On our maiden trip to Ladakh, we had plans to
visit a list of must see places. Our trip mostly revolved around the YHAI
mountain biking expedition in Leh. While we successfully completed the mountain
biking expedition and had a blast during the entire expedition; there were many
places which we visited post the cycling expedition was over. I have tried
listing my experience with the places that we visited; while these are
definitely not the exhaustive list of must see places but they will essentially
cover the essence of a trip to Ladakh.
There are some places which deserve a separate
post by itself which is why I have written exhaustively about them. These are
places which are absolute must see places if you come to Ladakh and your trip
is incomplete without visiting these places.
Aamir Khan’s “3 Idiots” turned this place into an
overnight tourist destination. Not that this was the first movie to be shot at
this pristine lake but the essence of the lake was truly highlighted in the
movie. Read along to live our experience at the Pangong.
“The World’s Highest Motorable Road in the World”,
does that excite you. Well that’s enough to excite anyone to take a trip to
this place. Read along to experience our escapades while trying to scale the
mighty Khardungla Pass.
Simply put a life changing experience. Such was
our journey to Nubra valley. Crossing the mighty Khardungla Pass and descending
into the Nubra valley is a once in a lifetime experience. Read along to discover
our sojourn at Nubra valley.
Hall of Fame: Kargil War Memorial
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| Hall of Fame - Kargil War Memorial |
On our last day in Ladakh we decided to check
out some of the places on the Srinagar Leh highway. We rented a Honda Activa
and started our day after a hefty breakfast. Biking in Ladakh is an experience many travelers are eager to seek and to top if by riding on NH-1. You don't need a second invitation.
First on the list was The Hall of
Fame in Leh which was set up by the Indian Army XIV Corps as a Museum cum
Memorial to the War Heroes. It is billed as a "Museum of Ladakh Culture
and Military Heritage" and houses a War Memorial as well. It is open to public
and is situated near the Leh Airfield.
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| Hall of Fame - Kargil War Memorial |
We asked for directions in the local market to hit
the highway and once we connected the highway it was smooth ride. Why can’t all
roads in Mumbai be the same as in Ladakh? Absolutely no potholes. Reached the
Hall of Fame in about 15 minutes. Parked the bike in the parking lot and
proceeded towards the ticket counter. The rickets cost Rs 25 each while Rs 50
for the camera. The Hall of Fame remains open year long with between 9 am to 7
pm from April – October and from 9 am to 5 pm from November – March. It remains
closed on Tuesday. Our belongings can also be deposited at the ticket counter
in the cloakroom. We kept our helmet and entered the premises.
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| Entrance: Hall of Fame - Kargil War Memorial |
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| Outside Hall of Fame - Kargil War Memorial |
At the entrance itself we get a glimpse of the
mighty army weapons. There is a 25 pounder gun howitzer just outside the main
gate and the first sight as we enter the hall of fame is a statue of Buddha
which is complimented by one of his quotes.
“It is better to conquer
yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot
be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
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| Outside Hall of Fame - Kargil War Memorial |
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| Entrance Hall of Fame - Kargil War Memorial |
As we enter the museum, there are portraits of the
army commanders posted at the frozen frontiers of Siachan over the overs. And
as we step foot into the museum there is a map of the entire Ladakh region. One
of the guides in the museum started briefing everyone on the various regions
under Ladakh. The rivers, the mountains, the lakes, the culture, army posts,
etc. Right round the map are portraits of the must see places in Ladakh, Some
of which we had the privilege to visit during this trip and some of which we
plan to visit sometime in the future when we come back to this beautiful place.
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| Commanders posted @ Siachan Glacier |
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| Ladakh Region Mini Geographical Map |
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| Another View |
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| Must See Places in Ladakh |
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| Must See Places in Ladakh |
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| Inside Hall of Fame - Kargil War Memorial |
We kept moving around the museum and witnessing
the various artifacts and souvenirs kept on display. The place is well
maintained with signboards on the sequence in which we can move around in the
museum. Just as we were checking out the flora and fauna of Ladakh, we were
asked by the museum authorities to gather in the auditorium. There is a 30
minute documentary on the Kargil war & the brave stories of heroism and
sacrifice of our army which is shown. The movie gave us insights into the evil
motives of our neighbors and how our army jawans successfully defeated them to
win back Kargil. The movie made our eyes moist for the jawans who sacrificed
their lives for our motherland. Hats off to our army.
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| Behind Hall of Fame - Kargil War Memorial |
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| Chopper Landing behind Hall of Fame |
The section that really got me excited was the
one displaying the artifacts from Siachan region. There was a replica of the
Siachan hut in which the army jawans live. A hut hardly 6x6 ft in dimensions
which has basic facilities like mattress, pillow, light, fan and tea kettles. The
snow suits were also on display in this section which is used by the army in
Siachan. Everyone is aware of the coldest war frontier in the world and this
room had all the artifacts to show how our army jawans manage to survive in
those hostile climatic conditions.
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| Siachen Hut |
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| Siachen Body Suit |
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| Siachen Body Suit |
Since the museum if located very close to the Leh
airfield we also got to witness the takeoff and landing of the army choppers. We
came out of the hall of fame from the back door to visit the war memorial where
we paid homage to the army jawans. After spending about couple of hours in the
museum we came out and went to the souvenir shop in the museum campus. Akhilesh
bought the authentic Kashmiri kesar (saffron) at Rs. 1100 for 4 gm. This
Kashmiri saffron is considered one of the best spices in the world.
Patthar Sahib Gurudwara
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| Monastery on the Leh Srinagar Highway |
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| View on the Leh Srinagar Highway |
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| View on the Leh Srinagar Highway |
The next itinerary on our list was the Patthar
Sahib Gurudwara. The gurudwara is built and maintained by the army and is just
adjoining the Leh Srinagar highway. Legend has it that the highway was supposed
to pass through the exact place of the Patthar Sahib shrine but even after
multiple attempts none of the heavy duty construction machines could cut
through the hard rock and thus it was decided to built a shrine at this place
and change the course of the highway.
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| On the hillock opposite Patthar Sahib Gurudwara |
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| On the hillock opposite Patthar Sahib Gurudwara |
We entered the shrine and as with all gurudwara’s
we covered our heads with the traditional scarfs. We were really hungry and the
very first sight we saw was a tea & boondi langer (free food). We didn’t
waste a single minute and lined up to have the lovely snack. Just as we sat
down to have our snack we were joined by some army jawans. Very simply put
Ladakh is one region in India where chances are higher of bumping into an army
jawan as compared to a civilian. In no time we started chatting with them and
again we found one of the army jawans from Maharashtra. He was very thrilled to
talk to us and shared some of the stories regarding the place.
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| Me & Akhilesh @ Patthar Sahib Gurudwara |
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| The life of Sikh Saints @ Patthar Sahib Gurudwara |
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| Concentrate for 2 mins |
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| With Army Jawans @ Patthar Sahib Gurudwara |
As a souvenir we bought the traditional
kadas(metal bracelet) which even today we proudly sport around as a remembrance
of the place. We then moved into the main shrine which houses the holy rock. The
legend has it that there was a demon on the adjoining mountain who wanted to
kill Guru Nanak Ji who used to meditate at this place. So, we pushed a huge boulder
from the mountain and miraculously the boulder turned soft like was on touching
Guru Nanak Ji. The rock took the shape of the Guruji’s back and this can be
seen at the shrine. The local priest was very kind to share this entire story
with us. We offered our prays and continued for lunch. And as with all
gurudwara’s there was free lunch at the langer. We happily entered the langer
hall. The settings are pretty simple. You collect your own plates, glasses and
spoons and sit down on the floor to be served by the army jawans. The food was
simple rice, dal, rotis and vegetables. The food was really tasty. After the
lunch we washed our own plates and kept them out to dry. As an additional souvenir,
we requested the priest if we could take the head scarfs as a remembrance. He obliged
gracefully and the scarf now finds a place in my prayer room in Mumbai.
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| Langar (Lunch) @ Patthar Sahib Gurudwara |
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| Guru Granth Sahib |
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| The Shrine @ Patthar Sahib Gurudwara |
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| Patthar Sahib Gurudwara Prayer Room |
We now proceeded to the mountain opposite to the
shrine. This is the place from where the demon actually pushed the boulder. The
climb was really steep and we were really gasping all the way up. We finally
reached the top and view from up there was really mesmerizing. There were many
stones stacked up on top of each other which is believed to fulfill one’s
wishes. After stopping for about half an hour we came down.
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| Patthar Sahib Gurudwara from the top of the hillock |
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| Prayer Stones |
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| Outside Patthar Sahib Gurudwara |
Magnetic Hill
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| Magnetic HIll |
Next on the cards was the Magnetic Hill. Enough
has been heard & read about this place. Now was the time to experience it. Just as we arrived close to the Magnetic Hill, there was anxiety and curiousness to experience this strange phenomenon. There are clear instructions written near the place. Stop the car around 100 m from the marking on the road where the hoarding of Magnetic Hill is placed. Switch off the engine and put the car on neutral and observe the car start moving on its own towards the mark.
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| Riding up Magnetic HIll |
There was a group which had come in an Innova and they tried replicating the phenomenon. They were somewhat able to feel the effects. But we wanted to experience it our self so we took turns and tried the same with our bike. It worked to our utter surprise. But we were curious. So we headed towards the magnetic hill on the bike and from here is what we saw solved the mystery for us, The road actually has a slight downhill and because of the surrounding's the road appears as an upside to us when we drive on the road. This is purely an optical illusion but trust me I am still happy to believe there is something magnetic about the hill.
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| Strike a pose |
The hill might not be magnetic but the charm of this region is surely magnetic. It has attracted me to this place and will surely attract me again in future :)
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| Strike a pose |
Indus - Zanskar Confluence
Next on our list was the Indus Zanskar confluence. The Zanskar river is a north-flowing tributary of the Indus. The Zanskar meets the Indus river 3 km short of a place named Nimmu on the Leh Srinagar highway. An U-turn on the road leads us towards Chilling which is famous for the frozen river Chadar trek.
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| The Indus |
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| Indus Zanskar Confluence |
A view of the Indus Zanskar confluence from the Leh Srinagar highway gives us an idea of the scale of the mountains. The mighty rivers appear small streams of water and as we descend towards them we get the true sense of the intensity of the rivers. The emerald green Indus merging into the brownish Zanskar is a sight to view in person.
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| Bridge over Zanskar |
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| Indus Zanskar Confluence |
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| Road towards Chilling |
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| Indus Zanskar Confluence |
Some of you who would have visited Ladakh or have read about it would be wondering of some must see places which do not feature in this list above. As I mentioned earlier our trip majorly revolved around the YHAI mountain biking expedition; so some of those must see places were covered as part of that expedition itself and so the memoirs of those places will come in my subsequent posts. Just to give you an idea I will be covering details on the Leh Palace, Leh Market, Shanti Stupa, Lamayuru Monastery, Lamayuru Moonlands & of course the Indus river
Many more memoirs to share....Sachin
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