Rajadom of Ladakh
| [[]] map of Ladakh | |
| Capitals | Leh |
| Head of State | His Royal Highness |
| Head of Government | ??? |
| Demonym | Ladakhi |
| Religions | |
| Official | Bön Buddhism |
| Other | Hinduism |
| Languages | |
| Official | Ladakhi |
| Other | Nepali, Tibetan |
| Founding | 842 |
| Independence | 1842 |
| Area | 45,110 km² ??? mi² |
| Population | 134,000 |
| Ethnicities | Bhutia 53% ??? 25% ??? 12% ??? 10% |
| Currency | 1 Himalayan Rupee (Rs) = 20 sukaa (s) = 240 paisa (p) |
| Time zone | UTC +6:00 |
| Telephone Code | LDK |
| Registration | |
| Aviation | LDK |
| Amateur radio | LDK |
| Radio prefix | LDK |
| Organizations | Himalayan Confederacy |
| Sports | |
| Official | |
| Other | |
History
Texts in bold print are points of departure.
Rock carvings found in many parts of Ladakh show that the area has been inhabited from Neolithic times. Ladakh's earliest inhabitants consisted of a mixed Indo-Aryan population of Mons and Dards, who find mention in the works of Herodotus, Nearchus, Megasthenes, Pliny, Ptolemy, and the geographical lists of the Puranas. Around the first century, Ladakh was a part of the Kushan Empire. Buddhism spread into western Ladakh from Kashmir in the second century when much of eastern Ladakh and western Tibet was still practicing the Bön religion. One of the five principal spiritual schools of Tibetan Buddhism, it remains the predominant religion of the rajadom. The seventh century Buddhist traveler Xuanzang also describes the region in his accounts.
In the eighth century, Ladakh was involved in the clash between Tibetan expansion pressing from the east and Chinese influence exerted from Central Asia through the passes. Suzerainty over Ladakh frequently changed hands between China and Tibet.
In 842, upon the dissolution of the Tibetan empire, Nyima-Gon, a Tibetan royal representative, annexed Ladakh for himself and founded a separate Ladakhi dynasty. During this period Ladakh acquired a predominantly Tibetan population. The dynasty promoted the second spreading of Buddhism (the first being the one in Tibet itself), importing religious ideas from northwest India, particularly from Kashmir.
In 912, Nyi-ma-mon, a great-grandson of Langdarma, the last king of the Tibetan Kingdom of Tubo, established a kingdom in Ngari and annexed Purang and Guge. Before dying, he divided his lands into three parts. His eldest son, Dal-gyi-mon, became the ruler of Mar-yul (Ladakh), his second son, Bra-shis-mon, received Guge-Purang, and the third son, Le-tsug-mon, received Zanskar.
Faced with the Islamic intrusions into South Asia in the thirteenth century, Ladakh sought guidance in religious matters from Tibet. For nearly two centuries, until the beginning of the seventeenth century, Ladakh was subject to raids and invasions from neighbouring Muslim states, which led some Ladakhis to convert to Islam who then fled to India.
In 1470, Lhachen Bhagan, the king of Basgo, overthrew the king of Leh, reuniting and strengthening Ladakh. He took the surname Namgyal and founded the Namgyal dynasty which survives to today. The Namgyals repelled raiders from Central Asia and temporarily extended the rajadom as far as Nepal.
In the early seventeenth century efforts were made to restore destroyed artifacts and gompas and the rajadom expanded into Zanskar and Spiti. In 1616, Sengge Namgyal conquered many parts of the Tibetan Plateau to the west. He died in 1642 on his return from an expedition against the Mongols who had occupied the Tibetan province of Tsang and were threatening Ladakh. However, despite a defeat by the Mughals, who had already annexed Kashmir and Baltistan, Ladakh retained its independence.
In the late seventeenth century, Ladakh sided with Bhutan in its dispute with Tibet which resulted in its being invaded by Tibet. During the reign of Delegs Namgyal (1660–1685), the King of Kashmir, at the time a province in the Mogul Empire, arranged for the Tibetan army to leave Ladakh. As payment for the assistance, the king made conditions, one of which was to build a large Sunni Muslim mosque in Leh. He also required that the Ladakhi king convert to Islam. The Treaty of Tismogang in 1684 settled the dispute between Tibet and Ladakh, but severely restricted Ladakh's independence, although the king returned to the Bön religion.
In 1834, the Dogras under Zorawar Singh, a general of Ranjit Singh, invaded and annexed Ladakh. In 1842, a Ladakhi rebellion re-established the rajadom's independence and restored the Namgyal raja to the throne. During the period of occupation, the deposed raja had been given the jagir of Stok. This remained the personal property of the Raja of Ladakh.
Toponymy
The Tibetan name for the region is la-dwags meaning "land of mountain passes".
Government
Provinces (anchal)
| Dzongdey | Capital | Area | Population | Dzongkhag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leh | Leh | 45,100 km² | 117,000 | Nubra Khalsi Leh Kharo Durabk Nyoma |
|
| Kargil | Kargil | 14,086 km² 5,439 mi² |
119,000 | Sarku Chiktan Shargole Taisu Zanskar Drass Kargil |
- Thus, the total area of the rajadom is 59,186 km², somewhat smaller than the American state of West Virginia.
Geography
Borders
Ladakh is bordered by on the:
North: Tibet
East: Tibet
South: Jammu
West: Jammu, Kashmir
Climate
Economy
Demographics
Culture
National symbols
- National mammal 1: Markhor (Capra falconeri)
- National mammal 2: Asian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)
- National bird: Scarlet minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus speciosa]
- National flower: Brahma Kamal (Sausurrea obvallata)
- National tree: Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara)
- National dish: sku (noodle stew, with or without mutton)
- The hoist half of the flag is white, the color of the snows on the sacred Himalayas, which symbolizes the secular tradition of the Rajadom. The auspicious Parasol in the blue color of peace symbolizes His Majesty the King, whose noble actions enhance the Rajadom. Hence, it symbolizes that His Majesty is protector of the people of the Rajadom and the upholder of the secular foundations of the Rajadom.
- The fly half of the flag is maroon, the color of the robes of the monks and symbolizes the spiritual tradition. The golden dharma wheel, with the gankyil in the center, symbolizes the flourishing of the Buddhist teachings in the Rajadom.
- The pale wavy green symbolizes the Gandaki River that flows through the Rajadom.
- The lung ta (wind horse) flies from fly to hoist symbolizing that the Buddhist tradition infuses the government of the Rajadom.
- National emblem:
- Per pale white and maroon, a pale wavy vert, on the dexter an auspicious parasol azure, on the sinister the Wheel of Dharma or; on a chief vert a wind horse courant to the dexter.
- For supporters, on the dexter a sand fox and on the sinister a musk deer, all proper.
- For a crest, a vajra or rising out of a lotus white.
- National aviation roundel: a circle divided in half, white and red, a green stripe down the center.
- National instrument: Wikipedia:
Ladakhi holidays
(Dates in italics are postponed)
| Date | Name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 February | Losar | New Year | |
| The King's Birthday | |||
| 28 February | Chotrul Duchen | Butter Lamp Festival (2010 only) | |
| 21 March | Father's Day | ||
| 27 May | Suga Dawa Duchen | The Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinirvana (2010 only) | |
| 21 June | Guru Rinpoche's Birthday | ||
| 15 July | Chokhor Duchen | The Buddha's First Sermon (2010 only) | |
| 24 August | Ulambana | Ancestor Day (2010 only) | |
| 23 September | Thri-bab | Blessed Rainy Day (2010 only) | |
| 17 October | Dashain | Victory of the Goddess Durga (2010 only) | |
| 29 October | Lhabab Duchen | The Buddha's Descent to Earth (2010 only)) | |
| 6 November |
