Dah Hanu

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Dah Hanu
Twin Villages
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Dah Hanu
Location in Ladakh, India
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Dah Hanu
Dah Hanu (India)
Coordinates: 34°36′N76°30′E / 34.60°N 76.50°E / 34.60; 76.50
Country India
Union Territory Ladakh
District Leh
Tehsil Khalsi [1]
Population
 (2011)
  Total1,816
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)

Dah (also known as Dha) and Hanu are two villages of the Brokpa of the Leh District of the Indian union territory of Ladakh. [2] [3] Until 2010, these were the only two villages where tourists were allowed to visit out of a number of Brokpa villages.

The two villages situated in the Dha Hanu valley, also known as Aryan valley, about 163 km northwest of Leh in Ladakh. Being at a lower altitude, Dha and Hanu is warmer than Leh, allowing for the cultivation of wine-grapes and cherries as well as apricots and walnuts. [4]

The Brokpa people of Dah Hanu are nominally Buddhist but also worship their own animist pantheon of gods. They converted to Buddhism in the mid-nineteenth century. [5] They have an Indo-European appearance in contrast to the predominant Tibeto-Mongol inhabitants of most of Ladakh. [4] According to popular belief, the Brokpas were part of the army of Alexander the Great and came to the region over two thousand years ago [6] [7]

"Some households still practice polyandry...it is the groom who pays the bride price. Women have rights of divorce." [8]

See also

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Dah is a panchayat village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is the most prominent of all the Brokpa settlements, other than Dah, it has five hamlets: Biama, Baldes, Sannit, Pardos, and Lastyang. It is located east of Batalik in Aryan Valley of Indus river of Ladakh in the Khalsi tehsil.

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Darchik is a village in the Kargil district of Ladakh. It is primarily populated by the Brokpa people. It is located east of Batalik in Aryan Valley of Indus river system in Khalsi tehsil.

Chulichan is a village in the Kargil district of Ladakh, India, close to the Line of Control with Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It is populated by Shia Brokpas and Baltis. It is located east of Batalik in Aryan Valley of Indus river system near Batalik.

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Aryan Valley, historically known as Dah Hanu valley or region, is an area comprising four villages — Dah and Hanu in Leh district, and Garkon and Darchik in Kargil district — and associated hamlets in Central Ladakh, India. Until its absorption into the Maryul kingdom, Brokpa chiefs wielded nominal autonomy in the region. The current name originated in the tourism industry c. 2010 to market the Brokpas, the Brokskat language speaking mostly-Vajrayana Buddhist local inhabitants, as being the primordial Aryans..The physical features of the Brokpa people, such as their tall stature, fair complexion, high cheekbones, and blue-green eyes, bear a resemblance to European characteristics

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References

  1. "Villages | District Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh | India". Archived from the original on 29 June 2019.
  2. "In Pictures: The last Aryans". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 26 January 2023. They live in the villages of Dha and Hanu (commonly called as Dhahanu).
  3. Jina, Prem Singh (2009). Cultural Heritage of Ladakh Himalaya. Gyan Publishing House. pp. 53–176. ISBN   978-81-7835-745-4.
  4. 1 2 "Dha Hanu route intro". www.himalayabybike.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  5. Nicolaus, Peter (2015). "Residues of Ancient Beliefs among the Shin in the Gilgit-Division and Western Ladakh". Iran & the Caucasus. 19 (3): 201–264. doi:10.1163/1573384X-20150302. ISSN   1609-8498. JSTOR   43899199.
  6. "Dha-Hanu in Ladakh | Dha-Hanu Tour | Dha-Hanu Map | Dha-Hanu Weather | Dha-Hanu Photos | Travel.india.com". www.india.com. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  7. "In Pictures: The last Aryans". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  8. "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum". www.tribuneindia.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2004. Retrieved 27 September 2015.