Leh
is the headquarter of Leh District, and the largest town
of the region. It is located to the north of the Indus River at an elevation of 3600m
above the sea level. The town is dominated by the
nine-storey Namgyal Palace and Namgyal Tsemo (victory
peak), built by Tashi Namgyal on his victorious in
reunification of the Upper and Lower Ladakh. Leh became
the capital of Stod (upper Ladakh) during the reign of
king Graspa Bum- Lde,who ruled Ladakh from 1400 to 1430
AD. In the later period, Leh became an important center
for trade in Central Asia. Leh remained merely a
headquarter of Ladakh district until 1974, when Ladakh was
opened for foreign tourists. Since then period Leh became
the centre for tourism related activities in the region.
Fact File
Leh
provides medium and lower class accommodation, with
hundreds of guesthouses and hotels, which can suite every
budget. Restaurants offer good multicuisine for a
reasonable price. There are number of tour Operator/Travel
Agents around the town, which look after traveler’s
requirements.
Tour of Buddhist monasteries can be organised in one or
two days, as all the famous monasteries are within a drive
of one or two days from Leh. For information on
monasteries please check monastery section of this web
site.
