Kingdom of Ladakh
| [[]] map of Ladakh | |
| Capital | Leh |
| Coordinates | latitude: 39° 08' 43" N longitude: 77° 34' 03" E |
| Head of State | His Royal Majesty Tenzin Jigme Namgyal |
| Head of Government | |
| Demonym | Ladakhi |
| Religions | |
| Official | Bön Buddhism 94% |
| Other | Krishnaism 4% Sikhism 2% |
| Languages | |
| Official | Ladakhi 77% Hindi 8% Punjabi 5% |
| Founding | 842 |
| Independence | 1842 |
| Area | 45,110 km² 17,417 mi² |
| Population | 134,000 |
| Ethnicities | Tibetans 72% Dards 15% Sikhs 8% Hindus 5% |
| Currency | 1 Himalayan Rupee (Rs) = 20 sukaa (s) = 240 paisa (p) |
| Time zone | UTC +6:00 |
| ISO Code | LD |
| Telephone Code | |
| 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 were still practicing the Bön religion. One of the five principal spiritual schools of Tibetan Buddhism, it remains the predominant religion of the kingdom. 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 kingdom as far as Nepal.
In the early seventeenth century efforts were made to restore destroyed artifacts and gompas and the kingdom expanded into Zanskar and Spiti. In 1616, Sengge Namgyal conquered many parts of the Tibetan Plateau to the east. 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 raja 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 raja 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 1839, the Dogras under Zorawar Singh, a general of Ranjit Singh, invaded and annexed Ladakh. In 1842, a Ladakhi rebellion re-established the kingdom's independence and restored the Namgyal king to the throne. During the period of occupation, the deposed king had been given the jagir of Stok. This has remained the personal property of the King of Ladakh.
In 1990, a new constitution was promulgated.
The Yarlung Kings of Ladakh
| Name | Relationship | Reign | Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyima Gon | founds first Ladakh dynasty | |||
| 1) Palgye Gon | son of Nyima Gon king of Ngari |
960-990 | 990 | |
| 2) Drogon | son of 1) | 990-1020 | 1020 | |
| 3) Drakpa De | son of 2) | 1020-1050 | 1050 | |
| 4) Changchub Sempa | son of 3) | 1020-1080 | 1080 | |
| 5) Gyalpo | son of 4) | 1080-1100 | 1100 | |
| 6) Utpala | son of 5) | 1110-1140 | 1140 | conquers Kulu, Mustang, and parts of Baltistan |
| 7) Naglug | son of 6) | 1140-1170 | 1170 | |
| 8) Gebhe | son of 7) | 1170-1200 | 1200 | |
| 9) Jodor | son of 8) | 1200-1230 | 1230 | |
| 10) Tashi Gon | son of 9) | 1230-1260 | 1260 | |
| 11) Kunga Namgyal | son of 10) | 1260-1290 | 1290 | |
| 12) Jopal | son of 11) | 1290-1320 | 1320 | |
| 13) Ngodrup | son of 12) | 1320-1350 | 1350 | |
| 14) Jowo Rinchen | son of 13) | 1350-1380 | 1380 | |
| 15) Lhachen Sherab | son of 14) | 1380-1420 | 1420 | |
| 16) Lhachen Tritsug De | son of 15) | 1420-1459 | 1459 | |
| 17) Lhachen Drakbum De | son of 16) | 1420-1460 | 1460 | king of Leh |
| 18) Lhachen Drakpa Bum | son of 16) | 1459-1470 | 1470 | king of Rabten Lhatse |
| 19) Lodro Chogden | son of 17) | 1460-1500 | deposed | |
| 20) Lhachen Bhara | son of 17) | 1500-1540 | king of Rabten Lhatse | |
| 21) Lhachen Bhagan | son of 20) | 1540-1555 | ||
| 22) Lhachen Lawang Namgyal | son of 21) | 1555-1575 | 1575 | deposed |
| 23) Tashi Namgyal | son of 21) | 1575-1595 | 1595 | repels Central Asian invaders |
| 24) Tsewang Namgyal I | son of 22) | 1595-1616 | 1616 | extends kingdom as far as Nepal |
| 25) Jamyang Namgyal | son of 22) | 1616-1623 | 1623 | unsuccessful efforts by Kashmir to convert nation to Islam |
| 26) Senge Namgyal | son of 25) | 1623-1624 | ||
| 27) Norbu Namgyal | son of 25) | 1624-1642 | ??? | |
| Senge Namgyal | son of 25) | 1642-1694 | 1694 | restored; conquers Zanskar and Spiti; defeated by Mughals; defeats Mughals in Baltistan; sides with Bhutan against Tibet; settles dispute with Tibet; independence restricted |
| 28) Deden Namgyal | son of 26) | 1694-1729 | 1729 | |
| 29) Nyima Namgyal | son of 28)'s son Delek Namgyal |
1729-1739 | 1739 | |
| 30) Dekyong Namgyal | son of 29) | 1739-1753 | 1753 | |
| 31) Phuntsok Namgyal | son of 30) | 1753-1782 | 1782 | |
| 32) Tsewang Namgyal II | son of 31) | 1781-1802 | 1802 | |
| 33) Tseten Namgyal | son of 32) | 1802-1837 | 1837 | |
| 34) Tsepal Namgyal | son of 32) | 1837 | deposed by Jammu | |
| 35) Tsewang Rabten Namgyal | son of 34) | 1837-1839 | co-ruler 1830-1837 | |
| Tsepal Namgyal | son of 32) | 1842- | to Sikh Kashmir 1839-1842; restored | |
| 36) Kunga Namgyal | son of 35) | 1842-1877 | 1877 | |
| 37) ??? Namgyal | son of 36) | 1877-1905 | 1905 | |
| 38) ??? Namgyal | son of 37) | 1905-1938 | 1938 | |
| 39) Jigme Wangchuk Namgyal | son of 38) | 1938-1978 | ||
| 40) Tenzin Jigme Namgyal | son of 39) | 1978- |
Styles
- The ruler of Ladakh has the titles His Royal Majesty King of Ladakh, of Basgo and Leh, jagirdar of Stok.
- The wife of the king, the queen, has the style of Her Royal Majesty.
- The heir apparent, the crown prince, has the style of His Royal Highness.
- The younger sons and daughters of the king have the style of Their Royal Highnesses.
Rule of Succession
Male primogeniture among the legitimate descendants of King Lhachen Bhagan.
Toponymy
The Tibetan name for the region is la-dwags meaning "land of high passes".
Government
Provinces
| Province (dzongdey) |
Capital | Area | Population | Prefectures (dzongkhag) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leh (L) | Leh | 45,100 km² 17,413 mi² |
117,000 | Nubra (LN) Khalsi (LK) Leh (LL) Kharo (LR) Durabk (LD) Nyoma (LM) Diskit (LT) |
|
| Kargil (K) | Kargil | 14,086 km² 5,439 mi² |
119,000 | Sarku (KS) Chiktan (KC) Shargole (KG) Taisu (KT) Zanskar (KZ) Drass (KD) Kargil (KK) |
Thus, the total area of the kingdom is 59,186 km² (22,852 mi²), somewhat smaller than the American state of West Virginia.
Geography
Borders
Based, as much as possible, on World Map 2001.
Ladakh is bordered by on the:
North: Tibet
East: Tibet
South: Tibet
Southwest: Jammu
West: Jammu, Kashmir
The Kingdom of Ladakh is contiguous with *here's* Ladakh in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Siachen Glacier and the Demchok region. It does not include Aksai Chin.
Climate
- The climate of Ladakh displays great diversity. In the summer there is an average temperature in the range of approximately -3° C to 30° C. *Ladakh experiences extremely cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average temperature in the winter season is somewhere around -20° C to 15° C. The sun's effect is harsher in the winter due to the rarified air.
Economy
Demographics
- The original inhabitants of Ladakh were Tibetans who immigrated into the region from the east. They still make up 72% of the population. They brought with them the variety of Buddhism known as Bön. An Indo-European people, known as Dards immigrated from the north. They make up about 15% of the population and have become Bön Buddhists.
- More recent immigrants from the south include Hindus and Sikhs. The Sikhs, 5% of the population, are the remnant of the brief occupation by the Sikh R.S. and are practitioners of the Udasi sect of Sikhism. They live mainly in the northern part of the Province of Kargil, although some live in the capital cities of Kargil and Leh. Most of them work in the business world or are in civil service. Their language Punjabi is one of the official languages of the kingdom.
- The other group of immigrants from the south are the Indians, 8% of the population, who remained behind after the fall of the Moghul Empire. Most of them live in the southern part of the Province of Kargil and work the land. Their language Hindi is one of the official langauges of the kingdom. They are members of the Krishnaite sect of Hinduism.
Culture
National symbols
- National mammal: Markhor (Capra falconeri)
- National bird: Black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis]
- National flower: Brahma Kamal (Sausurrea obvallata)
- National tree: Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara)
- National dish: sku (noodle stew, with or without mutton)
- National emblem:
- National aviation roundel:
- National instrument:
- National colors: sky blue and green
Ladakhi holidays
(Dates in italics are postponed)
| Date | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 14 February | Losar | New Year |
| The King's Birthday | ||
| 28 February | Chotrul Düchen | Butter Lamp Festival (2010 only) |
| 21 March | Father's Day | |
| 27 May | Suga Dawa Düchen | The Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinirvana (2010 only) |
| 21 June | Guru Rinpoche's Birthday | |
| 15 July | Chokhor Düchen | 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 Düchen | The Buddha's Descent to Earth (2010 only)) |
| 6 November |
