Leh

Leh Leh
city
Population  (2001)
• Total	27,513
Website	www.leh.nic.in

Leh (Tibetan script: གླེ་, Wylie: Gle), Hindi: लेह was the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh, now the Leh District in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The town is still dominated by the now ruined Leh Palace, former home of the royal family of Ladakh, which resembles a mini-Potala Palace. Leh is at an altitude of 3,500 meters (11,483ft).

Geography

Leh is located at 34.17°N 77.58°E / 34.17; 77.58. Its average elevation is 3,500 metres (11,483 feet). Average annual rainfall is 90 mm. The temperature can range from −28 °C in winter to 33 °C in summer.

Principal roads include the 434 km Srinagar-Leh highway which connects Leh with Srinagar and the 473 km Leh-Manali Highway which connects Manali with Leh. Both roads are open only on a seasonal basis.

Climate

Leh
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     12     −1 −13     8.6     0 −12     12     6 −6     6.5     12 −1     6.5     17 2     4.3     21 6     16     24 10     20     24 10     12     21 5     7.1     14 0     2.9     8 −6     8     1 −10 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: Weatherbase, Plan Holidays
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.5     30 9     0.3     32 10     0.5     43 21     0.3     54 30     0.3     63 36     0.2     70 43     0.6     75 50     0.8     75 50     0.5     70 41     0.3     57 32     0.1     46 21     0.3     34 14 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Leh has a cold, arid climate with long, harsh winters from October to early March, with minimum temperatures well below freezing for most of the winter. The city gets occasional snowfall during winter. The weather in the remaining months is generally fine.

History

The ruined Royal Palace at Leh.

The town is dominated by the royal palace, known as Leh Palace. This was built by King Sengge Namgyal in the 17th century, but was later abandoned when Kashmiri forces besieged it in the mid-19th century. The royal family moved their premises south to their current home in Stok Palace on the southern bank of the Indus. The Leh Palace is nine storeys high; the upper floors accommodated the royal family, the stables and store rooms are located in the lower floors.

The city-square in 1909.

The old mosque below Leh Palace is a Sunni Muslim mosque. It was constructed under the threat of military action by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb which prompted King Deldan Namgyal to build the mosque in 1661. The mosque reflects a mixture of Islamic and Tibetan architecture and can accommodate more than 500 people.

Leh was an important stopover on trade routes along the Indus Valley between Tibet to the east, Kashmir to the west and ultimately between India and China.

Demographics

People of Leh

According to 1981 Census, 81.18 % of Leh District's population is Buddhist, 15.32 % Muslim, 2.99 % Hindus, 0.27 % Sikh and 0.23% Christians. The Muslim presence dates back to the annexation of Ladakh by Kashmir, after the Fifth Dalai Lama attempted to invade Ladakh from Tibet. Since then, there has been further migration from the Kashmir Valley due firstly to trade and latterly with the transfer of tourism from the Kashmir Valley to Ladakh.

As of 2001 India census, Leh town had a population of 27,513. Males constitute 61% of the population and females 39%, due to a large presence of non-local labourers, traders and government employees. Leh has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 65%. In Leh, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Religious coexistence

Since the eighth century people belonging to different religions, particulary Buddhism and Islam, have been living in harmony in Leh. They coexisted from the time of early period of Namgyal dynesty and there have been no mention of any conflict between them. But with the opening of Ladakh to the outside world and politics creeping into peaceful Ladakhi society, the issue of religion has emerged and stained this long tradition of coexistence and coevolution. In recent time relations between the Buddhist and Muslim communities have soured due the petty conflict motivated by political interest. With the visit of the Dalai Lama in August 2003 and his strong appeal to the masses regarding religious pluralism and peaceful coexistence, situation has ameliorated and normalcy has been restored. Thus, Ladakh resumed its age-old tradition of cohesiveness.

Besides these two communities there are people living in the region who belongs to different religions like Christianity, Hinduism, and Sikhism. And they too live in harmony and forms a vital part of the society.The Christian community in Leh were converted from Tibetan Buddhism by German Moravian missionaries who first established a church in 1885.

Connectivity

Leh is well connected by National Highway 1D (Leh - Kargil - Srinagar) Kargil is 220 Kms from leh and takes approx. 7 Hours to reach there. Due to the expanding work going on the highway sometimes the traffic has to be stopped for half an hour or so.

Leh is served by three airlines from Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport:

• Jet Airways (Delhi)
• Air India/Indian Airlines (Delhi, Jammu, Srinagar)
• Kingfisher Red (previously Air Deccan) (Delhi)

Pictures

A panoramic view of Leh valley from the Shanti Stupa

• 
  Leh Bazaar prior to 1871
• 
  View of Leh
• 
  The ruined Royal Palace at Leh.
• 
  Leh, capital of Ladakh ca. 1857
• 
  Shanti Stupa, constructed in 1983 by the Japanese
• 
  Leh Palace
• 
  Leh Mosque
• 
  Old Market
• 
  City view
• Complete view of Leh as seen from Shanti Stupa
  Complete view of Leh as seen from Shanti Stupa
• 
  Leh, capital of Ladakh ca. 1857

Further reading

• Lonely Planet: Trekking in the Himalayas (Walking Guides)

External links

• Leh at Wikitravel
• Manali-Leh Bicycle Adventure, documenting the region through photographs
• Population Figures
• http://www.indianbackpacker.com/leh.html
• Ladakh Muslims At A Glance: Islam in Ladakh
• City of Leh Thrives as Oasis of Peace in Kashmir
• Daily excelsior...state
• International Association for Ladakh Studies 11th colloquium Leh, 21-25 July 2003
• Film on Leh
• Ladakh seen by two amator photographers (2006)
• WanderingScapes: A travel blog and photographs featuring Ladakh (2007)
• Photos of Leh & Ladakh, 1280x960
• Monasteries of Ladakh