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wikimapia Leh Palace from old town


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All best seen in Set sequence. Scroll down photo-page for info.
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Leh Palace
Part dilapidated, but under restoration, the towering nine-storey Palace, former royal residence, awes all. Influenced by early dzong fortresses in Tibet, it in turn became precedent model for the Potala at Lhasa. Ladakhi's greatest king, Sengge (Lion) Namgyal built it at the beginning of the 17th C, though it was later damaged by invaders, forcing the Ladakhi royal family to move to Stok.
Perched up, the castle's stark facade, dun coloured like the surrounding terrain, seems as one with the rocky landscape, its soaring walls tapering a little to give stability. The walls were constructed following the traditional system adapted across the Himalayas of alternating stone with timber. The Palace's lower heavy walls are built of dressed stones with a layer of timber bonding every 3m. The Palace's upper walls are constructed of mud bricks.
The palace of the "Lion King" was not only a royal fortress but was surrounded by a circuit of buildings that was also fortified. Although the buildings served different functions the contiguous blank outer facades were loopholed and provided additional defences.
Buddhist shrines, and today museum facilities, are incorporated in the large structure. One recently-restored temple preceded the Palace, though not much of the ancient material survived.
Above the incorporated gompas in the Palace, the fourth and fifth floors formed the royal residence and main hall where the king held court. On the sixth floor is the throne room and another small temple. It was all once grandly decorated but is now mainly bare. Recessed terraces and projecting balconies provide wonderful views over the town and spectacular landscape.


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Some Words:
Ladakh:
(many Tibetan)
bar-headed geese (anser indicus) high-flying migratory water birds that also breed in lakes of Ladakh.
chams (chhams)religious dance ritual typical of the Buddhist Tibetan festivals; (accompanied by Tibetan drums and music).
Changpa (Tibetan) nomads of high-altitude Ladakh to China.
Changthang The region of high Ladakh which stretches east across the China/Tibet border.
chhang Local barley beer (or wine)
chorten (Stupa in Indian) Domed structure with pinnacles, often stepped base, marking/containing shrine or religiously significant place. Typically whitewashed.
deodar (cedrus deodara) Cedars
dukhang temple assembly hall and main prayer chamber.
Drukpa A branch of Tibetan Buddhism.
duksa Rudimentary stone hut typical of high-altitude nomads.
DWLS The new Druk White Lotus School at Shey, designed by Arups.
dzo A Tibetan hybrid of yak and cattle.
dzong Buddhist fortress architecture.
Gelugpa The yellow hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism; reformed Tibetan version of Buddhism that emerged and established in the 15th C.
gompa Buddhist monastery.
gonkhang temple of protector deities.
Gustor Monastic cham festival for certain sects, especially Gelugpa.
Himalayan marmot (marmota himalayana) are chocolate-golden burrowing marmots.
jooley, joolay, julay greetings, hello, thank-you
kalachakra wheel of life (see Sankar gompa)
kangri high mountain peak (e.g. Stok Kangri).
kiang The Tibetan wild ass, unique to these highlands, chestnut brown, white under, long legs and nose.
La mountain pass
lama Tibetan Buddhist teacher, senior, or head of monastery.
Maitreya Future Buddha.
mani wall/stone A mani wall is a wall of inscribed stones (Mani ringmo in Tibetan). Mani walls are long platform-like rows of stones, typically waist high, faced with carved slabs. The mantra Om Mani Padme Hum (Ah! The jewel is indeed in the Lotus) is most commonly carved on the stones, but they could also be etched with Buddha or other holy images, or brief prayers. Mani walls are usually seen at the entrance of a village or near gompas (monasteries). They line trails or often stretch through their middle, like road dividers. Mani walls are sacred structures with much the same religious significance as chortens; Buddhists stay to their right when passing them.
monk A religious ascetic living alone or with other monks in a monastery.
Novice A young trainee monk.
Om (Omkara) Part of a religious mantra as in “Om Mani Padme Hum” (Ah! The jewel is indeed in the Lotus). Used in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
parikrama ritual circumambulation around a temple, shrine, or mountain
perak Tibetan Ladakh’s special traditional head-dress of high value, passed down the generations. Studded with turquoise, other precious stones, and inserted silver hand-craftings.
prayer-flags Long strings of colourful flags inscribed with Buddhist mantras and symbols; prayer-flags can be seen everywhere significant in Ladakh.
prayer-wheels A succession of hollow cylindrical drums that rotate on spindles. The drums are inscribed with mantras, others inside. Buddhists turn them believing that the mantras are activated to their spiritual gain.
rimpoche Rimpoche is an honorific used in Tibetan Buddhism. It literally means "precious one," and is used to address or describe Tibetan lamas and other high-ranking or respected teachers.
Rupshu Region of southern east Ladakh from Tso Moriri.
skushok Head of a gompa or monastery
stupa (Literally a heap) is a structure containing relics or writings, or making landmarks for Buddhist meditations. As for “chorten” above.
T.R. Tibetan Refugee.
Tso Lake
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Note: All FZ200 shots Nth India taken at:

12M (max info) setting.
Standard Photo Style.
Standard Colour mode.
No tripod used.
Hand-held hurried.
Stabilizer (camera) ON.
No added filters.
Lens-hood firmly ON.
10 speed card.
Automatic WB.
Motion (subject) Deblur ON.
iHandheld Nite Shot ON.
Quality Fine (less compression, degradation) camera .jpegs.
No convertors.
idynamic and iResolution OFF.
Flash closed.
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Tags:   PS peteshep copyright photo FZ200 Leh Palace historic Leh old town Ladakh July 9th 2013 prayer-flags architecture WMF lang=en&lat=34.165436&lon=77.586238&z=18&m=b&search=leh Little Tibet

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Copyright photo PS

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wikimapia fort-monastery above Leh

Leh is Ladakh's significant town; and wonderfully perched on mountain pinnacle above it is this historic combined monastery and fortress.
Called Namgyal Tsemo.
Architectural exclamation at its highest!
The red Maitreya temple, Tsemo Gompa is the structure as you ascend to the ridge top. Just above the Tsemo Gompa stands the Gongkhang, shrine of protector of deities, which was erected by King Tashi Namgyal in the mid 16th C. At the very top of the ridge, reached by scrambling up the shear slope, are the remains of the 16th C palace and fort of King Namgyal, Leh's first royal residence. Like all Ladakh capitals, Leh had its first fortresses at the highest elevations, with later, more confident kings choosing to build palaces lower down. Here, one of the towers still retains an overhanging wooden balcony. This fort is sometimes called the Victory Fort.
(Historians think there may have even been a fortress dating back to the 5th century.)

Tags:   PS peteshep copyright photo Namgyal Tsemo fort-monastery Leh Ladakh India FZ200 lang=en&lat=34.166532&lon=77.588636&z=17&m=b&search=leh

© All Rights Reserved

Copyright photo PS

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wikimapia NT Fortress-monastery above Leh


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Leh is the significant town; and wonderfully perched on mountain pinnacle above it is this historic combined monastery and fortress -- this shot across the valley from the Shanti Stupa.
Called Namgyal Tsemo.
Architectural exclamation at its highest!
The red Maitreya temple, Tsemo Gompa, festooned with prayer-flags, is the structure as you ascend to the ridge top. Just above the Tsemo Gompa stands the Gongkhang, shrine of protector of deities, which was erected by King Tashi Namgyal in the mid 16th C. At the very top of the ridge, reached by scrambling up the shear slope, are the remains of the 16th C palace and fort of King Namgyal, Leh's first royal residence. Like all Ladakh capitals, Leh had its first fortresses at the highest elevations, with later, more confident kings choosing to build palaces lower down. Here, one of the towers still retains an overhanging wooden balcony. This fort is sometimes called the Victory Fort.
(Historians think there may have even been a fortress dating back to the 5th century.)

Tags:   PS peteshep copyright photo Victory fort and gompa pinnacle-perched above Leh Himalayas India FZ200 Namgyal Tsemo late in day lang=en&lat=34.166718&lon=77.588711&z=16&m=b&search=leh

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Copyright photo PS

wikimapia Leh Bazaar Rd

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For as long as merchandise has circulated between China and the Arab world, the inhabitants of Leh have watched the passage of caravans led by people from distant places and have developed trade with these travelling merchants. Today the peasant town-dwellers sell any surplus from their short-summer vegetable gardens to travellers who descend on Ladakh between June and September.

Tags:   PS peteshep copyright photo Bazaar Rd Leh historic FZ200 market lang=en&lat=34.164135&lon=77.585610&z=18&m=b&search=leh

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Copyright photo PS

wikimapia

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This Palace preceded, and set the pattern for the Potala in Lhasa.
The Palace is part dilapidated, but the towering nine-storey building awes visitors to Leh. Few manmade structures in the Himalayas dominate the landscape as overwhelmingly as this former royal residence. Ladakhi's then king, the powerful Sengge Namgyal (1616 - 1642) built this early in the 17th century.
(The thick walls alternate timber horizontals into the stone.)

Tags:   PS peteshep copyright photo FZ200 Leh Palace chorten Ladakh July 9th 2013 architecture WMF lang=en&lat=34.165387&lon=77.586007&z=17&m=b&search=leh

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