with the cameras.  The Palace and the surrounds is a photographers delight with the shots kissing the geometric domains and isometric views of the building with the picturesque  landscape in the background.  The Palace premises have been a scene of action for many a Gujarati and Bollywood films, notably being  Amitabh Bachchan  playing a leading role in the Hindi Film Sooryavansham in the year 1999.

The Balaram Palace has been converted into a classic luxury heritage Hotel with the elegance of yesteryear, combined with the facilities of a modern hotel. The resort offers the guests a wide variety of rooms. There are 4 Gold Rooms which were previously allocated to the ADCs of Nawab Sahib. The size of the rooms are moderate but comfortable and the private garden at the rear is indeed a bonus to the guests.

To experience a Nawabi hunting weekend, there are 5 Royal tents crafted to merge with the ambience of the palace and are uniquely designed with separate living space and dressing rooms with a provision of  sit outs on the rear and front.

The main palace houses the 12 Platinum Rooms which were used by the Nawab’s Sahib family and guests. The rooms are spacious and luxurious with a separate dressing room and a huge washroom. A interesting experience was the bed, wide and high, where one needs to use a stool to get up on the bed. I wondered why was it so, was it to feel high and mighty.

The only one suite with separate living rooms and overlooking the royal gardens having the  elegance and lavishly furnished is the Nawabi suite with all amenities for a tourist who would like to experience the luxury of yester years. The two room suite is spacious, the bed is wider and higher, the dressing room and the wash room adequately large and furnishings befitting to standards of a Nawab with an opulence and elegance of the bygone era. A stay in the suite  takes the tourist into bygone Nawabi period to experience the real Nawabi ambience.

To support the guest there is The Chitrassani restaurant which serves food of various tastes of tourists of different backgrounds equally buttressed by a pool of dedicated managers and support staff who go out of the way in making your stay at the Balaram Palace a memorable one. To cater to the guest who value their time and who can afford to, have a facility of landing at the Palace helipad in the sponsored or owned helicopters, Bollywood style.     

Kurinji Flower - Nature's Gift to Mankind

Beautiful sights are a rarity, which we cherish lifelong. The longing for the beautiful sights become more attractive in cases where the sighting is periodical and more so if the sighting takes places after a considerable period of time. Flowers and plants have always attracted mankind time immemorial , and the late bloomers have a special place in the hearts of one and all.  

One of the many late bloomers and cherished sight is The Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana), that blossoms only once in 12 years, carpeting the hill slopes during the flowering season. It is believed that the Paliyan tribal people apparently used it to calculate their age, basis the blooming of the flower. The wild flower  grows at a height  of 30 to 60 cm on hills slopes  at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 meters where there is little or no tree forest. The flower has no smell or any medicinal value. The famed Niligiri Hills , which literally means the Blue Mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji.

Neelakuringi represents the self awakening of a woman, as in the Tamil traditions a girl is considered to attain sexual maturity at the age of 12, for the Todas blossoming into womanhood had a poetic identification with the flower, for the Badagas at their funeral litany asked for forgiveness for the sin botching the plant, for the poets it is a symbol of longing for love and happiness, for the tribal  Kurinji is the symbol of love and romance

During the bloom there is a manifold increase of bees in the vicinity. Immense amount of honey become available and the rock bees and common hill bees visit the plant. It is also believed that the honey near the blossoms is the sweetest.

A lot of mythological significance is attributed to the flower. Both the Muthuvas of Munnar and the Todas of the Nilgiris consider the flowering of Kurinji as auspicious.   However there are taboos that prevent them from destroying the plant or its withered twigs until the seeds mature ten months after the flowering.

As the saying goes, it is an auspicious time to be  when the Neelakurinji flowers and it is believed to bring prosperity in the wake. A Club Mahindra Holiday advertisement said it well ” A beauty of nature, rare, elusive, stunning. She teases, she tempts, and she only reveals what she wants you to see. She is Neelakurinji – a flower which blooms once in twelve years”.

When the kurinji bush blooms, it has a profuse display of violet blue flowers that cover the entire plant. The blossoms spread out as a blanket on the hill sides of the Annmalai, Nilgiris and Palani ( Kodaikanal) hills. It beautifully decorates mountain sides in the Western Ghats of South India, and the spectacular and picturesquely sight is to behold for rest of our lives. It does not grow in any part of the world making itself a rarest of the rare. The last bloom of Neelakurinji was in the year 2006 and we were fortunate enough to  view the phenomenon of nature in Ootacamumd and Munnar.

In Ootacamund, we sighted the Kurinji flower blooming between the tenth and eleventh hair pin bend in the Singur Ghat road on the SH 67 road from Masinasudi to Ottacamumd. It did not cover miles and miles of mountain tops, as the name Niligris Hills signified but  the phenomenon was observed in more of a patch on the slope of a hill. It was sad to note that plantations and dwellings occupy much of the habitat and has endangered the Kurinji and its time the conservation group work to protect this nature’s awesome occurrence.

While on a trip to Munnar , Kerala,  India’s Little London in 2006, we came across the Kurinji flower. We were not all impressed with the patches of Kurinji blooms, we could sight in the environs of Munnar. There was a discontentment amongst us as the desired sighting of Kurinji Flower was not up to our expectations. Was the trip to Munnar made in vain. It was on our way back to Coimbatore, as we were crossing the Eravikulam National Park, Munnar - Udumalpet Road a long queue of people attracted our attention. We watched the people eagerly awaiting their turn to step in to an ecological bus to take them to the Park as private vehicles are not permitted inside. The sighting of the Kurinji had been a disappointment both in Ottacamumd and Munnar till the eco- bus took us deep inside the Eravikulam National Park and lead us for our eyes to feast on one of the best sights of our lives.

The first sight of the blooming Kurinji flower left us spell bound and wonder struck. There were millions of bell shaped, bright purple in colour flowers blooming in clusters on the slope of the hills giving it a bluish tinge to the air. We watched the rolling hills as far as the eyes could see, ostensibly bathed in purplish blue with the  mist around the hills adding  to the mystery, a rare sight to the eyes.  

It was more of a fairytale land and we almost pinched  ourselves to wake us up from this wonderful dream but the reality was the sprawling hills draped themselves in a purplish blue blanket.  The mere sight took away our breadth and indeed we felt blessed and fortunate that we could view this exceptional ecological event which takes places after a gap of twelve years in our country, India.

 I think it is our collective responsibility to negate the loss to Mother Nature by maintaining a ecological balance of human settlement and plantations in the regions where the Neelakurinji blooms. The next bloom is slated for the year 2018 and we hope with all our efforts, we will have not only have a better flowering season but also increase in number of locations where this wonderful event may be witnessed by one and all or else The Neelakurinji will only be a dream for the coming generations. 

Grass Hills, Valparai, God's Own Backyard.

Have you ever had a feeling of leaving the concrete jungle, the traffic madness, the maddening crowd around, the dirt and unhygienic conditions, the pressure of work, the daily drab routine of life and instead hear the chirping of birds, enjoy the greenery of the jungle with the forest breeze swaying you plus with   fear in the mind that you can come face to face with a wild cat or a bison or a wild elephant at the next turn of the trail. This wandering through the hills is trekking, a stress buster which adds adventure to exercise. It’s a new high and can be experienced by young and old and it leads one to some amazing and awesome places. It also creates a bondage between fellow trekkers and new friendship is in the offing even amongst the staunchest   of enemies as one holds the other hand in negotiating a steep step, overcome the difficult terrains or an emergency in the wilderness.

One of the most memorable, scenic and enchanting among the many treks undergone was in place in Valparai, 104 KMs  from Coimbatore, in the Anamalai Hills of Western Ghats of Tamilnadu, India  known as Grass Hills. Three of us drove down from Coimbatore early in the morning enjoying the surrounds and the environs, with high on adrenaline on the thoughts of trekking in the unknown place. Before long, we hit the foothills of Valparai, a place called as Azhiyar, where the Aliyar Reservoir is located. The Dam offers a ideal picnic spot including a park, a aquarium, a play area and a mini theme park maintained by the Tamilnadu Fisheries Corporation. The Temple of Consciousness, a meditation centre is also located at Azhiyar. As we commenced our climb up towards Valparai, we passed the Monkey Falls, a must visit destination in this area, especially during monsoons. There were 40 hair pin bends to negotiate between Azhiyar to Valparai and with the passing of each bend, the view of the Aliyar reservoir looked spectacular with the greenery all around adding to the beauty of the 6.48 sq KM reservoir, three quarters of which is surrounded by mountains.

Valparai declared as the Seventh Heaven, is a pollution free land and a green spread plateau located in the southern part of The Niligiris Biosphere Reserve in the Anamalai Hills. It is contiguous to The Indira Gandhi National Park, The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, The Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and The Eravikulam National Park.

Grass Hills National Park is a protected area in the Western Ghats, India, and a part of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, forming its boundary with Eravikulam National Park in neighboring Kerala state. The landscape is a combination of peaks and high plateaus above 2000m MSL, composed of montane shola-grassland ecosystem that is unique to the higher ranges of the Western Ghats of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Grass hills, as the name suggests, is a huge swathe of grasslands across miles and miles of  mountain range. This out of bounds for common tourists and only conservationists, wildlife enthusiasts, with permission from the Forest department or those with access to the officials of the forest department are allowed access into this wild terrain. The Valparai range is a habitat of the Niligiri Tahr, an endemic wild goat. These mountain goats inhabit the high ranges and prefer open terrain cliffs and green covered hills largely confining to altitudes from 1200 to 2700 M in the southern western ghats. Their territory extended far and wide all along the hills in the past but because of hunting and large scale habitat destinations they now only exist in a few isolated sites like the Anaimala Hills. Efforts are being undertaken by the Government to preserve the flora and fauna of this location. Apart from the Nilgiri Tahr,  elephants, bison, Indian Gaur, Bear, Nilgiri Langurs  and wide variety of birds including Hornbills are a part of the environs of Grass Hills.

Access to  Grass Hills is two pronged . The first is a combination of 4x 4 ride for about an hour and a half on a non existent bumpy track and then trek a couple of kilometers The other is to trek from the gates of Akkamalai tea estate. As the road track was closed due to landslides, the only option left for us was to trek.

We assembled at gate of the tea estate , where we were joined by the forest guards and three persons assisting us to carry our provisions, for a three days trek. After a quick lunch and a bit of rest we commenced our trek but not before we have sprayed ourselves with repellents from our knee downwards and especially our socks and shoes. The reason being that Grass Hills is a leech prone area and the probability of leech getting under your skin is very high especially during monsoons.

The group commenced the trek and most of us were short of breadth by the time we negotiated the climb of the first hill. We realized that the terrains will become more difficult as we made our progress into the mountains. Added to it, soon  the trail lead us to narrow single hill track where it might have been difficult for a mountain mule to cross. We maneuvered it,  in single file realizing that one false step and we will reach the bottom of the hill. After all these years, we yet remembered our legs shaking and the whole body shivering in fear, none daring to look down. At times we were almost on a crawling position, holding to the available grass or rocks projections or the ever helping hands of our colleagues. 

The first sight of  the Grass hill  surrounded by a green grass environment  was awesomesauce,  a sight of high green grasses with ever green unique Shola Forest on the mountain slopes. From then on all the tiredness of the trek undertaken was gone and with added energy and adrenaline flowing,  we trekked through, enjoying the flora and fauna in one of the finest trails.. At times we were walking with only grassland around and at times through the thick jungles of the Shola forest. The quietness, the gurgling sound of the mountain streams, with Niligiris langurs keeping us company, sighting a Hornbill now and then, the picturesque surrounds was as if we were in a dreamland and found Mother Nature at its best. Did we discover The God’s own backyard.

 
It was sundown by the time we reached our destination and our steps hurried on the last leg of our day’s trek , as we made our way  in almost darkness. We culminated our trek for the Day One at the  Konnalar  (twisted river in Tamil) hut built in 1920 for English Officers of Konnalar Fishing Association who came fish trout. The Konnalar stream runs close by and used to be a fishing camp for the British. The English are well known to have their establishment at the right location and the  hut was no exception. The hut was built at the lowest part of the valley by the side of the  Konnalar stream. All around the hut, a deep trench has been built so that the wild animals cannot enter the hut.  We heard the story from one of the guards, how a herd of wild elephants had strayed towards the hut and one of the baby elephant had fallen into the trench.  The herd of elephants got to work by filling up the trench with mud so that the baby elephant could automatically be lifted, what intelligence! After the baby elephant was brought to safety, the herd of elephants went brusque  and damaged a part of the Konnalar hut.

The Konnalar hut is the only shelter available amidst a vast expanse of carpeted grass. It has a couple of rooms with cots and sleeping bags and a fire place to keep the room warm. The kitchen was neat with well stocked firewood. The rooms were lit with the solar lamps but what baffled us was that the washroom  had a flush and it was only in the next morning when we found out the technique of operating the flush was through water flowing through gravity from the upper reaches of the hill. Thanks to the person who came out with the idea because during treks a washroom with a flush is a boon.  

There was chill in the air and the fireplace was a welcome place to be by. We opened our shoes which were wet by the dew in the grass but found our socks were soaked in blood as leeches had beaten  the repellents sprayed during the course of the day. A hot bath was refreshing for the tired limbs and after having chicken and rice for dinner, we had a wonderful night sleep irrespective of the fact that we had to rough it out in the Konnalar hut.

We woke up to a bright and sunny morning. The first sight of the greens grassland all around was amazing. There was no inhabitants in sight in for miles and miles from the Konnalar hut. Our mobiles were out of range, and there was no connect with the outside world. We were the only souls in this awesome vast land with only the sound of the Konnalar river keeping us company. The crystal clear water was inviting for a dip in the open.  The experience was electrifying as the cold mountain water soaked  our bodies  refreshing us to the hilt. Am' very sure that the spot might be a favorite watering hole for the wild animals.
 

After a sumptuous breakfast, we went out on a trek. This time there were no trails to follow but only our instincts lead our way. The surrounds were lush green with no Shola forest around as if it was a well maintained Golf course . As we walked on the upper reaches of the hills, we sighted the Niligris Tahr  basking in the sun in the steep cliffs of the mountains.  We did not try to approach them but had a close look through our binoculars. 

The environs were so attractive that we kept moving from one peak to another and it took a good couple of hours to reach  the highest of the green grassland  hills and what an amazing view on the other side of the hill. There were miles and miles of grassland with patches of shola forest. We sat on the top of the hill for a long, long time and letting our senses soak in the pristine beauty of the surrounds knowing that it’s once in a lifetime opportunity to be sighting Nature at its best.

The evening turned out to be chilly and cold with the wind wailing with a gale force  and sweeping over the grassy slopes. We had made an attempt to take a walk along the Konnalar River, but had to retreat since we could not sustain  the tempest.  The fire place seems to be the best of places to be and to rewind our memories of the day and hear jungle stories from the forest guards.

 

The sun shone with clear blue skies on the morning of Day 3. With a hurried breakfast, we cleaned up the Konnalar Hut, put the house in order, packed our bags and it was time to leave The God's Own Backyard and trek back to reality.

Ladakh - The Land of Las, Gompas & Tsos

Ladakh is the highest inhabited region in the world and is also one of the coldest. It is also known by many a name, The Little Tibet, The Last Shangrila, The Moonland, The Khapa Chan ( snowland) . Ladakh is a high altitude desert, as the Himalayas create a rain shadow forming an entry barrier to the monsoon clouds. The hills give out contrasting colors, the skies deep blue, brink  sunshine, keen air and green river valleys dotted with oasis in a vast desert present a destination worth visiting. It is a matti desert with hardly any shrubs with no trees and natural forest either. The slopes of the lower mountains have little vegetation. However as the mountains rise higher up, the mountains tears the snow line, their slopes start playing hosts to herbs, wild roses and willows, the zone becomes alpine. It is a photographers delight to be in the midst of such exemplary beauty, featuring some mind blogging sand and rock formations to only to be seen, to believe it.
 

The district of Leh is bounded by Pakistan occupied Kashmir in the West, China on the North and Eastern part and Himachal Pradesh in the south east.  There are three parallel Himalayan ranges, the Zanskar, the Ladakh and the Karokaran. In between the ranges the Shayok, the Indus, locally known as Singhe Khababs (out of Lion’s mouth) and the Zanskar rivers flow.
 

The principal town of the Ladakhis is Leh, situated at a height of 11500 ft above sea level. During winters Leh touches minus 30 degrees at night and around minus six during noon time. The best time to visit Leh is from mid April to mid September. Due to the high altitude visitors flying into Leh should allow themselves enough time to acclimatize. Owing to the rarefied atmosphere, low air pressure at high altitudes less oxygen is breathed in and many travelers experience acute mountain sickness. The period of acclimatization is directly proportional to the period of stay. That is the more the days of stay, more should be the days for acclimatization. Any strenuous physical activity should be avoided. Each person behaves differently to the weather and environmental conditions of the cold desert. Casualties due to High Altitude Sickness  in the cold desert is high and it is important to take utmost care of ones health. It is once a lifetime opportunity to bask in the scenic beauty of Ladakh and it is disappointing to fall ill during the course of the visit. In the cold desert we can get a sunstroke and a frost bite at the same time. This is due  to lightness of the air and low pollution makes the sun rays are very sharp and the other is the prevailing cold conditions. There is a famous saying in Ladakh “ In the land of Lamas do not be a Gama “.
 

La means Passes and dhak means many. Ladakh is a land of many mountain passes. The Khardung La ( 18380 ft ) known as the Pass of the Lower Castle which gives way to the Shyok and Nubra valley and leads to the famous Saichen glaciers, believed to be one of the highest motorable mountain pass in the world. The Chang La (17590 ft ) known as the Pillar of Sky passes leads to the famous Pangong lake. The Tanglang La (17480 ft ) in the Zanskar Range used by the nomadic changpa herdsman, The Lachulung La (16600 ft) separating the valley of Tsarap Chuchu and Tozey, The Baralacha La ( 16040 ft) and The Fotu La ( 13478 ft) in the Zanskar Range, The Zoji La ( 11575 ft ) leaving the green hills of Kashmir and connecting the dry mountains in Drass and the Namika La ( 12139 ft) on the Srinagar – Leh Highway  are the ones to look out for. The surrounds and the environs of these passes are amazing  and the landscape  a photographer’s dream.

Gompas or Gonpas are Buddhist temples. There design and interior vary from region to region, however all follow a general layout of a central prayer hall containing a Buddha statue, benches for the monks to engage in prayer and meditation and attached living accommodation. There are more than 100 Gompas or monasteries in Ladakh. Most of these Gompas are situated in remote areas usually at great heights and are Buddhist ecclesiastical fortification of learning. The main attractions of the monasteries are its architecture, murals, thangkas stupas and the lines of prayer wheels. Numerous rock carvings constitute an important evidence of the early Buddhist artistic heritage of Ladakh. These carvings and inscriptions can be found on large rock boulders along pathways.

Some notable Gompas in and around the town of Leh are Namgyal Tsemo founded in 1430 founded by King Tashi Namgyal of Ladakh is located above Leh Palace, Stok Gompa around 14 KM south east of Leh where the present royal family resides, Thiksey Gompa 17  KMs south of Leh close to Shey Palace is one of the most beautiful and recognizable monasteries in Ladakh. The 12 storey Gompa sits high in the Indus valley and a popular destination for tourists. Stakna Gompa meaning the tiger nose is  25 KMs east of Leh situated on the left bank of Indus River founded in the 16^th century , Hemis Gompa in Karu around 45 KMs south of Leh is the most famous and largest monastery of Ladakh .

The monastery existed before the 11^th century and re-established in 1672 AD. An annual two day Hemis festival is held at the monastery to celebrate victory of good over evil.  Sptuk Gompa 7 KMs to the south of Leh is a 15 century monastery perched atop a hill near Indus River, Physng Gompa another 15th century monastery is situated 17 KMs west of Leh, Likr Gompa 53 KMs west of Ladakh established in 1065, is one of the oldest and well maintained monastery in Ladakh and not the least  Alchi Gompa located 60 Kms west of Leh off the main Kargil- Leh route was established in 1000 AD. The monastery is famous for the murals which adorns the walls of the Gompa.

 

Ladakh is a destination for the adventurist tourist and offers an assorted of sports and recreational avenues like Mountain biking, Jeep safari, Trekking, River rafting, Motor cycle bike trip, paragliding, Ice hockey, skiing, Horse polo in addition to its flora and fauna. Winters offer the Chadar trek connecting villages in the Zanskar valley with Chilling along the frozen Zanskar River. 
 

There are three primary routes one can take to reach Leh. The Srinagar – Leh National Highway 1 D, a 422 KMs follows the historic old Central Asia trade route known as the Treaty Road along the Indus River gives an opportunity for modern travelers to get a glimpse  of villages which are historically and culturally important. The route is opened from June to November and the road leads through the passes Fotu la and Zoji La and crosses Drass the second coldest ( - 45 C in winter ) permanent inhabited spot  in the world after Siberia and the top of the recall place for many a Indians in this region Kargil. The other notable route is the Manali – Leh Highway covering a distance of 490 KMs. Once it crosses the Rohtang Pass and entering into Chandra River valley that lies in the rain shadow, the greenery on the southern side of the mountain pass disappears and the mountain slopes on the leeward becomes brown and arcid. In this route one crosses the passes Baralacha La, Lachulung La and the Tanglang La through Sarchu the State border of Jammu & Kashmir through Karu to Leh. The third option is to travel by Air from Delhi to Leh.

We flew from Delhi and landed at the Bakula Rimpoche Airport at Leh in mid April and was fortunate enough to be welcomed by bright sunshine and beautiful surrounding in Leh. The scenic beauty with the tranquil and serene environment appeared to be unreal. The aerial view was fascinating and it set our benchmarks to our expectations of our holiday in Leh. Steps were tentative as we deplaned as the inner thoughts were concentrated on how the body will behave to the high altitude. As we reached our place of stay, we were welcomed by a person who checked our blood pressure, pulse rate and the oxygen levels in our body  and we were told to give our bodies a complete rest. Eating light, taking the prescribed medicines  and sleep was the order for the next two days. Twice a day the person religiously used to check the blood pressure, pulse rate and oxygen levels. There seems to be an improvement after every check and we were growing in confidence that our bodies was slowly getting acclimated to the low oxygen levels. However appetite was low with a feeling as if having a hangover but we managed to  sleep well through the nights. The feeling of sunshine was good during the day but once the sun set, the evenings were cold. Woolens, heater pillars and electric blankets became a part of life.  However drinking in the fascinating landscape, we lost all sense of time and space. The experience was similar to be sitting in a beach and watching the sea changing colors, in Ladakh it was watching the hills giving out contrasting colors.

Leh was the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh, presently Leh is a District in the State of Jammu & Kashmir and the second largest in the country. First venture out of the house was to the place of confluence of the  Indus and Zangskar rivers known as Sangam Point in Nimo, about 50 KM from Leh on the Leh Srinagar Highway. The sight of the confluence can be clearly made out with the light blue waters of the Indus and the muddy water Zangkar The view from the highway is a sight to behold with nature at its best. With water levels low during the month of April, we could make it down to the white sand river bed. Due to the melting of snow during the summer months of June to August, the water levels remain high which is the best season for fascinating rafting expeditions which provides a spectacular view of the landscapes of the Ladakh  and Zanskar Ranges.

Another place of interest in the Leh Srinagar Highway is the Magnetic Hill located 30 KMs from Leh. This is a place which defies the law of gravity. We parked our vehicle in the box marked on the road, put the gears in neutral, put the ignition off  and our vehicle began to drift upwards, defying basic physics laws. It is fascinating and unbelievable and leaves one totally baffled. Many are of the opinion that it is an optical illusion but we for one experienced the movement, seating inside the car. The point is debatable, but do visit the Magnetic Hill in case one is in Leh especially with children.

Another notable landmark is the  Leh Palace, a former royal palace built on the similar lines of Potala Palace in Lhasa Tibet, built by King Namgyal in the 17^th century. The  palace in in ruins but the panoramic view of Leh town from the roof top attracts tourists.

Situated 5 KM from Leh is the white bodied Shanti Stupa, built on a steep hill facing the Leh Palace.The Stupa was built by the Japanese Buddhist monks in 1991 as a part of the Pagoda Peace mission which was enshrined by The 14^th Dalia Lama. One can reach the Stupa by taking the steps too, to get the breath taking view of the town of Leh and the surrounding mountain ranges.

Another stunning landmark is The Jama Masjid constructed in 1667, a historical mosque and the largest in Ladakh stands out in the heart of main bazaar of Leh.   

         

The Tso or lakes in Ladakh are the icing in the cake for lovers of ecology and bio diversity. It is a rarity to find water bodies and in such high altitude region and extreme cold conditions. The Himalayan lakes are classified in Glacial lakes, formed around glaciers, structural lakes, formed by folds or faults due to movement in earth crust, Remnant lakes, originally structural but represent the remnants of vast lakes and lastly the natural lakes.  

Tsomoriri, situated on the Changthang Plateau at 14836 feet above MSL is a water body measuring 19 KMs in length, with a width of 3 KM and depth of 105 M, with inflow of snowmelt during the summer months. It is 240 KM from Leh but can also be reached from Pangong Tso too, a distance of 235 KM via the remote region of Chhangang, considered one of the most beautiful drives in the entire Ladakh Region.
 

Tso Kar known as the white lake is a twin lake with the eastern part is fresh water and the western part salt water connected by a small spring. White salt deposits are seen all over the shore It is situated in the Rupshu Valley, 250 KM from Leh. The Tso Kar welcomes a amazing array of birds and home to the Kiangs, the breed of wild Asses.

Other notable Tso are Mirpal Tso, Changar Tso, Kyun Tso, Ryul Tso, Kiagar Tso, Stat Tso and Lang Tso but the must visit Tso is the Pangong Tso, which has further made attractive and famous by the likes of many Bollywood films,  and leading the pack is  The Three Idiots.  

Once we were acclimatized to the conditions of Leh,  we were all set to take off to the much awaited, the top of recall for any traveler in Ladakh The Pangong Tso.  There had been red alerts for avalanche in the area and there was no movement through  the Chang La for the past several days. We had almost given up hope of making it to the famed Tso. It was days before we received the all clear signal and we considered ourselves fortunate and our happiness knew no boundaries  to be making the trip to the famous Tso. We drove on the Leh Manali highway a picturesque road along the Indus River, passing the Shey Palace till we took a left from Karu.


Once we crossed the village of Shakti, the road began to climb and climb through the  steep, rough, zig – zag, dramatic mountain roads.  Soon the brown mountains tops gave away to snow laid landscape and as we approached the Chang La pass, the road became narrower and rougher with  snow seems to be all around us. The Chang La greeted us with a chill in the air, and left us feeling really cold and with the low oxygen at a height of 17590 ft added to our discomfort. But the efforts made to reach the La was rewarded with the spectacular view around and a sense of accomplishment to reach the dizzy heights.

The road was down hill from Chang La onwards but the road looked treacherous. Soon we crossed the place where the recent avalanche had swept away a vehicle. Rescue operations by the authorities was under progress, looking for the persons whose vehicle was swept away by the avalanche. With the rush of adrenaline secretion in our bodies at its peak, there was a equal feeling of fear and excitement and with  prayers in our minds , we moved downhill from the La to the lower reaches of Durbuk, Tangste, Lukung and Spangmik .

 

The drive was 170 KM from Leh and took us almost five hours with intermittent  halts on the way. Pangong in Tibetean is long, narrow enchanted. Situated at a  height of 14270 ft the Tso is 134 KM long, with width measuring 5 KM at its broadest point.  The line of actual control passes through this lake and approx. 60 % of the lake lies in Tibet. It is a separate land lock river basin and completely freezes in winter despite being saline in nature and life in winters is harsh and tough. The first sight of Pangong Tso and its surrounds left us in a daze, with most of the lake frozen but another part the water bluish  turquoise in color with the background of brown hills and behind them the snow clad mountains with mist and clouds playing its part on a The playful numerous ducks and gulls in the Tso added to the beauty. The pristine beauty of the Tso mesmerized us and will remain a part  in our living memories. Was this the place we could call Heaven.
 

We had almost reached the end of our stay at Leh, and it called for a last round of Golf at the Fire and Fury, a 18 hole Golf course established in 1967 at a height of 11500 ft, claimed to be one of the  highest Golf course in the world. The greens made of motor oil mixed with sand are called the browns. The fairway completely sandy and rocky, where one has to take the fairway shots off a mat. The Golf course is set in a bowl with a view of the Khardung

Mountains. Many of the tee off points are at considerable height and it required an effort to reach them. On reaching the tee off point we would require time to regain our breath but the satisfaction was the shots used to zip off to almost distance of PGA Tour standards, guess why, because the thin rarefied air make the golf ball travel to unbelievable distances. The Golf course is indeed an idiosyncratic piece of golfing terrain but provides an unique golfing encounter.

All good things end and it was a happy ending, as we woke up to a bright and sunny day on the morning of our departure from Leh. Both on arrival and departure days, lady luck smiled on us, as the previous day and the day after respectively, there was snowfall in Leh and the flights to and from Leh were cancelled due to bad weather conditions.  April being a month of transition from winter to summer the weather is very erratic. In the ten days of our stay in Ladakh, we enjoyed the sun, the rain and the snowfall. The hospitality of the people of Ladakh who are gentle and peace loving people was infectious. Visiting Ladakh is also an eye opener to gauge the living conditions in these high altitude, low oxygen and difficult terrains. We salute the men and women in uniform who are guarding our vast borders  along with offering of medical facilities to one and all and in gratitude dedicate this blog to the soldier standing guard, meeting eye ball to eye ball with the enemy in these harsh and inhuman weather conditions. Julley!