Source of Indus river in Ladakh (and how India got its name!)
Ice chunks float down the
Zanskar river as it joins the
Indus at the Saspul-Nimmo confluence.
The
Indus River in
Ladakh, locally known as the Singhe Khababs (out of
Lion's mouth), flows across the north west to the south east, passing through Ladakh and flows into
Pakistan where it joined
Shayok and Suru to become major historical Indus River.
The river is said to have originated from the mouth of a lion in
Mansarovar, in China-controlled
Tibet. Thus it is also called Sengge Tsangpo or
Lion River. As it flows from Tibet to Ladakh to Pakistan before meeting the
Arabian Sea, it symbolically binds the people of the three nations. It is a common lifeline. One only wishes these ties could secure
peace between warring neighbours. One of the earliest human civilisations settled on the banks of the Indus. Even now, as you come down
Tanglang La, you spot the first permanent settlements and green zone after
Jispa at Rumtse, located along one of its tributaries.
The
Indus river is the backbone of Ladakh—all the major places historically and currently,
Shey, Leh,
Basgo, and
Tingmosgang, are situated close to the river.
Water levels remain high during the month June to late August, which is the best season for fascinating rafting expeditions. The white water Indus has rapids generally of I and II grades and at some places, has grade
III to even V rapids.
Ladakh is a region of
India in the state of
Jammu and Kashmir and lies between the
Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main
Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and
Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also known as the "
Land of
High Passes". Ladakh is the highest plateau of state of
Kashmir with much of it being over
3,000 m (9,800 ft). It spans the
Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River valley.
Ladakh district was a district of the
Jammu and Kashmir state of India until 1 July
1979 when it was divided into
Leh district and
Kargil district. Each of these districts is governed by a
Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, which is based on the pattern of the
Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council. These councils were created as a compromise solution to the demands of
Ladakhi people to make Leh a union territory.
The economy of Ladakh rests on three pillars: the
Indian Army, tourism, and civilian government in the form of jobs and extensive subsidies. Agriculture, the mainstay only one generation ago, is no longer a major portion of the economy, although most families still own and work their land.
For centuries, Ladakh enjoyed a stable and self-reliant agricultural economy based on growing barley, wheat and peas and keeping livestock, especially yaks, cows, dzos (a yak-cow cross breed), sheep and goats. At altitudes of 3,
000 to 4,
300 m (10,000 to 14,000 ft), the growing season is only a few months long every year, similar to the northern countries of the world.
Animals are scarce and water is in short supply. The Ladakhis developed a small-scale farming system adapted to this unique environment. The land is irrigated by a system of channels which funnel water from the ice and snow of the mountains. The principal crops are barley and wheat.
Rice was previously a luxury in the
Ladakhi diet, but, subsidised by the government, has now become a cheap staple.
There are about
1,800 km (1,
100 mi) of roads in Ladakh of which 800 km (
500 mi) are surfaced. The majority of roads in Ladakh are looked after by the
Border Roads Organisation. Another common route in regular use was the
Kalimpong route between Leh and
Lhasa via
Gartok, the administrative centre of western Tibet. In present times, the only two land routes to Ladakh in use are from
Srinagar and
Manali. There is one airport in Leh, from which there are daily flights to
Delhi on
Jet Airways,
Air Deccan, and
Air India and weekly flights to Srinagar and
Jammu. There are two airstrips at
Daulat Beg Oldie and Fukche for military transport.
Source:
Wikipedia
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