Leh & Ladakh

Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and culture. It spans the Great Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River Valley. The district bordered Pakistan occupied Kashmir in the west and China in the north and Eastern part and Lahul Spiti of Himachal Pradesh in the South east. Ladakh’s ethnic composition consisted of Mongoloid and a mixed Indo-Aryan population of Mons and Dards. It is sometimes called little Tibet due to strong cultural and geographical similarities with Tibet. The approach to Ladakh is invariably marked with many long walls running 2-3 kms, decorated with engraved stones bearing the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hun” and Chortens which symbolizes Buddha’s mind. 

Around the first century, Ladakh was a part of the Kushana Empire. Buddhism came to western Ladakh via Kashmir in the 2nd century. Buddhism is the religion of the majority of Leh District’s population. The most attractive features of the Landscape of Leh are the Buddhists Gompas ( Monastries). The Gompas are situated on the highest points of the mountain spurs or sprawl over cliffsides, located in vicinity of villages and provide focus for the faith of Buddhists. Gompas have a wreath of artifacts. There are also some religious places of Muslims which constitute slightly more than 15% of the district’s population. Ladakh is a high altitude desert as the Himalayas create a rain shadow thus prohibiting the entry of monsoon clouds. The main source of water here remains the winter snowfall on the mountains that forms the glaciers. Like in the rest of the parts of the country where people pray for rain, here Ladakhis pray for the glaciers or snows to melt for irrigation and drinking purposes. Surprisingly though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitudes. Only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke n frostbite at the same time.

How To Reach 

Leh is connected with Srinagar by road which remains closed during winter months due to heavy snow fall especially on Zojila pass, the pass in the Great Himalayan Wall that serves as the gateway to Ladakh. The road to Leh opens in late May or early June, & closes by mid-October every year depending upon the weather conditions. Journey from Srinagar to Leh via Kargil is approx. 434 Kms and takes 2 days with night halt at Kargil where accomodation is available in Hotels / Guest Houses etc. Jeeps and cars are also available for the journey from Srinagar to Leh. The most dramatic part of this road journey is the ascent upto 11,500 ft and 3,505 m high Zojila pass. The J & K State Road Transport Corporation (J&K SRTC) operates regular Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Srinagar and Leh on this route with an overnight halt at Kargil. Taxis (cars and jeeps) are also available at Srinagar for the journey. Groups can charter Deluxe and A-class buses for Leh, Kargil or Padum (Zangskar) from the J & K SRTC at Srinagar.Leh is connected with Manali also by road with distance 473 Kms. Manali-Leh road has been serving as the second overland approach to Ladakh. This road also remains closed during winter months. This high road traverses the upland desert plateau of Rupsho, altitude ranges from 3,660m to 4,570m. A number of high passes fall enroute among which the highest one known as Taklang-La is world's second highest motorable pass at an altitude of 17,469 feet/5,235m. Himachal Pradesh Tourism, HRTC and J & K SRTC operate daily Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Manali and Leh. The bus journey between Leh and Manali takes about 19 hours or two days with an overnight halt in camps at Serchu or Pang. Maruti Gypsy and jeep taxis are also available, both at Manali and Leh at quite reasonable rates.Some Important road distances from Leh are:Delhi - 1047 KmsSrinagar - 434 KmsManali - 473 KmsKargil - 234 KmsDeskit(Nubra Valley) - 118 KmsSrinagar - Kargil - 204 KmsKargil - Padum (Zanskar) - 240 Kms

Indian Airlines  operates 3 flights in a week between Leh and Delhi, 2 flights in a week from Jammu and once in a week from Srinagar. Jet Airways also operates six flights in a week between Leh - Delhi and Go Air operates daily flight Between Leh - Delhi.

Udham Pur -Jammu & kashmir

Udhampur

Udhampur is a district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Udhampur town is the headquarters of this district.

Culture

Vaishno Devi cave near Katra is an important shrine for the Hindus and the most famous tourist attraction of this district. Patnitop and Sudh Mahadev are also tourist places. Major attractions in Udhampur city include Gole Market, Devika Ghats, Jakahni Park, Ramnagar chowk (Pandav mandir nd Kachalu), Salain Talab, and the Main Bazar.

The culture of this area is PAHARI which resembles the culture of other areas of Duggardesh. The other part of the district has Dogra culture. Dogri is the main language spoken by the people of the district. The Dogri spoken here is known for its sweetness in tone. Their main language is DOGRI/PAHARI. The language is the rural and hilly areas has maintained its native purity, accent and sweetness. Gojri is also spoken by the Gujjar Community settled here and there. However, Dogri is main language spoken in the district. The district is culturally an integrated part of Jammu region and all important religious fairs like Lohri, Maha Shivratri, Id-ul-Fitr, Holi, Ramnavmi, Baisakhi, Basantpanchami, Martyr's day of Guru Arjun Dev, Raksha Bandhan, Janam Ashtami, Mahanavami, Dussehra, Diwali, id-ul-zuha, Guru Ravi Dass's b’day, Mahatama gandhi's b’day Guru Govind Singh's b’day, Chacha Nehru's birthday. Above all, the Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Holy Navratras also provide special occasion for worship and pilgrimage to holy places culminating into small to big fairs.

Jammu & kasmir

Jammu & Kashmir

About

Kashmir A heaven on Earth, Kashmir is located in the north-western region of the Indian Subcontinent. With abundant natural beauty, the destination until the mid 19th century was geographically denoted as the valley nestled between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range. However, at present Kashmir denotes a much larger area that includes the Indian administered state of Jammu and Kashmir.

In Jammu & Kashmir various place has history which attracts towards them like Dhal lake , leh & ladakh Hills Weather ,Betab Vally , Shiv Khori , Nagin Lake, Har Ki Doon trek, Udhampur , Shri Nagar vallies etc.