Ladakh | Land of Gama

Ladakh is a union territory of northern India, situated between the Karakoram mountain in the north and the Himalayan mountain in the south. It is one of the sparsely populated parts of India.

Due to the border situation, it has great importance from a strategic point of view. Ladakh falls in the mountainous border of the northwestern Himalayas, where much of the land is not arable.

The Greater Himalayan Mountains are a large dividing ethnically, culturally, and physically, dividing the sparsely populated state of Ladakh (sometimes called 'Little Tibet') towards the northeast.

The residents of Asapas in Leh in the east are predominantly Tibetan ancestors and Buddhists with language (Ladikhi), but the population around Kargil in the west is predominantly Muslim and belongs to the Shia branch of Islam.

Farming in Ladakh is restricted to some of the main valleys like the Indus, Shyok, and Suru rivers.

Barley, buckwheat, turnip, and mustard are cultivated in small irrigated plots here.

Many gardens and vegetable farms have now flourished in Ladakh due to the plants introduced by agricultural scientists in the 1970s. Yak rearing is being encouraged in pastures.

Kashmiri goats are reared in Ladakh, which gives Pashmina and is used to make fine variety shawls etc.

The world-famous 'Gompa' festival of Ladakh is celebrated in the month of June.