Ladakh is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India and China since 1959. Ladakh is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region to the east, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, both the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan to the west, and the southwest corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north. It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the north to the main Great Himalayas to the south. The eastern end, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains, is claimed by the Indian Government as part of Ladakh, but has been under Chinese control.
Kargil district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir-region, which is administered as a union territory of Ladakh. It is named after the city of Kargil, where the district headquarters lies. The district is bounded by the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the west, the Pakistani-administered administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan to the north, Ladakh's Leh district to the east, and the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south. Encompassing three historical regions known as Purig, Dras and Zanskar, the district lies to the northeast of the Great Himalayas and encompasses the majority of the Zanskar Range. Its population inhabits the river valleys of the Dras, Suru, Wakha Rong, and Zanskar.
Muzaffar Hussain Baig is an Indian politician from Kashmir. He was the former Deputy Chief Minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. On Republic Day of 2020 he received India's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan.
Ladakh has a long history with evidence of human settlement from as back as 9000 b.c. It has been a crossroad of high Asia for thousands of years and has seen many cultures, empires and technologies born in its neighbours. As a result of these developments Ladakh has imported many traditions and culture from its neighbours and combining them all gave rise to a unique tradition and culture of its own.
The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh is one among the two Autonomous District Council of Ladakh Union Territory. LAHDC Leh administers the Leh district of Ladakh, India.
Zorawar Singh was a military general of the Dogra Rajput ruler, Gulab Singh, who served as the Raja of Jammu under the Sikh Empire. He served as the governor (wazir-e-wazarat) of Kishtwar and extended the territories of the kingdom by conquering Ladakh and Baltistan. He also boldly attempted the conquest of Western Tibet but was killed in battle of To-yo during the Dogra-Tibetan war. In reference to his legacy of conquests in the Himalaya Mountains including Ladakh, Tibet, Baltistan and Skardu as General and Wazir, Zorowar Singh has been referred to as the "Napoleon of India", and "Conqueror of Ladakh".
Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) is an organization in Ladakh, India concerned with interests of Buddhists in Ladakh. It was founded in 1933 by King Jigmet Dadul Namgyal, Kalon Tsewang Rigzin, lachumir Munshi Sonam Tsewang and Kalon Bankapa Morup Gyaltsan
Amitabh Mattoo is one of India's leading thinkers and writers on Modern and Contemporary History, Political science, International relations. He was awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009. He is Dean of the School of International Studies, Chair & professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, honorary professor of international relations at the University of Melbourne and Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute. Until 19 June 2018, he served as Advisor to the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, with the status of a Cabinet Minister. Amitabh Mattoo was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jammu from 2002 to 2008 and the youngest Vice Chancellor of a public university, then, to be appointed to that position in the history of independent India.
The Ladakh Scouts is a mountain infantry regiment of the Indian Army, nicknamed as the "Snow Warriors" or "Snow Leopards". The regiment specializes in cold-weather warfare and mountain warfare, long-range penetration, maneuver warfare, raiding with small unit tactics, and reconnaissance in difficult to reach and dangerous terrain. Its primary role is to guard India's borders in the high altitudes of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Thinlas Chorol is a social entrepreneur and writer from Ladakh, India. She founded the Ladakhi Women's Travel Company and has written articles on tourism in Ladakh and other issues.
Shameema Dev Azad is an Indian singer from Jammu and Kashmir. She is married to Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mehmood-ur Rehman was an Indian civil servant, best known as the chairman of the 2008 Committee on Socio-Economic Backwardness of Muslims in Maharashtra. He was Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University from 1995 to 2000 and served as the chairman of Bombay Mercantile Cooperative Bank.
Morup Namgyal is an Indian folk musician, composer and dramatist, known for his contributions for the revival of Ladakhi and Tibetan folk music tradition. He is reported to have traveled across the Ladakhi region in the 1960s and documented the songs of the region which has assisted in the preservation of the regional musical tradition. He is one of the founders of Lamdon Social Welfare Society and Lamdon School, a not-for-profit institution promoting the cultural heritage of Ladakh. Noted as an active figure in Ladakhi society, he is a member of the advisory board of the Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO). and has contested in the Assembly Elections from the Lingshed constituency, though unsuccessfully. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2004, for his contributions to Indian music. His life has been made into a documentary, The Song Collector, directed by Erik Koto.
Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, also known by his initials JTN, is an Indian politician who served as a Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha for Ladakh, India's largest parliamentary seat geographically. Namgyal was elected, on 9 November 2018, to be the youngest and 8th Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Darshan Lal Jain was an Indian social activist, who was awarded Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2019 for his contribution in social work. He was known for educating young girls and financially troubled children.
Narsingh Dev Jamwal is an Indian writer and playwright from Jammu, who has authored 48 books, including Sanjhi Dharti Bakhle Mahnu (novel), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978. He received India's fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri (2019) for his contribution in the field of literature and education.
Politics of Ladakh is exercised within democratic setup of the Indian-administered union territory of Ladakh. Major power centres are Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil alongside Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency. Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party are major political parties. Ladakhi religious organisations like Ladakh Buddhist Association, Imam Khomeni Memorial Trust and Anjuman-e-Jamiat-ul-Ulama Asna Asharia have major influences as well.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Ladakh:
The culture of Ladakh refers to the traditional customs, belief systems, and political systems that are followed by Ladakhi people in India. The languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food, and customs of the Ladakh region are similar to neighboring Tibet. Ladakhi is the traditional language of Ladakh. The popular dances in Ladakh include the khatok chenmo, cham, etc. The people of Ladakh also celebrate several festivals throughout the year, some of the most famous are Hemis Tsechu and Losar.
Vishwamurti Shastri is a Sanskrit scholar with knowledge of Vedic literature and related subjects. He served as a principal of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Jammu. He was appointed to Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) in 2019. He is director of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Gurukul, Katra. He also serves as the chairman of J&K Dharmarth Trust Advisory Committee.
