Ladakh Continued...

Hey readers! It's been a while since I uploaded a new post. So after reaching Ladakh today I am going to write about the places to visit in Ladakh, which will be followed by places to visit nearby Ladakh in subsequent posts.
Since we were really tired of the journey from last two days so we decided to rest at Leh for two days and do some local sight seeing. Here's my husband talking about the journey to Ladakh valley.

We booked a taxi for local sight seeing which is available on various prices depending upon the attractions you want to visit. You can book them either on daily basis or as package. Since the taxi drivers there follow the union rule so charges are more or less constant. We opted for daily basis as we had planned our journey in a way that after a trip to near by tourist spot we were able to rest at Leh city for a day or two. Otherwise you can opt for a round trip in which you can stay at Leh for few days and then travel to Nubra Valley followed by Pangong Lake and Tso Moriri, ultimately reaching Manali. Since we had booked flight for our journey back to Delhi so we had to come back to Leh.

We paid approx INR 2500 to taxi for a day to visit following places. Also there is ticketing system for most of the monasteries.

1. Shanti Stupa

We started our Ladakh exploration with Shanti Stupa which was visible from quite a distance due to the fact that it is situated on the hill top at Changspa facing the Leh Palace. It has two levels- first level showing the Dharamchakra and second level depicting the life Lord Budha. The Shanti Stupa overlooks the Leh city and gives a panoramic view of the place.  

2. Rancho's School

Next in the list was Rancho's School which is actually known as Druke White Lotus School. It is famous for the shooting of the movie 3 Idiots in its premises. School authority also en-cashed the publicity by opening up a cafe called Rancho's Cafe where you can actually relive the movie moments. Other then that it is one of the most beautiful schools in the world with clean and eco-friendly structure which can withstand the seismic disturbances. Guided tours are available to visit the famous shooting spots and a souvenir shop. It required minimum 20-25 mins. to visit this school.

 

3. Hemis Monastery

It is a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery situated 45 km from Leh. While traveling to Monastery one has to climb up a mountain to a height from where the valley is not even visible and it's only mountains. It is one of the biggest monastery of the region and hold Hemmis festival annually honoring Padmasambhava.

Along with the monastery, the complex also have a museum showcasing Buddhist and lama's valuable ancient dresses, weapons, statues, etc. It is a beautiful museum but you cannot take camera inside and also have to pay some entry fees. The souvenir shop have some beautiful collection which you can't help buying.

3. Thiksey Monastery

It is located 19 km from Leh in Thiksey village. It is another largest monastery in the region having largest statue of Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha), 15 mts. high which covers two storeys of the building. This statue is said to be one of the beautiful depiction of future Buddha. Along with Maitreya temple, assembly hall and other complexes it also has a temple dedicated to Goddess Tara.

Maitreya Buddha

Goddess Tara

4. Shey Palace

Located in Shey village 15 km from Leh, Shey Palace is on the way to Hemis and Thiksey Monastery. But we visited this place on our way back to Leh city. The Monastery was build with in palace and is famous for giant copper and gilded gold statue of seated Lord Buddha. It is said to be the second largest statue in Ladakh. The palace on a hill top is visible from the road and there's a good stretch of stairs to reach the top. The palace shows it's age in most of the architecture now, but still holds the beauty that it once possessed.

5. Leh Palace

Designed in line with Patola Palace of Tibet, Leh palace is a 17th century building and a living tale of culture and history of Leh. Nine storeys high structure gives complete view of the entire city, surrounding structures and range of Himalayas. Along with remarkable architecture, statue of Buddha in the inside monastery and exhibition of paintings, crowns, jewels, ceremonial dresses, etc are also admirable.

view of Shanti Stupa from Leh Palace

view of town from Leh Palace

It was already late evening by the time we left from Leh Palace. So we decided to continue the sight seeing next day. Since Leh Palace is quite close to market, the idea really tempted us. But we ended up with going to hotel as it was just the first day in Leh and we were tired also.

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